The Reviewers' Roundtable is a weekly discussion feature hosted by me and Emily from Read Your Bookcase. Each week we discuss a different bookish/blogging topic and hope you guys will share your thoughts too!
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THE HOSTS:
Emily at Read Your Bookcase
Michelle at Pink Polka Dot Book Blog
How Much Do Personal Beliefs Affect Your Ability To Like A Book?
For some people cheating in books is a deal breaker. If the main character cheats on his/her significant other, that reader is not going to like the book. Other people can't deal with swearing, drinking and drugs, or religion in books. Sometimes I find myself being one of these people. Like I'm reading a book, and it's written really well, all the characters are completely developed, and the dialogue is cute and/or funny... but still something about one of the characters makes me go all judgmental and I can't get myself to like the book after that.
First of all, I don't think it happens to me that often because I tend to stay away from books on topics that I feel would not allow me to like the book. But sometimes something will slip by me and I won't know that the book is going to have that thing in it until I'm already invested.
I think this would be best served with some examples:
So I was reading Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller and I was really liking it. The writing was great, the town that it was set in was adorable... and it's about this really cool Greek family. BUT- then the main character, Callie, was this super promiscuous girl who was having sex with any guy that talked to her. And it bugged me. Which I personally feel is weird because I also dislike it when all the girls in books have to be virgins or learn some sort of crazy bad lesson for having sex. But this Callie girl just kept making all the same mistakes... and what did she get out of it?? A boyfriend who happened to be the hottest guy in the town. I didn't want her to get pregnant or an STD or anything like that, but I wanted her to consciously realize that you don't get a boyfriend by sleeping around. And that never happened. In fact it was the opposite. By sleeping around, she got a great boyfriend. And that felt unrealistic to me. And I guess on a personal level it pissed me off.
The DUFF was another book like that. I thought it was a really readable book. But the main character did NOT like the guy she was sleeping with. At all. In fact she constantly talked about how this guy was disgusting to her. But yet she continued to use him for sex (because it made her feel better about her family issues), until he falls in love with her. BLAH!!!
I didn't think I was like this but apparently I judge girls in books who have sex with guys and expect them to fall in love with them.
Another issue I had was with a book called Like Moonlight At Low Tide. It was a book I really ended up liking. It's emotional and I definitely shed tears while reading it. But there was a part of the book where I had personal issues. The main character and her next door neighbor have this weird relationship where he's always looking out for her. Which at first is really nice, but when it turns romantic he starts trying to push his religion on her. It gets to the point where I felt like he wanted her to completely change to fit in with his religious ideals or she wouldn't be good enough for him. Now I get that religion is important to some people. And if their significant other doesn't believe what they believe it could be a deal breaker for them. But if that is the case, date someone in your youth group or whatever. Don't date someone who is not sure what she believes and then give her an ultimatum. I didn't like that part of it at all.
So those were examples of how a personal thing with me can get in the way of me liking a book. Do you ever feel like this happens with you?? I don't want to be judgmental, but sometimes I can't help myself. What kinds of things turn you off while reading?
Thinking about it, personal beliefs do affect my enjoyment of a book. I can sometimes get past it, but more often than not, if something I disagree with happens (something that goes against my morals) I automatically drop a star. That might be incredibly judgmental but some things I just can't deal with! Interesting post! :-)
ReplyDeleteI think that's what I do too. I automatically drop a star if the book contains something that reinforces ideas I don't agree with. It's probably not the fairest thing in the world as a reviewer... but I can't help it!!
DeleteThis is a great topic! (and my comment is long)
ReplyDeleteFor me, religion is a BIG thing for me in books. This is why I shy away from ANYTHING religious, at all. One, Faking Normal, had a few religious implications that was uncomfortable for me. And right now, in Sweet Reckoning, it feels really righteous.
Usually, I can handle reading through it, but it does impact my overall thoughts on the book. There have been times when I have stopped reading a book though, because of it.
Another thing that bothers me in Military Men. My husband was in the Army for 5 years, and it wasn't pretty. A lot books that I have seen sugar coat the military and use Military Men as an added sex appeal. It's one of those things unless you have lived it, you don't really KNOW. And not all military men are sexy, charming and alpha (ish) LOL
Those are the big two for me.
I like long comments!!! I can totally see how with you living a military life, you would KNOW if a book was not portraying it accurately. I know what you are saying about painting military men as a certain "type". No profession has one type of person in it. Military is definitely something that is commonly stereotyped and it is a shame.
