Reading/Book Pet Peeves

[cwm]

For fanfiction, at least, sometimes the Wall'O'Text isn't necessarily the author's fault. I've imported stories from one place to another and all the formatting was borked horribly. It took me a few weeks to actually figure out how to fix it, and in the meantime it was just a huge mess of text.

Not that it's the case all the time, but sometimes you just never know.

One of my biggest things is people who don't know how to use elipses. I've actually seen someone string a bunch of commas together to try to indicate a really long pause,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,like this. No. Just...no.

Funny story driving today. I was on the highway and was grading the traffic patterns with punctuation marks. This slow down was a semicolon, that one was a colon, they were both close to full stops but not quite there. This was a comma, it was just a slight pause in the flow of traffic. It was fun.

[dawnfire]

And now I see him turning sideways and going into the room shoulder first.

maybe his shoulders were that broad he had to do it that way, so he could fit

but seriously the only way i can see someone shouldering their way into a room is if they are trying to break down the door

[jmarvellous]

Saramago just loooves a wall of text. His sentences can go on for 5 or 6 lines, his paragraphs can reach 2 pages. He rambles on and on and on... His stories and characters are often fascinating but buried under all that. Personally, I can't read him, no matter how much I want to (except for a couple of shorter works).

The guy even won a Nobel prize.

He's almost certainly my favorite author. I don't really care about paragraph breaks in well-designed books, I guess. But give me a dense paperback with  heavily serifed fonts and I'm screaming inside.

(I am the sort of person who pointed to a poster for an arts event in the train today and played "spot the design flaw" with my husband ... so I guess it matters more to me than to most people.)

[Slartibartfast]

If anyone else is a fan of the many humorous "50 Shades" parodies/lampoons out there, may I recommend this book?  It's very short - ~6500 words - but it's also only a buck.  And it's got stuff like

She walked briskly up to the desk. “Hello, I’m Krissy LaLove. It’s nice to meet you.”

The speaker swiveled the office chair around. Fast. It kept going, so she didn’t get a good glimpse of her interviewer the first time it spun, or the second, or the third. But on the fourth time, the chair slowed itself to a halt.

Facing Krissy was none other than Assad Masterson.

Also liberal use of the word "hoohah" and lots of really hilarious turns of phrase.  I can't stop giggling now 

[Bethczar]

I liked "50 Sheds of Grey". I started reading it in a gift shop and almost fell over laughing

(Quoted from Amazon because I can't cut & paste) Colin Grey's life was happy and simple until the day everything changed - the day his wife read that book. Suddenly he was thrust head first into a dark, illicit world of pleasure and pain. This is what happens when a tide of tempestuous, erotic desire invades a man's last place of privacy: his backyard shed.

She knelt before me on the shed floor and tugged gently, then harder until it finally came. I moaned with pleasure. Now for the other boot...

[Firecat]

This one had me nearly doubled over laughing in Barnes & Noble http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Shades-Chicken-Parody-Cookbook/dp/0385345224/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378501070&sr=8-1&keywords=50+shades+of+chicken.

[Winterlight]

Another fanfic pet peeve is when the author can't spell the characters' names.

For me, that ties with, "I suck at summaries," or "The fic is better than the summary." If you can't give me a coherent brief on the story, that's a very bad sign.

[rose red]

Another fanfic pet peeve is when the author can't spell the characters' names.

For me, that ties with, "I suck at summaries," or "The fic is better than the summary." If you can't give me a coherent brief on the story, that's a very bad sign.

I hate that and skip those too.  I even read stories with summaries that don't make sense, with few words, etc.  But never with the above description because at this point, those words trigger something in me that should not be triggered for something as unimportant as fanfiction

[starry diadem]

Another fanfic pet peeve is when the author can't spell the characters' names.

For me, that ties with, "I suck at summaries," or "The fic is better than the summary." If you can't give me a coherent brief on the story, that's a very bad sign.

Even more telling when it's "I suck at summeries."  I've seen that more times than I can remember, and it takes real will power not to comment on how badly they suck at spelling, too.

[iridaceae]

Because the author remembered he'd named her, forgot WHAT he'd named her, and was too lazy to look it up.
 

Actually I suspect it's just that Ehlana's mother - who was from a different kingdom- died so long ago and,  next to people like Arissa, Aldreas and Annias,  she probably was a shadowy persona at best.

[poundcake]

One of my biggest things is people who don't know how to use elipses. I've actually seen someone string a bunch of commas together to try to indicate a really long pause,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,like this. No. Just...no.

Same here! I hate improper use of ellipses, either in placement (in a sentence where there isn't a natural pause) and/or the "too many dots" variety, as if the more dots, the longer the pause. NO! Ellipses do not........ work when there is....... not a natural pause in the sentence. Read it aloud. Also, ellipses are three period/full stop marks in the middle of a sentence, or four if it is the end of a sentence. If the sentence ending with ellipses is a question...? Three and the proper punctuation mark. Any punctuation other than periods/full stops are not ellipses! You do not indicate a pause with ------ or ********! I won't even read a post or story that messes up something this basic. Huge peeve!

[Pen^2]

One of my biggest things is people who don't know how to use elipses. I've actually seen someone string a bunch of commas together to try to indicate a really long pause,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,like this. No. Just...no.

Same here! I hate improper use of ellipses, either in placement (in a sentence where there isn't a natural pause) and/or the "too many dots" variety, as if the more dots, the longer the pause. NO! Ellipses do not........ work when there is....... not a natural pause in the sentence. Read it aloud. Also, ellipses are three period/full stop marks in the middle of a sentence, or four if it is the end of a sentence. If the sentence ending with ellipses is a question...? Three and the proper punctuation mark. Any punctuation other than periods/full stops are not ellipses! You do not indicate a pause with ------ or ********! I won't even read a post or story that messes up something this basic. Huge peeve!

Wow, a string of commas instead of an ellipsis? That's the kind of thing you'd expect from a poorly-written shop sign full of misplaced apostrophes and mixed-up homophones. Not in a published book! I smell a lazy editor.

Whenever... I... read something... written with... unnecessary... ellipses... between a lot of... the words... I start... to read it... in the voice... of Captain... Kirk.

[Ereine]

I've probably mentioned in this thread Barbara Cartland's heroines who aren't able to speak without ellipses. I think that their corsets are too tight.

[poundcake]

Whenever... I... read something... written with... unnecessary... ellipses... between a lot of... the words... I start... to read it... in the voice... of Captain... Kirk.

As one should. 

[VorFemme]

I've probably mentioned in this thread Barbara Cartland's heroines who aren't able to speak without ellipses. I think that their corsets are too tight.

Must have been - they were always fainting after being kissed for the first time, too.