Themes you like & dislike

[Carol Cork *Young at Heart Oldie*]

My favourite is the hate/dislike turns to love theme. I am pretty opened minded with regard to other themes but rape scenes turn me off.

[Kim]

Ugh - don't like romance or chick-lit, esp. those sappy Harlequin-type ones. However, Evanovich and Brown do write good romance-suspense books. I'm not into non-fiction, it usually bores me.

I've read mostly suspense and thrillers, but now turning to more cozy mysteries, historical fiction, and general fiction.

[Sashana]

I read alot of romance and alot of the time the author says the leading woman is 'strong', but most of the time they're really not. I a hate weak protagonist.

[Kim]

if the weak are considered strong, then I wonder what the weak really are? did that make sense?

[Sashana]

Kim wrote: "if the weak are considered strong, then I wonder what the weak really are? did that make sense?"

lol I kinda sorta understand what you're saying...I guess the weak are just really weak.

[Heather]

A huge misunderstanding that takes the whole book to set straight while the h/h screw like rabbits. TSTL heroines that have the hero just falling over themselves in lust for..

[Melanie]

Oooh.. Friends turned lover is a big fave for me... I love Diana Palmer:-) She also has the whole betrayal/"thought he/she did..." theme going in most of her books:-)

[~Vixhen~]

I absolutely hate the virginal heroine theme.

[Sashana]

Hey guys you all should stop by the author chat.

[Lauren]

I like realistic fiction, but dislike science fiction.

[Katherine]

I'm not big on science fiction either.

[Lauren]

For me it just seems too... Unrealistic. I like when things could actually happen!:) it also scares me when you are looking ahead too far in the future. I couldn't watch the movie Avatar, it scared me! :(

[Sashana]

lolz I think it's funny that Avatrar scared you (not funny in a mean way). I've read a few Science Fiction books and I enjoyed them. I really love fantasy books.

I hate books that are sad. To me, there's no point in reading them because life is sad already.

[Lauren]

We were watching it in school. After 20 minutes I got so freaked out! I left the
movie and helped another teacher clean her room.

[Sashana]

What was scary about it?

[Lauren]

Just skipping ahead in the future so far... Makes me think about the future. My future... Advances in technology. It scares me.

[Sashana]

True, the future is kinda scary.

[Lauren]

Yea :(

[Shadow Jubilee]

Sashana wrote: "I read alot of romance and alot of the time the author says the leading woman is 'strong', but most of the time they're really not. I a hate weak protagonist."

Heather wrote: "TSTL heroines that have the hero just falling over themselves in lust for.."

These.

Also, heroine is supposedly strong/intelligent/clever/gifted - and the hero still manages to overpower her in one way or another, whether physically, intellectually, through status, etc. One of my favorite fantasy authors, Anne McCaffrey, is guilty of this. I think she does this in all the series I've read.

[Lauren]

I haven't been very big into the Paranormal.

[Sashana]

Or when the man talks the down to the woman and she's still hopelessly in love...makes me sick.

[Sans]

Never read old skool bodice rippers, Sashana. You'll get dents in your wall from throwing so many books at it. ^o^

[Sashana]

Sans wrote: "Never read old skool bodice rippers, Sashana. You'll get dents in your wall from throwing so many books at it. ^o^"

I've never read one before, but I might have to give one a try to see what you're talking about.

[Sans]

Be warned that you'll be in forced seduction (sometimes outright rape) territory. The heroes are what the Smart Bitches call alp-holes (alpha a**holes) in that they are nearly always portrayed as near-misogynists. That's not to say all bodice rippers or all romances from 20 years ago are like that, but there's a reason the books from back in the day have that stereotype.

[Sashana]

Erm, you know, I think I'll stick to my present day smut. I don't see how you could make rape sexy, I probably would throw the book against the wall (after ripping it to tiny shreds, of course).

[Sans]

I don't think it's meant to be sexy. It's the drama, the conflict and the satisfaction of the once-weak heroine bringing the alp-hole hero to his knees by the end of the book. Or something.

Not all of them have rape though! I could scout a few non-rapetastic books and send some recommendations along (or at least a list of books to avoid!) if you want to give old skool a try.

[Sashana]

Sure, recommend me you absolute favorites.

[Shay]

Sans wrote: "I don't think it's meant to be sexy. It's the drama, the conflict and the satisfaction of the once-weak heroine bringing the alp-hole hero to his knees by the end of the book. Or something.

Not al..."

Also, you should put these book in their historical context. Twenty years ago was the end of the first generation post-Women's Rights. So, it was the first generation of women who worked outside of the house with the intention of having a career (and not just waiting to get married). It was a period of a lot of adjustments in little and big ways. One of the things many women discovered was that in addition to work, they were still responsible in the home- cooking, cleaning, child rearing. So, they were in essence doing two jobs and were tired, a little or a lot resentful and jaded. So, why the rape fantasy? Loss of control, not having to make decisions, a powerful man who would take care of everything. I think that became somewhat of a fantasy for (some) women. If you look at what we read, or TV shows and movies we watch, you can get a glimpse into the hopes, fears, and dreams, etc. of a different time. Or, our time for that matter.

[Sans]

Excellent points, Shay. I've been fascinated by the rape fantasy for ages and yours is one of the most precise and concise explanations of it.

[A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol)]

I like my H/H to be strangers. There are few books where they were friends/past lovers/married/etc that I've actually enjoyed.

