Books/subjects that just don't appeal

Here's one, if it's been written, I wouldn't touch with a ten foot bookmark, "A History of Wicker."

Chick lit. Which I find ironic, because I'm firmly in the middle of their main targeted age group. I just don't want to read about the things most of those books have to offer. I also don't tend to like political thrillers (I'm looking at you, Tom Clancy). Just not my cup of tea.

I can't. Most times I rule something out, a story comes along that has me making an exception -- just this once.

I don't read much Fantasy, elves and runes and special swords and whatnot, but then again, you never know.

I can't seem to read erotica. I have a very low porn-giggle threshold. I completely understand why someone would want to read it, I'm just an ace at ruining the moment with sniggering. Naked people are just so funny.

Anything to do with the Bible.

I'm not big on Sci-Fi and I don't particularly care for Fantasy...though I did like Eragon, which was recommended by a friend so I gave it a shot.

I also rarely read chick-lit. Just a little too silly for me.

I don't read chick-lit (I've tried, but hated the characters and the whole attitude of the books) OR Jane Austen (was forced to read her in college and again, bored to tears). Also not into 'coming of age' novels, memoirs, repressed women finding meaning in life (pretty much anything marketed as 'women's literature'), 99.9% of 'romances' (which is really weird since that's my nominal genre), or spy novels. I also don't really read erotica unless it's something really new and different.

I understand how many people enjoy these kinds of books, but they just don't hold my interest. I suppose I'm a visigoth.

Not big on child protagonists. If I see "coming-of-age" on the back of the book, I likely won't buy it. (Though one of my favorite novels, Brady Udall's The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint, is clearly a coming-of-age novel.)

Also, as callalily said, I often don't like multi-generational family sagas. (But again, I loved The Corrections.)

Chick-lit, self-help, Western, Romance, New-Age, Home-Repair, Seun's-Unabridged-Short-Stories-With-Which-He-Was-Dissatisfied. I guess I'm not interested in hyphenated genres. I pretty much stick to Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, and the rare Christian book or (more frequently now) book by an AW author.

I don't think there's any genre that doesn't have at least one book that might appeal to me. I'm no horror fan, but I like a lot of Stephen King; I don't read a lot of chick lit, but I think Bridget Jones' Diary is both funnier and smarter than it's generally given credit for. Hard-boiled crime stories aren't my bag, but I adored Donald Westlake's The Ax.

I have favorite and least favorite genres, like anyone, but IMHO, real storytelling skill can transcend genre.

ClaudiaGray said:

... real storytelling skill can transcend genre.

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Absolutely. This is paramount.

Word

Anything described as a "great work of literature". Having been forced in my youth to read John Knowles, Willa Cather, Edith Wharton, etc, I find this description to be a synonym for "bo-ring!" Trollop was a great writer? Ha! -- the adjective is misleading and can be dropped. Thomas Hardy? -- Jude should be obscure, imho.

Every now and then I try to read one of the classics, but after a hundred pages I want to scream "Just do something! Anything!" But, nope -- it's all yammering about where Nigel and Maude want to send little Myron to boarding school. Now, if Hannibal Lecter was one of Myron's teachers.....

In general terms, I don't read chic-lit, not a huge fan of fantasy, or romance, and erotica makes me giggle, too.

But I can admit there can be/are exceptions. In any of those genres a good story could still make me turn the page.

Cliché plot/character driven novels, regardless of genre aka smae ol', same ol'.

www.donaldmichaelplatt.com

I avoid a lot of so-called literary fiction, romance, westerns and chick-lit. I like a pretty active plot and don't care for the Old West as a setting. I think it's because a lot of those books put the characters into situations I just don't care about. Not caring about the stakes makes it that much harder to get my interest in the characters, and if I don't care about the characters I won't bother with the book.

seun said:

...I had to tell the truth. I wouldn't read a Jane Austen if you paid me.

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There's lots of stuff I don't read, but I think I could make myself read just about anything if I got paid for it.

Now I'm imagining agents and editors for books and magazines, they read tons of stuff, the vast majority of which will NEVER be published. At least they get to choose a specialty, so those into SF don't have to read chick lit...

Books and movies, I'll give anything a shot once or twice. And even if it doesn't work, I'll come back to it later once or twice, see if it appeals to me, if I'm maybe seeing it in a different light now.

But TV shows? No way.

(okay, so the whole Tom Clancy/Clive Cussler/Dale Brown/Dan Brown shit...I avoid. Death to it all.)

I don't think there's anything I wouldn't read based solely on genre. I don't think I've ever read a book that can be classed as a Western but that's not to say I wouldn't, ever.

I don't read much SF or 'high' fantasy. But there are exceptions.

I have genres I prefer, but I can't say I'd rule anything out.

I won't read anything that bores me.

This too transcends genre.

Books

While there are individual writers I don't read, I do read across every genre and every classification of book. I think it's silly not to do so.

And you should try Jane Austen. It's very difficult to be a good writer without reading a ton of classic novels. I'm not sure it's even possible.

But not try a genre or a writer at all just makes no sense.