Top Ten Tuesday: Unpopular Bookish Opinions

Today’s list came together pretty quickly because apparently I have a lot of opinions about books! Whether they’re unpopular is probably more up to debate. But, I bet some of these opinions are more likely to be unpopular with the general population, whereas I can bet that the bookish world of readers probably understands where I’m coming from a bit more.

What are some of your unpopular bookish opinions? I’d love to know!

Unpopular Bookish Opinions

Old book smell

I’m not a person who loves the smell of old books. Many of the oldish books in my library that desperately need to be weeded smell horrible – I think it has something to do with the glue drying up. And honestly, between the dust and possibility of mold, I don’t know if it’s the best idea to be shoving my nose in old books trying to catch a whiff!

Movies can be better than the book

This one is definitely unpopular and probably controversial, I think that some books play out much better on screen than on the page and that’s just my personal opinion. It just might be that the writing just isn’t in a style I enjoy or that I saw the movie first and then read the book. Either way, the book isn’t always better.

School curriculum need to be updated

I read The Great Gatsby as an adult, probably when the most recent film adaptation was released and I understood the story as an adult so much better than I did as a teenager in school. While there is something to be said about classics, having kids read text that they can relate to might be a better way of teaching them writing and language concepts that they understand.

Picture books are for all ages

No one should ever stop reading picture books – they can be funny, heart-breaking, beautiful, poignant, silly, and absolutely gorgeous. You’re missing out on a whole world of literature by dismissing them as books just for kids.

Book format doesn’t matter

Whether you’re reading print, ebooks, or listening to your books – it doesn’t matter. I hate when people turn their nose up at graphic novels, or get frustrated when their kid reads Dog Man for the umpteenth time, or when someone says audiobooks aren’t really reading. Each of these styles of reading counts, period.

Prefer standalone series

I am really picky about series, I have to basically wait until the entire series is published before I start reading because if I have to wait for the next book to be published, I’m not going to remember what happened. And, if each book in a series can standalone, I don’t have to worry so much about remembering what’s going on.

Special Edition covers just force people to buy another copy

I know publishers and authors have to make money and I know authors aren’t making a lot, but putting out new special edition covers of books every couple of years is a total racket. And I get trying to create a cover that brings in a audience for a book, but it’s frustrating when you buy a book in a series and then you might have a different cover for the next two and a different style for the following up!

You can dislike a book and still be respectful

There are thousands of books being published, I can guarantee you aren’t going to like every single one, but don’t yuck other people’s yum. You can be civil and respectful while not agreeing on an opinion.

Tell me the number of the series on the cover

Cover design should automatically include the series number. I hate starting a book only to realize it’s book three and I have no idea what happened in books one and two because I didn’t know it was a series. (See my previous unpopular opinion above about series).

It’s okay to not finish a book

You don’t have to finish every book you start! There are so many books in the world that it’s a shame to waste time on a book that isn’t clicking with you. Check out my list of reasons I don’t finish books.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.