Ten Unpopular Bookish Opinions

I feel like I’m one of those rare ducks that isn’t full of a ton of unpopular opinions? It was a struggle to come up with these, but I did it. Here they are!

Please note: If you disagree with any of these that is 100% okay! I’m not right and you’re not wrong.

  • Aurora Rising was a pretty terrible book. After loving the Illuminae Files I was incredibly disappointed with Kaufman and Kristoff’s newest. You can read my full review of it, but be warned it’s full of rants and frustrations.
  • Dog earring pages is okay. Sometimes I don’t want to keep up with a bookmark, but I have too much going on in life to try and remember what page I’m on for next time I sit down to read. To me they’re marks of love and give a book character.
  • The line I released a breath I didn’t realize I was holding that everybody loves to hate on? It’s actually completely valid. As somebody with anxiety, I find myself doing this all the time.
  • Fantasy isn’t really that great of a genre. There is the occasional fantasy book I’ll enjoy, Cassandra Clare’s books are always ones I can get behind, but the majority of them overwhelm and confuse me.
  • Deckled edges are trash. They make it more difficult to turn the page and they also make the book look sloppy. I don’t actually know how other people feel about this one though so it might not be a true unpopular opinion, but I needed to say it.
  • There shouldn’t be so many special editions of books. Publishers need to stop giving different editions of the same book to Target, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and whoever else. It hurts readers who are passionate about the book. Just do one and be done.
  • Stop hoarding your ARCs and only trading them for the rarest of unicorns that everybody else is looking for and don’t even exist. Pass them on to readers who want to review them or donate them to schools. Literally do anything with them except for hoarding them.
  • The book community has turned reading into too much of a competition. It doesn’t actually matter how many books you manage to read in a year. Even if you only read one, you’re still a reader.
  • You can arrange and organize your books however you want to. Rainbow shelves? They’re pretty! Want all of your books alphabetized by the author’s last name? That’s going to make them easy to find! Think the books look nice with their pages facing out instead of the spine? I love your creativity!
  • Too many people use unpopular opinions to attack or put others down. It’s fine to have unpopular opinions, but there are right and wrong ways to go about sharing them. Let’s just all remember to be nice to each other and that we all like different things and that’s okay!

Do you agree with any of my unpopular opinions or do you have a different one? Let me know in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted each week by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl. Visit her blog to find out what her unpopular opinions are and find other’s lists as well!

39 thoughts on “Ten Unpopular Bookish Opinions”

  1. Agree with so many of these. I debated participating in this week’s topic because I really don’t like how unpopular opinions are normally to trash other’s reading tastes or habits. It’s not my thing at all and I think a lot of people do it just to get a rise out of others.

    I totally agree about the competition aspect as well.

    The arc thing has gotten out of hand – I don’t understand it at all.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. “The line I released a breath I didn’t realize I was holding that everybody loves to hate on? It’s actually completely valid. As somebody with anxiety, I find myself doing this all the time.”
    >> YES YES YES YES

    Also your last one – I agree, “unpopular opinions” shouldn’t be platforms to attack. I think when people start to post about an unpopular opinion they have, it’s because they’ve reached the boiling point of feeling like they’re the only person in the world who feels that way.

    The ARC thing drives me crazy? I got a handful from BookCon and I completely intend to pass them forward to bloggers *for free* when I’m done. That’s what they’re FOR. I also don’t understand why people fight for only hyped/unicorn ARCs. So many good books are getting buried. I’m reading an #OwnVoices YA contemporary romance that I was “meh” about getting called “A Match Made in Mehendi” and DANG it is so good. People need to give love to non-rare ARCs, too! 🙂

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    1. Ah, so glad I’m not the only one who feels that way about the breath thing! It. Happens.!

      And yes! So many of the books I love the most are the underhyped ones that people aren’t fighting over. Some really great books fly under the radar so often and it makes me sad. Thank you for being willing to pass your ARCs onto other bloggers! That’s such a great thing to do!

      I haven’t heard too much about A Match Made in Mehendi, but what I have heard has been good! I’m looking forward to reading it!

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  3. Great list! Totally agree that reading shouldn’t be a competition. When I became a parent, my time for reading decreased significantly. I read when I can and that is enough. I also agree with organizing bookshelves however you want. Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.

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      1. That’s totally fair, I feel the same way about contemporary sometimes, I’d love to share people’s excitement for it, but most of the time, I just don’t feel the same way!

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  4. My only issue with the letting out a breath you didn’t know you were holding thing…everyone says it the exact same way. I honestly get super excited when someone finds a more unique way to word it. I know that that situation happens, I just wish some authors got a little more creative with it.

