Bookish Pet Peeves | The Bangzo Bookworm

1.    Whiny, moody characters à la Elena in TVD.
Don’t get me wrong, an emotionally unstable book character is actually pretty realistic and easier to relate to than those who don’t set a foot wrong, but there is only so much angst I can take in one book.

2.    Pointless plots
You know the ones: characters embark on a perilous journey to the ends of an abandoned planet only to discover that the priceless long lost treasure, the subject of their life’s work, is NOT where they expected it to be.  So, what was the point in the book?

3.    Overly weird fictional names. 

Unless the book is listed under the fantasy genre, there really is no need, especially if the name is impossible to pronounce.  The other end of fictitious names is the weird variations of spellings eg. Peeta, that are just as annoying.

4.     Teeny tiny font. 

Apparently I am still at child. Any book font that looks  like it might compete with Tolstoy's War and Peace is a no. 

5.    Bad cover design. 

Those Google images imposed on over saturated backdrops will never look appealing.

6.    Book finales that leave a cliff-hanger.

Erm, how are we supposed to know what happens next? The torment this situation leaves you in is real.

7.    Getting stuff in/on your books. 

Crumbs, dog saliva, tears, tea stains, finger prints…ah, the list goes on.   

8.    Books that assume you know everything about the plot before it has been explained. 

9.    The “I-can- tell-where-this-is-going” plots. 

Unfortunately, I think that this is quite common in YA fiction, especially YA romance; basically the plots leave little space for imagination and an enormous amount of regret at the hours of life wasted upon starting such books.

10. Copycat books. 

You can’t fool me; the character names and location might be different, but I  can  recognise that anti- climax anywhere.

11. First person narrative. 

 I don’t like being told what to think or what to see- third person narrative lets me make my own mind up. Why should I have to take the narrator's word for everything? 

Weird Things People Might Say In A Bookstore | The Bangzo BookWorm

Yes, you are right, this post was inspired by Jen Campbell's extremely addictive book "Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops" if you haven't read it, you should. 

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"Why don’t bookstores have trolleys, my arms are aching!"

"I can’t find a single book that I like in here- maybe (x bookshop) has a better choice."

"Can I return this book even if I end up reading it- its covered the 30 return policy, right?"

"I’m not buying it- it is a lot cheaper on my Kindle."

"Shot in the dark, but do you stock Harry Potter?"

"I know this is buy one get one free, but this book set is a trilogy… how does that work?"

"Gosh, it’s a bit quiet in here."

"I'm not sure I like paperbacks, hardbacks smell a lot better."

"Hi, I want to buy this book to put on my Kindle." ( proceeds to get money out of purse and place paperback onto cashier desk)

"Why buy the book when I can watch the film- it will take less time anyway."

"Can you tell me where the Bible would be on the A-Z author shelf?"

"Look, it’s the first edition of the book (gasp) but why is it so expensive?"

"Argh, not a fan of any of those books over in Bestseller, whose idea was it to put them there anyway?"

"Hi, I've been looking for a certain book, but I can’t remember what it is called, can you help me?"

"What do you mean I can’t drink my coffee in here? I always drink my coffee while reading a book."

Person 1: "Are you going to buy that book?"

Person 2: "No, there is no point, I am just taking notes for my History exam tomorrow."

Have you heard any other weird things in a bookstore/ bookshop? Let me know!

<< Previous post:20 things BOOKWORMS do when they read books

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20 things BOOKWORMS do when they read books | The Bangzo BookWorm

A bookworm will:

1. Open up a book at about 30 degrees to reduce the risk of creasing the brand new spine- it was special edition after all.
2. Ask too many questions out loud such as “Didn’t you see that coming?”, “What is wrong with you?”and "Why are you even in this book?"
3.  Flick briefly to the back of the book to catch a sneak peek of the ending (and ruin the entire reading experience before it has even begun).
4. Re-read key scenes over and over again because they succeeded at giving them ‘the feels’
5. Mind map all the characters and plots because there are always too many to remember.
6.  Exclaim every once in a while “Ha, I knew it!”
7.  Sigh every time the story protagonist coincidentally to get themselves in trouble- it could have been avoided of course, if only they hadn’t taken that path away from the light.
8. Wish that the guy would hurry up and get the girl.
9. Wish that the girl would hurry up and stop being so precious and pretentious and get the guy.
10.  Convince themselves that there is NOT someone creeping around in the house although the their book protagonist had just been attacked by a crazy home invader.
11. Let out little snorts of laughter when they finally understand a joke… that happened about three chapters back.
12. Panic when their theory proves incorrect, because that must mean that somewhere along the lines, their mind map went seriously wrong.
13. Convince themselves that although they are already running late to leave the house in time for school/work/socialising/LIFE, in book time, they are still in the past, so an hour longer to finish the chapter won’t make much of a difference
14. Call a friend in the middle of a late night read because the friend is a walking dictionary and will definitely know what that word means even though they could have just looked it up themselves
15. Readjust their reading nook at least ten times 
16.  Put off going to the toilet because the climax is just about to get started
17. Put off going to eat or drink because the the climax is just about to get started 
18.  Put off going to sleep because the climax is just about to get started
19. Put off everything and anything  (including breathing) because the climax is just about to get started.
20. Close the book at the final page, let out a dramatic sigh and hold a minute silence to digest the fact that they have finally finished - then pick up the next book in the pile and in an overly dramatic voice say “Chapter One”.

