tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205240430255489119.post5244805620210045000..comments2023-08-16T08:44:39.804-04:00Comments on Slash & Burn: What makes you stop reading?Amanda Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17631269469790529611noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205240430255489119.post-4319419140049551302012-03-15T17:57:08.659-04:002012-03-15T17:57:08.659-04:00I hear you! I can't stand a poorly set-up pair...I hear you! I can't stand a poorly set-up pairing. When the relationship seems forced or it's laid on as an afterthought, I get disgusted and walk away.<br /><br />Your second example makes me laugh because I just read a techno-thriller that felt like that: one thing after another. Of course, in that genre it's expected, at least to an extent, and the ending wasn't particularly HEA, so it worked. But overly angsty books can begin to feel a bit like <i>The Grapes of Wrath</i> at times. Why would I want to be that miserable when there are other things to read?Maia Stronghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08352482028469213261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205240430255489119.post-32156435068474759002012-03-14T22:32:06.661-04:002012-03-14T22:32:06.661-04:00Sadly, I've had to put down a few things latel...Sadly, I've had to put down a few things lately. The number one thing (other than unfaithfulness in a romance, blech) is when the attraction between the MCs isn't set up well. I just put one down the other day where, in the first chapter, the MCs were already acting like they were soul mates. I need a <i>little</i> bit of reality.<br /><br />Another that will cause me to put one down is <i>too</i> much angst. A story won't feel real without a conflict, but when the story basically starts with the conflict and it's just one thing after another until it's finally resolved at the very end, where the insert the obligatory HEA... I rarely make it that far.kristenhdavishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16285048038780220168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205240430255489119.post-56925757494325265512012-03-13T18:58:29.374-04:002012-03-13T18:58:29.374-04:00Excellent points, Tam! Lack of common sense drives...Excellent points, Tam! Lack of common sense drives me nuts, too. And smugness on one side coupled with lack of self-respect on the other is definitely another hot button. Ugh! I don't know people like that in RL--or if I did, I got rid of them because they have no place in my life--so why would I read about them?Maia Stronghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08352482028469213261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205240430255489119.post-87637950894359300562012-03-13T14:58:14.029-04:002012-03-13T14:58:14.029-04:00I don't find there is a "thing", usu...I don't find there is a "thing", usually I just lose interest. I no longer care about the characters, can't always say why. <br /><br />Although I have run across smug characters that will make me stop reading. The guy broke X's heart but has swanned back into his life and is very smug that he can get the guy back if he wants and has justified in his head why he did what he did and belittles X for not just "getting over it" and has that "I can get you into bed anytime I want" attitude going. Worse? The other guy falls for it. Have some self-respect.<br /><br />Also a total lack of common sense. Rather than call the police when your ex threatens your boyfriend, you decide to tell him you are in love with your female friend and break up with him to "protect" him. WTF? Normal people don't do that. They get the proper authorities involved. Makes me crazy when they come up with convoluted methods of dealing with a situation that no one in a million years would ever think of, usually leading to some kind of separation. Ugh. <br /><br />Guess I do have some "things". :-) I usually skim to the end though just to see how it ended, but I consider it unfinished and certainly unenjoyed.Tamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15495571402942021799noreply@blogger.com