You love novels, but sometimes things connected to them can be annoying. So, with an affectionate nod to Peeves the Poltergeist of Harry Potter, here are a few book-related pet peeves that aren't the authors' fault.
Hollywoodized book covers. When a novel is turned into a movie, the cover of a new edition can reflect this. That leaves readers with, say, an image of a glamorous actress type on the front of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre -- a wonderful novel with an admirable but decidedly UNGLAMOROUS heroine. Somehow I don't remember Ms. Eyre saying: "Excuse me, Mr. Rochester, while I put on my makeup and hair extensions."
Introductions that give away key plot points. These before-the-book essays are often interesting pieces often written by academics who often know their stuff. But they often offer way too much information. For instance, the introduction I read to Mary Shelley's The Last Man explained how two major characters would die in that gripping book. Save it for the afterword, Professor Spoiler Alert-Challenged!
Novels in which a scholar puts footnotes amid the book. If you're gonna have footnotes, stick them after the afterword! I just read The First Men in the Moon, and some pages had more footnotes than text from H.G. Wells' fascinating sci-fi novel. That hurt the reading flow. And, as is the case with some introductions, the footnotes prematurely revealed plot info. If Wells took The Time Machine to when those footnotes were written, he'd whack that scholar upside the head.
Abridged books. Some massive classics -- such as Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace -- are available in truncated versions. I can understand the reasons for that, but don't like to see an author's vision slashed. My feeling is either read a long novel in its entirety or stick with shorter novels. Got any Nancy Drew mysteries I can borrow?
Library books "abridged" by readers. I still remember taking out William Styron's Sophie's Choice from a New York City library branch many winters ago, and finding some pages missing after a previous borrower had ripped them out. If you want to feed the flames in your fireplace, use logs.
Stuff left in library books. Actually, I have mixed feelings about this. I'll give an old checkout slip a glance to see the person's reading choices before tossing the slip in the recycles. A leaf? A little bit of nature between the pages. But I'd rather not see your shopping or things-to-do lists, unless one of your things to do is "stop leaving things in books."
What are your book-related pet peeves?
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A few more:
Cookbooks, or any how-to book, that won't lay opened flat on the table while my hands are occupied doing what the book is telling me to do.
Nonfiction books without an index drive me nuts -- there's nothing more reader-unfriendly. This happens a lot with small niche publishers, I suppose as a cost-cutting measure.
Kindles. They make it impossible for me to snoop around my subway car every morning and evening to see what everyone's reading.
Denise
chistell.com
-- Novels in which a scholar puts footnotes amid the book. --
This point shows the multifaceted genius of Jorge Luis Borges. He avoided these kinds of shenanigans not only by eschewing the novel form in its entirety but also by inserting his own footnotes in his short stories. Win-win!
MugWeAreTheBorgesResistanceIsFutileRuith1
-- I'm currently reading "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," and Junot Diaz also puts some of his own footnotes in his great book. --
Wao! I really should pay more attention to those Pulitzer Prize winners. Thanks for mentioning Mr. Diaz, who is new to me (even though I also was a Jersey guy in several past lives). I will check out this book.
MugLivingInThePastRuith1
On another note, I love little findings in library books! Notes, highlights, and other miscellany from other hands can be subtly enjoyable...much to the chagrin of the librarian, I'm sure!