Welcome back to Tuesday. This week we have a fun topic: favorite tropes or themes. I am definitely a reader of habit, who is drawn to certain genres and characters. Tropes and themes can play a part in that. Since I talked about my favorite tropes back in 2019 (see here), I've decided to flip this topic upside down and talk about my...
Top Ten Books With My Least Favorite Tropes/Themes
Love triangles - It is possible, and likely, that love triangles are my least favorite trope. Someone always gets hurts, which seems so against the whole concept of love. I like to live in my fantasy world where every story has a happy ending, especially if romance is involved.
The hero dies - Heroes are constantly putting themselves in harm's way, but they are supposed to survive. It's like an unspoken rule of books and movies. Well, it's not, but it should be.
Totally evil characters - Because I enjoy exploring the psychology of characters, I am fascinated with sympathetic villains. That's why my brain has a challenge wrapping itself around characters that are pure evil. It by Stephen King isn't the best choice, because it is a creature, not a person who would have been born into this world innocent, but no one can deny It is totally evil.
Bullies - Where would books and movies be without bullies? Is a protagonist really learning anything without the trials and tribulations they endure as a result of their antagonist? Would Harry Potter have grown into the young man he did without Draco? Possibly, he was fulfilling his destiny after all. But, Draco is not only an elitist, he is jealous of Harry, so he takes great pleasure in making the chosen one's life miserable as often as he can. As someone who was bullied from the day she entered elementary school until the day she graduated from high school, I struggle with literary bullies.
Insta-Love - You know, the kind that makes you do silly things? Not a fan.
Sexual assault - This is part of why I have moved to mostly cozy mysteries; I like unraveling a mystery, but can't stomach the details of a character's sexual assault. This is becoming an issue for me with true crime as well.
Secret babies - Even when done well, a romantic story that involves a secret baby isn't one I am drawn to reading. The funny thing is I enjoy books with family secrets. Not sure how that computes.
Moms portrayed as acting badly - So, I have to preface this one with saying I enjoyed this book. Jean Dixon is a mom of two college-age daughters and a five-year-old son, so dealing with all that is challenging. The reason I liked this book is because the character seemed more real to me than some other literary moms. However, she is often not a nice person.
When an author's books are so similar, you feel like you're reading the same story over and again - Well, that was a long one. As much as I love White's books, for a while I had to stop reading new releases. I simply felt like I was reading similar plots with different characters.
The lights go out and a character dies - In this novel, the storm makes it easy to work into the plot, but at least that helps it to fit into the storyline. I've just never been a fan of it.
So, what do you think about my least favorite tropes/themes? Am I too picky? Are some of these your favorites?
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10 comments:
I struggle with literary bullies, too, and for the same reason.
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-books-with-your-favourite-theme/
I am not a fan of love triangles either.
I do not think you are too picky at all. I don't like love triangles, (although I loved Twilight), I will not read books that have sexual assault in them, and if I pick them up and find it I will say in my review it should have come with a warning. I also don't like bullies or mean moms, or in most cases insta-love.
I agree with a lot of these. I don't know what to say about the too-similar books, though, because while I don't want all of an author's books to feel totally the same, I do want them to feel kind of the same, you know? It helps me know what to expect, especially from my comfort authors.
Happy TTT!
Nice take on the topic. I also don't like love triangles. If you can get me to like a book with a love triangle, you've probably performed a miracle.
I struggle with sexual assault as well, I find it really hard to read, especially when I'm listening to an audiobook because hearing it makes it feel a lot more real to me. I do still read books with it in, but I always put content warnings on my reviews of books with it so that people can steer clear if they want/need to. I'm also not a fan of love triangles, they're always so badly done, and you're right someone always ends up getting hurt, so even if the couple you want ends up together, I still feel bad for the other person.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2022/03/08/top-ten-tuesday-358/
Deanna, Cindy, Alicia, I'm glad I'm not in the minority when it comes to my dislike for love triangles.
Lydia, bullies just stink, don't they?
Susan, I hear what you're saying. The funny thing is that I don't mind similar books in certain genres, like Amish fiction. I feel like, though I already know what to expect, the authors I read make the stories different enough that they don't make me feel I am reading the same story over and over.
IloveheartlandX, I can't imagine listening to a book with a sexual assault in it. I'm not sure I could manage that.
Stephanie, insta-love and totally evil characters grate on my nerves. I think that last one is why I wandered away from Stephen King.
Thanks for all the comments today, everyone.
I hate love triangles and instalove, too!
Haha, we hate the same tropes! Sexual assault in fiction is rarely handled well. I usually avoid books that use it as a plot point.
Love triangles that go on and on and on and on! Ugh!!
Good twist on the topic!
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