#IWSG: #HookMeFast #NoWhimperingFemales

Hello! It's the first post of the year for the Insecure Writer's Support Group and I'm co-hosting! Click on the link if you'd like to sign up!
Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh for hosting this monthly event, and thanks so much to the awesome co-hosts: Ronel Janse van Vuuren , J Lenni Dorner, Gwen Gardner Sandra Cox, and Louise - Fundy Blue!
This month's optional question: Being a writer, when you're reading someone else's work, what stops you from finishing a book/throws you out of the story/frustrates you the most about other people's books? 
I read for pleasure and entertainment, so I don't want to be bored. Hook me fast! Too much backstory, too much description, too long to get to the point of the story--and I'll put the book down. Give me unique characters and an original story--or at least a twist on an original story--and I'll stick with it. Tell me an interesting story and I'm yours forever! A bit of snark and humor is important. Make me smile or laugh. And NO whimpering or whiney females, please! Other than that, I'm easy to please.  How about you?
What causes you to put a book down?  What are your "must-haves" in a book or story?