DeleteI definitely am distracted when a book doesn't line up with my beliefs, but I try to suspend my feelings enough if the reason is justifiable for the story. Catcher in the Rye is a great example with all the swearing - I remember in high school how everyone was so shocked/excited we would be able to read this in a classroom, but the swearing (which didn't really "bother" me, per se) was justified. I personally did not like Something Borrowed because I felt like the message was that cheating is okay. I was really hoping that book would have ended differently to justify using infidelity, but nope! :( (Sorry, I know you liked it haha!). Great conversation!! :D
ReplyDeleteI can TOTALLY see how it would be hard for some people to get over the cheating factor in Something Borrowed. I guess I just hated Darcy so bad that I somehow became okay with it?? I also did get mad at Dex for stringing both girls along for so long. But reading that book made it hard for me to like the sequel because I couldn't get over my hate for Darcy.
DeleteBut I know a lot of people where cheating is a dealbreaker. For me it depends on the feel of it. Sometimes I find it repulsive... and sometimes I'm cool with it.
I try not to let my personal beliefs impact my thoughts on books, but it's hard sometimes. Like you pointed out, the DUFF was pretty uncomfortable. I liked how it touched upon a different angle to sex, one where the character's do it out of pleasure and escape, but I hated how they had to fall in love afterwards. I also shy away from books with strong religious aspects, especially when the main character is under the impression that being religious and being a good person are mutually exclusive.
ReplyDeleteYes!!! I think I would have been okay with The DUFF if there wasn't love in the end. That part felt like wish fulfillment to me. And religion is VERY tricky for me in books. Religious people are not necessarily really good people and they're not necessarily evil either. But I feel like those are the only 2 sides we ever see in books and movies :(
DeleteOoh both items you listed I would take issue with. I want to read for enjoyment, so if the topics in the book are ones I don't like for one reason or another, it will really rub me the wrong way. I tend to avoid reading books with certain topics outright, like books dealing with religion or politics.
ReplyDeletePolitics is a big no-no for me!
DeleteThis is an awesome topic! I think I'm pretty much the same way, I dislike the issues you mentioned as well. The sex one doesn't bother me as much as the religious one though. I'm religious but really can not read books that have a heavy religious undertone. I remember one book said something like "the right guy will never love you as much as he loves God and you will always be second to him." Not for me.
ReplyDeleteThat quote!! Yeah stuff like that is definitely not for me. It's nice to know that even religious people have a hard time with those kinds of books. I wasn't sure if it was just because I wasn't religious that I was feeling that way or what.
DeleteI feel the same way too! What you said about the "Where the Stars will Shine" book also pisses me off :( I naturally hate books when there is too much bad scenes :( Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteby the way, I just started a book blog myself. Could you please check it out? If you want to follow each other, please let me know so I could do it immediately! Thanks again!! xx
MY BLOG: jilliansbooks.blogspot.com
I felt the same way about Where the Stars Still Shine! I didn't like how she was behaving at all. I don't know what it was about The Duff that didn't bother me as much. I didn't like the fact she was sleeping with someone she loathed but sometimes there's a thin line between love and hate, who knows. It's been a long time since I read that book. Cheating is usually a big no no, but I have read a few exceptions, so I guess it's all whether the author manages to make the reader sympathize or understand the characters action enough to excuse even if they don't condone the actions.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! :)
There are times when my personal knowledge of a topic is greater than the authors. And when that happens and the characters keep talking about stuff as experts and they have it wrong - it really bugs me. To the point where I start nitpicking. I was reading a book where the character as a psychologist and was doing a clinical trial which would never have gotten past an ethics board. And everything to do with the trial was clearly not researched at all. IT was just plain wrong. And I couldn't get past it. The trial was the background behind all the character's motivation and actions but how the author went about it felt silly.
ReplyDeleteI'm also someone who has problems with certain religious books/concepts. Like angels have to be handled delicately for me or I just feel like it conflicts too much with my beliefs.
Kate @ Fictional Thoughts
The majority of the time, I have a pretty good suspension of my beliefs while reading a book. I get that the characters are different and will go through strange situations. However, one book that I could not get through for this reason was 'Tithe' by Holly Black. There was constant cursing without meaning or context and the main character was just annoying.
ReplyDelete