    I weirdly enough love deckled edges and I don’t know why. I wish I could give you a reason to help you see it differently, but I can’t. I think some of my favorite books as a kid had deckled edges so it makes me feel a little nostalgic.

    My goodness, I have been so out of the loop with Top Ten Tuesday, but this weeks prompt has me super curious about other unpopular opinions of people. I would be incredibly nervous to share mine because so often it’s used for people to trash on one another. But I like how you worded yours! I feel like you made it obvious that it’s your personal opinion but not like you’re telling everyone they are ridiculous for thinking differently. Love that!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I can understand getting tired of the way authors word is the exact same!

      As a kid I remember loving deckled edges, they made books feel so fancy and important, so I get the nostalgia thing on that.

      I’ve been so happy to find that of the lists I’ve looked at from this week, the majority of the people have been so nice about their unpopular opinions! It’s been great to see that nobody is using it as a way to put others down. Thank you so much for letting me know that you felt I worded mine well. That was something I tried very hard to do because I didn’t want to hurt any feelings.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. I don’t mind deckled pages, until you are trying to flip pages. It makes it impossible, especially when you are trying to find a particular passage. I agree when it comes to arranging your shelves. Do what works for you and don’t get all high and mighty when other people choose differently.

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  6. I definitely don’t understand the hate “I released a breath I didn’t realize I was holding” gets either! I mean, really?

    And the ARC hoarding! There are a handful of people who are always like, “I’m looking for this super unicorn ARC, but I’ll only trade it for another super unicorn ARC” and I’m like ????

    Hope everything is going well, Mari!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s just really insensitive to me!

      The ARC horading drives me insane! They aren’t a currency!

      And thank you! Everything is going okay right now. I was so glad to see you posted another life update and I’m glad things are going well for you!

      Liked by 1 person

  7. I absolutely LOVE how you turned this post into a positivity thing!

    People also think broken spines are horrible, but hey, it’s a well loved book and I don’t see anything wrong with that. If it’s not a fancy edition then why does it need to be in perfect condition? I mean if I loan out a book and it comes back destroyed I will be a little upset.

    I have NO idea who to give my ARCs to locally and don’t have the money to send each of them out to people who want them and they are taking up WAY too much space. Of course some of them I want to keep, like my ARC of Wicked King, Sadie and Muse of Nightmares. But some of them are taking up ALL MY SPACE. I just want my books to go to places where they will ACTUALLY be read. But I just donated 2 boxes of finished copies so I will deal with the ARCs soon.

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    1. Aaaah, thank you! I just hate how unpopular opinions are used to be rude and mean so I wanted to do my best to not be that way.

      I don’t love broken spines just because they make the books funky shaped and they wont always sit on my shelf normally, but if it happens it doesn’t make me upset. But definitely if I loan a book out I expect it back in good condition. That’s just a respect thing!

      I’m the same way, I don’t have to money to send them to people either. Recently (I’ll actually have the first post on this go up on Saturday), I took a bunch of my books, ARCs included, to Little Free Libraries around town! Libraries will also often take them to use as prizes or gifts for teens during events/programs and schools or teachers will sometimes take them too!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Well of course we all have differing opinions, but I think that in today’s world a lot of people don’t know how to agree to disagree anymore. But I’m just glad to see it become a positive thing.

        I expect my loaned books to come back in good condition, but if I’m loaning out a big book like one of the books in the GOT series I wouldn’t be upset if it came back with a crack in the spine or two. So certain books that I want to remain in good condition just won’t get loaned out.

        As far as donating ARCs, a lot of places around me that I would donate books to are just going to sell them again, so I can’t really give them my ARCs. The local libraries do used book sales with donated books, so I don’t think it would be right to give them the ARCs. I do have a bunch that I know other bloggers would LOVE to read, so I really wish I knew some local bloggers. I have loaned out a few of my ARCs to some friends and they just keep getting passed around, which is great. My copy of The Girls at 17 Swann Street is on it’s 4th reader right now, but is one of my favorite reads of the year, so I would kind of like it back, mostly just so I can loan it again! LOL

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  8. I must say I disagree with a lot of your point haha! But the ARCs… I’m always offering my friends to take them or looking for places to give them to! I don’t see the point of keeping them or giving them so much value

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  9. Totally agree with the special edition one! I can’t afford to go out and buy 3 paper editions and a kindle one every time a book comes out. I also often get books from the library and they don’t usually buy them. Yes, bonus content is cool but it needs to be like one regular and one special edition so it is more accessible and affordable.

    Like

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