Seven Annoyances Every Reader Understands

Being a reader can be tough. Not only do readers face trials and tribulations in their quest to finish as many great books as possible, but non-readers just don’t get it. They can’t even begin to relate, and you’re left wishing your closet would take you to [insert favorite fictional world here], despairing because your favorite fictional hero is, in fact, fictional, and occasionally praying for main characters on accident.

This post is for all the bookaholics out there who need some reassurance that they are not alone. (Tweet this!) If you’ve ever craved a little sympathy, if you want to diagnose your novel addiction, if you just want to hear that you’re not crazy, read on, my reader friend. Read on.

Seven Annoyances Every Reader Understands

One: Too many books, not enough time.

This is a big one, folks. Of course, you have your favorite authors who are always a must-read. But then friends recommend their top picks, and you see a lovely cover at the bookstore, and really, you should be better at catching up on the classics, and what about nonfiction…and your list of books to be read grows steadily longer, until there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

We feel your pain. But keep adding to that TBR pile, keep buying that series on sale planning to get it someday, keep turning your “office” into a giant sculpture of book stacks, because those are the actions of hope.

And friends, readers should never, ever give up hope.

And all things considered, it’s a good problem to have, so keep that in mind as you stare valiantly up at your mountains of books.

Two: So. Many. Emotions.

As if real life weren’t stressful enough, we readers also heap on the conflict, intrigue, and impossible choices of dozens of fictional characters. Whether it’s a sobbing-by-the-last-page sort of ending or a story so tense that you felt like you might have a heart attack yourself before it was all over, the emotions of reading can be intense. Some books should come with a warning label.

This is really only an annoyance, though, when a non-reader, observing your vicarious emotional breakdown, says something dangerously flippant like “Those people aren’t real, you know” or the dreaded “Um…it’s just a book.”

“Just a book? Try 400 pages of beautifully written angst and agony as these people I love go through trials of all kinds and I barely hang on to hope for a happy ending.”

Sigh. Normal people just don’t get it.

Three: Interruptions.

In the category of “do not disturb,” focused readers are second only to hungry, sleeping lions. Friends and loved ones of dedicated bookaholics, you have been warned.

Of course, interruptions can be more than just people. They also include, but are not limited to, obligations, laundry, appointments, meal prep, the need for sleep, work schedules, and laws prohibiting you from reading and driving at the same time.

In other words…real life. So annoying.

Four: Book defacers.

Whether it’s those thoughtless readers who fold over corners to mark their place, punks who treat library books with all the care of a battered old sneaker, or toddlers who think they’ve found a entire coloring book or teething ring between the covers of your latest novel, these people need to be taught a lesson. And quickly. Before you react in violence.

Five: Cliffhangers.

Okay, okay, you get why authors love to leave you breathlessly waiting for the next chapter, turning pages so quickly your hands are soon scarred with papercuts. Maybe you even see the point of an unresolved ending that keeps you counting down days until the next release.

But really, writers, that’s just cruel. Don’t you know the agony you’re putting your readers through?

(Answer, yes, they do. I think most of them get a gleeful satisfaction from it.)

Six: Clueless reviewers.

Say you go to leave a review on Goodreads or a retail site for a book you loved. (Which you should do, because it is one of the best ways to help authors.) And, lo and behold, you see a few glaring one-star reviews for that same novel, completely trashing the most brilliant thing ever written since [Insert Favorite Classic Here].

And, despite your best intentions, you click on those reviews, like a literary rubbernecker who can’t turn away from the mangled crash on the side of the Amazon page.

As you read, your sense of outrage grows. “We couldn’t have been reading the same book!” “This person is absolutely crazy if they think that.” “WHERE IS JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD?”

Your rage is valid…but of course, the best thing you can do is counter that opinion by leaving a glowing review of your own. Don’t engage snobby, uninformed, or just plain nasty reviewers; they’re not worth your time.

Seven: Post-book exhaustion.

