Friday, November 2, 2012

Feature & Follow (1): Deal Breakers

FF 2012 Feature & Follow #120

Feature & Follow Friday is hosted by both Alison Can Read & Parakunkee’s View. This is a great way to gain blog followers for book bloggers, follow other blogs, and get to know each other. Each week a different question is posted by our hosts and we get to answer. You can find more info about this meme here.

You can follow me using GFC (see sidebar to the right). I'm also on twitter.

Q: What is a deal breaker for you in a book? For example, do you abhor love triangles? Or can’t deal with bad editing?

This is a great question. I dislike poor editing but I can tolerate it if I like the story. But if it's excessive and the storyline isn't making it worth the trouble of self-editing in my head, it affects my enjoyment of the book.

But a huge turn-off for me is cheating. I hate reading about cheating. If cheating is a big part of the summary, I'll usually avoid that book. The lies and deceit just frustrate me. I just can't justify it and if excuses are made, they aren't good enough. This is probably one of the reasons I'm not a huge fan of love triangles in books. I understand the temptation to like a couple of people for different reasons. But if the character is already dating someone, I'd rather see them have some self-control, honesty, and self-respect before they act on anything. On the other hand, if the book has negative consequences to the person doing the cheating, I have much more respect for that novel and can better appreciate its value. It's the books that sugar-coat cheating that I feel are unhealthy. (Um, sorry, I'll get off my soap-box now, lol.)

17 comments:

  1. I haven't read books yet that glorify cheating, but I understand why they're a turn-off.

    New follower! :) My FF

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  2. I should have added that to my answer, too. Cheating really turns me off, even if it is somehow justified. Another reason for why I avoid love triangles, too.

    If the character can't control his or her feelings for the other person, then I think it's best to think it over and cut off their relationship (or at least clear his or her head is clear and decide how they should handle the situation). I like honesty.

    New Follower.

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  3. I don't like cheating, though I haven't read much of it in books outside of love triangles. Depending on the other content of the book I don't think it would turn me off it but I think it would dampen my could-be-like of the book.

    New GFC follower. :)

    My FF

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  4. Nowadays cheating is always present in books, and even if I don't have problems in reading about it - conversely, I think sometimes cheating makes the book more intriguing- I can understand your point! ^^
    The important is that similar situations are not present in our lifes!

    Have a great weekend!
    My FF

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  5. Agreed! Especially about the cheating thing. I put in mine how the love relationship needs to have loyalty or I get turned off to it. Great answers! New follower via GFC. My FFs are at Musings on Fantasia and LKHill. Happy Friday! :D

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  6. I think you stated that quite nicely. New follower through GFC as lucyatmax/no pic. I can be found and followed at bethartfromtheheart.blogspot.com .
    Have a great weekend!
    Beth :D

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  7. I agree with you on the cheating thing! If a book has cheating, the romance won't be believable and I love books that have romance :) And I have a hard time liking love triangles after Twilight... that concept has been ruined.
    Thanks for stopping by :) New follower!

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  8. Hi Jenny,

    I can understand why you're not a big fan of cheating in a book, but it doesn't bother me... unless the character doing the cheating is a complete jerk. If they have some redeeming qualities and I can even partially relate to them, I can usually move past the cheating thing.

    Thanks for stopping by The Book Asylum to say hi! I am now a follower via GFC:)

    Happy Friday!
    Meg

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  9. Amen to that. I hate reading a book where I feel I could have edited it better. I mean a few errors are fine but come now really? Use word or something.

    Exactly!!! I swear and it really pissed me off when the guy takes them back after cheating. I can understand if they're with someone and the person their with doesn't really like them for their personality that they may end up liking someone else but anything else is just please dump the other guy already.

    Great points and thank you for following 8)
    New Follower!!! 8)

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  10. I agree about the cheating. Whether it's adultery in an adult novel or simply teenage angst, it makes me like the character less. But, like you said, if there are consequences to the cheating, and the character "learns a lesson" then I feel a little better about the book. So MANY books make cheating seem romantic though!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'm following you back!

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  11. I haven't read many books that had cheating, but the few that I have read did annoy me a bit.

    Following back!

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  12. YES! Cheating is an issue with me to. If the person who is cheated on leaves the cheater and finds someone better then cool, if the person stays with the cheater or the POV cheats then I struggle.

    New follower on GFC.

    My FF

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  13. Yes! I agree, I hate books that are about cheating and try to glamourize extra-marital affairs. In real life, there's nothing fun or glamourous about cheating, it's just something that involves a lot of deceit and people getting hurt. [Sighs and climbs down from soapbox.]

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  14. This is a great one! Cheating is so unnecessary and I wouldn't want to read about it either.

    New Follower via GFC. Would love for you to stop by my blog and check it out. :)

    Christine
    Rainy Day Reads
    www.rainydayreads.com

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  15. I have yet to read a book with cheating in it, but I can see how that would be an issue.

    New follower via GFC. Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian

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  16. I'm not a big fan of cheating either! That's a huge turn off for me when reading a book. Thanks for stopping by my blog, I'm following you back!

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  17. That is a great answer! Most of the books I read don't include cheating, but yeah, when it does pop up, I always feel a bit annoyed with the characters...especially if they try to lie about it afterwards!
    Thanks for stopping by!
    new follower :)

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I love comments, so please feel free to share your thoughts.