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Do you do any of these bookish things when reading? Let me know!

<< Previous post:REVIEW: The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow

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Review: The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow | The Bangzo Bookworm

Title: The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow Paperback by Katherine Woodfine 
Publisher: Egmont
Publication Date: June 4th 2015
Number Of Pages: 336
Genre: Mystery, Young Adult (YA), Middle Grade,Thriller, Action, Fantasy.
Format: Kindle
Synopsis: You are cordially invited to attend the Grand Opening of Sinclair's department store! Enter a world of bonbons, hats, perfumes and Mysteries around every corner. Wonder at the daring theft of the priceless Clockwork Sparrow! Tremble as the most Dastardly criminals in London enact their wicked plans! GASP as our bold heroines, Miss Sophie Taylor and Miss Lilian Rose, Crack Codes, Devour Iced Buns and vow to bring the villians to justice...The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow is the first book in a sumptuous mystery-series for 9+ readers, full of vivid Edwardian period detail. 

Review: The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow is a fun engaging adventure story following heroine Sophie Taylor who has recently been employed to work in the Millinery Department of the soon to be opened Sinclair’s department store. The highlight of the grand opening is the beautiful Clockwork Sparrow display, but when the Sparrow is stolen the night before Sinclair’s opens its doors, suspicion immediately falls on Sophie. In order to clear her name, Sophie teams up with local homeless lad Joe, bootboy Billy and glamorous Lil to solve the mystery and find the Sparrow before it falls into the wrong hands.

This book is packed full of description and beautifully sets the story scene which takes place on the Edwardian streets of London. The characters each have a very distinct personality and as the book develops, so do the characters traits and involvement in the story. From the beginning, the Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow easily draws in the reader with its attention to detail and added extras, such as the realistic images of codes, notes and newspaper cuttings the characters discover along the way. This isn’t a difficult or long read and it easily teaches younger readers about an unfamiliar era in history without being boring or repetitive.

If you love mystery, suspense and like to keep guessing "whodunnit" until the last page, this book is for you!

Have you read this book? What did you think?

<< Previous post: 5 YA Books that I have yet to (and never will) read

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5 YA Books that I have yet to (and never will) read

The Broke and the Bookish recently posted another Top Ten Tuesday post called "Top Ten Hyped Books We've Never Read" and once I read it, I knew I had to post my own. This is a similar post because I have only chosen 5 books for the post, but also because the following are titles I have no intention of picking up. Ever.

I'm sorry in advance if your favourite book / book series is mentioned here (and it is very likely since this post has featured at least two YA fiction giants) but feel free to argue!

And if you like the graphics below, feel free to pin them to your Pinterest board!

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John Green

 I don’t like to read sad books, especially sad books about cancer.  I managed the first page and credit to John Green who knows how to write a wonderful hooking opening paragraph, but I could tell that I wasn’t going to enjoy the storyline.Besides that, I was planning to read the book around the same time the film came to cinemas and within the first week of release, I was hoping I would never hear the term "TFIOS" again.

 Sarah J. Maas

I was going to read Throne of Glass also, but I was persuaded otherwise by numerous reviews online. They criticised the main character Caelena  who doesn't display her deadly nature because most of her heroine encounters happen outside of the book who encounters more action outside of the book, and anything worth knowing in the book itself  is told in summary. This gives me the impression that the book plot is pretty flat and that there is little room for Caelena's character to develop.

Stephenie Meyer

In my opinion, the Twilight series has more or less faded out of book discussion since the films ended a couple of years ago and I feel as though everyone has moved on to hype other fantasy novels since. I have never really been a fan of Twilight and although this is probably because I couldn't stand the films and the never ending hype around them, I won’t be picking up the novels for a read.

Jodi Picoult

Again, another tragic story about a child suffering from cancer.  I know what happens at the end of this novel because the plot was purposely spoiled for me by a friend; therefore, I can imagine it to be an extremely uncomfortable and tragic read, so I cannot bring myself to even give the first page a try.

 J.K Rowling

Out of the five, this choice is the one I regret saying the most. These books have been a mainstay in children’s literature since I was still at school and they were the only books that could get an entire classroom of children who don’t care about reading or literature to give reading a go. Saying that, they just aren’t for me because fantasy isn’t my favourite book genre, especially if it involves elements of magic and wizardry. However I feel as though I know the books to a reasonable standard thanks to their success in the entertainment industry, so I don’t feel too bad about choosing to give them a miss.

Do you agree/ disagree with my choices? Let me know in the comments section

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<< Previous post: Best 7 YA Fiction Opening Lines

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