Sometimes, this is mental tiredness (see number Two above). Other times…well, let’s just say that looming alarm clock deadlines don’t seem nearly as important when the fate of the relationship, the family business, or the entire world hangs in the balance. Maybe your days of smuggling a flashlight under the covers are over, but the “book hangover” you get after a late night reading can still be brutal.

As you trudge through the rest of the day, though, remember: it was worth it. Reading is always worth it.

Okay, readers, what are some of your biggest reader annoyances? I’m sure I missed some.

30 thoughts on “Seven Annoyances Every Reader Understands

  1. When I lend a book to someone and they don’t return it, especially if it’s one I really liked, and was for my “keep” library. Can you tell there’s one still out there that I still want back? lol

    • I still have a few out there too….and I know which books they were and I think I still remember who had it – and that was grade school twenty years ago!

    • I have several books that were keepers, had borrower promise faithfully to return my book (a multi-read book in prime condition) and they announced they were so glad they got the book for a birthday present. They didn’t but how do you go from Ala to N Ca to retrieve your book through a telephone line? It was in Brand New Condition. I was an only child and books were my best friends. They were company on cold, wet days, at night when its dark & you are too young to go out and play with your friends. I also hate it when someone earmarks, soils or tears a book. Most of my books look the same before they are read or if they have been read 15-20 times. If they are damaged I will donate them and rebuy my book.

  2. Brilliant. This shows how much YOU understands us book-addicts. But I wish I could leave it lying around for all my non-reader friends to read! (Just posted it on facebook so perhaps some ofbthem will read it!?)

  3. I actually don’t like to loan my books out, because no one takes care of my books like I do myself. I can’t hardly turn people down but I did one lady because she kept them so long. Lately I haven’t had anyone to ask for my books. Thank the Lord!

    • I think having a policy that you don’t loan out books is completely acceptable. (Or maybe you could start charging fines like the library does for “overdue books!”)

      Amy Green
      BHP Fiction Publicist

  4. People who bend the pages of a paperback book backwards over the cover or crease the spine. I can’t handle it. I can’t watch someone do that without cringing.

  5. I totally agree with all of this especially the DISTRACTIONS! Ugh, those are the worst. I am a total bookaholic, but probably the thing that gets to me the most is that the heroes in the books don’t exist in real life… sigh. This problem is probably not that bad for you ladies who are married, but for us single girls? Ugh, it’s just torture!

    Also I just want to say that besides being an avid reader I am also an author, and I’m sorry, but I write books with cliffhanger endings so I’m just apologizing in advanced if you guys ever read my books. The reason I like to do it is because, yes, I do get a gleeful satisfaction from it, but also because of the emotion, the drama, the hooking the reader to read your next book! I give myself an adrenaline rush every time I READ a cliff hanger, and I get a way stronger rush when I write it. So sorry guys, but unless I stop getting those adrenaline rushes I will keep on writing cliff hanger endings.

  6. I don’t like how you imply people who give books a low rating are “clueless.” I’ve written low-star reviews that thoroughly analyze why books – even those with a lot of glowing reviews – are terrible, and for good reasons. I like it when books have both good and bad reviews so I know what to look out for in them.

    • Hi Sarah,

      Oh, that’s completely true. Emotionally, though, when someone dislikes a book I absolutely loved and thought was beautifully written, I immediately assume they’re wrong. 🙂 Then again, I’m sure some people liked the books I give low-star ratings to and are equally frustrated with me.

      Amy Green
      BHP Fiction Publicist

  7. Lack of–or poor–editing. Incorrect use of homonyms, misspelled words, missing or incorrect punctuation, incomplete sentences–these drive me nuts, especially if it forces me to reread something to try to figure out what it was supposed to mean. I’ve noticed this more often with the online books than printed ones.

  8. Pingback: Seven Annoyances Every Reader Understands – Re-blog | Expressions Of Me

  9. Pingback: Seven Annoyances Every Reader Understands – Logophile

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