[Chelly]

I kind of like the whole fantasy/scifi (insane could-never-happen situations) but with 'real' characters with realistic relationships. I always like the we-are-both-too-stubborn-to-admit-we-are-in-love-but-eventually-we-get-together relationships. Especially when the chick (who is actually self-reliant and not a sappy "oh i can't live without you" chick) puts the guy in his place...

but i hate books like Romeo and Juliet where it's like love based on nothing...the 2 characters need to make eachother better- snap each other into reality, if you will

[Shadow Jubilee]

Dislikes: love triangles, time traveling romances

[Sashana]

I love a good love triangle. But it's getting kind of played out because every author feels the need to do it now.

[Alicia]

I don't like the love triangles where the focus is some "perfect, beautiful" (and often virginal) girl with two guys competing for her. It seems like the girl is a prize to be won, an object for the boys to protect and fight over and compete for, rather than an independent chick. Almost as if they are fighting for rights to her body. Those types of love triangles are often also the same ones where the girl is seriously lacking in personality, so that you're left wondering why they're all so crazy about each other anyways. Love triangles can be done well, but more often than not I find them irritating, especially in YA. All depends on what the author does with it.

[Sashana]

Alicia wrote: "I don't like the love triangles where the focus is some "perfect, beautiful" (and often virginal) girl with two guys competing for her. It seems like the girl is a prize to be won, an object for t..."

I hate that when one theme becomes popular in YA (like love triangles) everyone starts to jump on the bandwagon. It makes me want to bash my head in and beg for something original.

[Rachel]

Alicia, you said just what I was thinking. Get out of my head! :)

[Shadow Jubilee]

I don't like love triangles because it is almost always of two decent guys falling for the same lovely girl, and I always feel bad for the guy losing out. That's why, unlike the majority of the folks who really disliked the way Meyer's resolved her love triangle, I liked it. lol.

Vampire Knight has a love triangle. If it were up to me, Yuuki would have both Kaname and Zero. But since it is supposed to be a tragedy and since I have a feeling Kaname will be dead by the end of the series, I want Yuuki to die too. Poor Zero. Maybe Yuuki will have a little daughter for him to love a la Twilight (or Anne McCaffrey's Rowan series). hehe.

[Sashana]

I don't like love triangles because it is almost always of two decent guys falling for the same lovely girl, and I always feel bad for the guy losing out. That's why, unlike the majority of the folks who really disliked the way Meyer's resolved her love triangle, I liked it. lol.

I don't mind if the other guy finds his happily ever after, but you have to admit that the Jacob+Bella's daughter thing is really creepy. What if you went out with your mom's ex? Creepy!

[Shadow Jubilee]

Well, no. I didn't find it creepy at all but that could partially be because I'd encountered that same plot device in Anne McCaffrey's The Tower and the Hive series. I'd gotten over my discomfort with that series so I was immune to the creepy factor. lol. It helps that I was just thinking that it was just a fiction work. :)

[Liz]

I'm growing tired of the "Clueless Parents Syndrome" in a lot of the YA that I read. I mean, enough already.

[Janet]

Liz wrote: "I'm growing tired of the "Clueless Parents Syndrome" in a lot of the YA that I read. I mean, enough already."

Hear hear! Down with cartoon buffoon parents!

[An]

I'm not into comtemporary very much, but Iwould like to try reading some more.

[Lára]

I don´t read thrillers if I can help it, and I´m not fan of romance novels (without any action, that is) either.

But most of all I dislike books with "our love is the most important thing in the world" story (be it paranormal, horror or whatever else). It just annoys me. I´d rather read thriller than this kind of book. Unfortunately, it´s hard to find a book that isn´t one of those.

And I really hate retellings!

Book with more than one genre in it is definitely the one I´d pick up first, but my favourites are non fictional. Especially those about aquariums, frogs and plants.

[Louise]

I love romantic genre books and fantastic books , where you have amazing creatures like witches, vampires, were wolfes.. .etc

I am not a big fan of thriller genre books :(

[Jojobean]

I hate instalove Nd love triangles. they get under my skin. I don't read westerns or chick lit much.

I read a lot of paranormal, fantasy, historical fiction, dystopian and realistic fiction. all of these sub genres I read in the young adult genre

[Paulina]

Ooh I don't like anything that has to do with vampires or zombies or post-apocalyptic worlds. And less, books where love is the central theme.

And I like the paranormal, suspense and science fiction theme.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

I dislike themes and plots focusing on amnesia, kidnapping, stalking (so overdone), and time travel

I almost everything else. The list would be huge.

[Groovy]

I don't like books that are so dark and vulgar, you feel absolutely like jumping in a vat of sanitizer just from reading it.

I hate hostage, kidnapping, books that read like real life. I read to escape, not to experience the reality that I face everyday (I hope I explained that clearly) The goal for me is that at the end of the book, I am moved to close my eyes and smile.

That's one of the reasons I became an author. To take readers on a journey where they can escape. Where they know that the problems they're reading about is not an everyday, regular struggle, and yet, in some ways, they can identify. That no matter how suspenseful the storyline gets, it's going to be entertaining with a HEA in the end (at least I try:)

Don't give me true-to-life. Been there, already going through it.

[❤Stephanie ღ♥ღMrs Daryl Dixonღ♥ღ]

I hate Love Triangle, I won't touch a book unless I know who the main characters are that's not to say that I don't mind reading ménage ‎books because I do, I just can't stand the idea of liking one guy and wanting the girl to end up with him and then at the end of the book she ends up with the other guy. That's why I stopped reading young adult books, that and I need all my books to have a HEA's which you don't get until the last book in a series which can be a while.

Also not a fan of instalove, yeah they can like each other but don't want them to love each other at the beginning of a book just that's just boring, gotta have a little bit of drama before they end up together.

[Kat]

I'm really fussy when it comes to reading, it's easier to say what I like as my dislike genre is majority

I like
memiors
biographys
self help
crime and thriller
mystery
chick lit
women fiction
humour