Today’s theme is : TOPICS THAT MAKE ME STOP READING A BOOK
This one’s gonna be easy.
RAPE trope. I recently found out that this still a THING in some books that claim to be romances. Back in the day, I tried to read a Rosemary Rogers historical I’d heard everyone talking about, but I couldn’t get past the supposed hero taking the heroine’s virginity under a forced situation. She didn’t consent and was traumatized thereafter. Since then, I make sure I never buy a book with that trope or anything resembling rape.
DECEITFUL heroine. I won’t name the book I started recently that was claimed “unputdownable” by the NYT, but from the first 3 pages, the heroine’s intent was so abhorrent to me that I closed it and put the book in the donate pile. Everything about this heroine was a lie – her name, her background, the fact she didn’t love the man she married, her career, the way she was ruining someone close to her. It was just too deceitful for me.
WAR. I have to admit, I don’t read books where a war -any war – is the main subject/topic.
CHILD ABUSE. I don’t even think I need to explain why I won’t read a book with this as the topic, do I?
TELL-ALLs. Books with a tell-all topic are usually one sided, skewered to and by the author, and only one interpretation of events. I hate these kind of books, no matter if the author is a present day politician, a celebrity, or a public figure of some other renown.
Let’s see what some of the other authors in this challenge have to say about this topic: L&SR
Did you know I’ve got a new Holiday 2020 RomCom releasing on 10.14.2020? It’s called MISTLETOE, MOBSTERS, &MOZZARELLA and is up for preorder now, here: MMM
Finding a body in the freezer of the family deli isn’t the way Madonna San Valentino planned to start her day.
Adding insult to injury, the investigating detective is the one guy she’s never been able to forget. After seven minutes of heaven in the back seat of his car when they were teenagers, Tony Roma skipped town without so much as a thanks for the memory.
Just when Madonna thinks the present situation can’t get any worse, Tony is ordered to go undercover at the deli to ferret out a killer. Forced to work together, she vows to keep their relationship cool and professional. But with the sexy, longing looks he tosses her at every turn, Madonna’s resolve is weakening.
With Christmas drawing closer and Tony’s investigation taking an unexpected turn, Madonna is at her wit’s end. Can she really be falling for him again? And will he wind up leaving her broken hearted and alone like the last time?
Until next week, kids ~Peg
Oh, and looking for me? I’m here: FOLLOW ME
Peggy Jaeger, Author 
I agree with a lot of the above…and I think I know which book you are talking about with the deceitful heroine 🙂 I do not like books with an unreliable narrator and it seems to be a thing in the last few years. If you’d like to stop by, my post is here
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I couldn’t agree with you more. Rape and child abuse are no-gos for me, too.
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And truly shouldn’t they be for everyone???
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In agreement with all of your reasons. https://pmprescott.blogspot.com/2020/09/wc-090220.html
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War books don’t bother me, mostly because it’s my way to learn about my grandfather and WWII since he wouldn’t talk about it, but I get the tell-all thing. Yeah, seems those books are people with an axe to grind.
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Yup!
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The two things that most often make me stop reading is a badly written story or one that I don’t miss at all when I put it down.
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Totally agree with you, Peg! I recall reading a suspense book and toward the end the sadistic character got his pov. He went into detail what he was going to do with the main character’s young son. I threw the book across the room in disgust! Never finished the book and will NEVER read another by this author again. And this was a NYT bestseller! Guess everyone has different tastes when it comes to their reading, right? Great post.
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Well, I’m five for five in agreement with your disliked topics. Thanks for sharing. Here’s mine. https://www.tenastetler.com/topics-that-make-me-stop-reading-a-book-lsrs-wednesday-weekly-blogging-challenge-september-2-2020/
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I’ve never read a rape trope book. I didn’t know they were a thing! That would be a nope for me as well.
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I agree with all of these. I read a book once where there was a rape similar to the one you described. It was awful. I don’t understand how some people can find that all right. And maybe it’s not that they think that’s all right, but that they are hoping the hero redeems himself. But a man who can do that, is not a good person. And in the book I read, that proved true.
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I also agree with all your points. I read for enjoyment and not to be left feeling upset or depressed.
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