Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.
I tried my best to make this list as un-snarky as possible...but it just kept getting snarkier and snarkier...I guess that's the point though since we're writing about bookish pet peeves this week...
Here we go..
1. Bookstore people who don't read and/or simply don't have a clue. One would think that bookstore managers would want people on the floor who could actually help customers...that doesn't seem to be the case in many of the bigger chain stores especially. I usually don't even ask for help anymore...I just browse around on my own till I find what I'm looking for.
2. Commenters who put the same comment on every single bloggers' blog - I see this sometimes when I participate in blog hops...and it drives me nuts!!! WHY?? If you don't have something original to say to that person, then why the heck are you commenting??? Did you even read that person's post? Probably not.
3. Random troll people who post comments just to aggravate people - These people obviously have far too much time on their hands. If you hate us (women, book bloggers, etc) so much, then why are you creeping a woman book bloggers blog...and creeping her out to boot :p I'd like to give him a stack of papers to grade...
4. Mass market paperbacks - I'm old. The print is too small. I just can't do it...I don't like the way they feel in my hands :(
5. Audiobook readers with fake Southern accents *shivers* - I'm not trying to present myself as the end all be all knower of authentic Southern accents...and within the South there are many different Southern accents (notice how I'm capitalizing the word South every time I use it, even though I know it shouldn't always be capitalized). If you are a publisher looking for someone to read a book and that book that takes place in Charleston, SC and all of the characters are Charlestonians, please, for heaven's sake and mine, find someone who's at least BEEN to Charleston to read it.
6. English teachers who encourage their students to read SparkNotes instead of the original book or who equate teaching literature with watching movies. I completely understand the pressures that public school teachers feel right now to pass their students and to somehow educate students despite all the ridiculous other mess they have to accomplish...I understand feeling like you're bending over backwards to educate folks but to also feel like nobody really cares and that politicians are just flappin' their jaws...
BUT
when you "sign up" to become a teacher, you "sign up" to teach.
If you ain't gonna teach, then please get out of our profession and quit making the rest of us look like the slacker that you are.
BUT
when you "sign up" to become a teacher, you "sign up" to teach.
If you ain't gonna teach, then please get out of our profession and quit making the rest of us look like the slacker that you are.
7. Students who are sitting in my college composition classes and tell me that the last book they read was Green Eggs and Ham. The students are not my bookish peeve...the fact that they've managed to GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL and have never read a book...some of them with AP and Gifted English classes on their transcripts. Don't even get me started.
8. Literary snobs - those who think everybody is not worthy of reading literature and that only certain books are worth reading. Being an English teacher I think I can say that there are a lot of us who act just like this. People, gimme a break here. At this point, I don't care if the public is reading The Enquirer...at least they're reading SOMETHING! Give it a rest, people.
Can't we just all get along??
Can't we just all get along??
9. Audiobooks can't be annotated. I'm an annotator/journaler. I like to write in my books or copy quotes down for future reference...and I like to do it right then...as soon as I see it. Can't do that with an audiobook...what am I going to highlight, star, asterisk, or make notes on? And, with an audiobook the only time I'm listening is when I'm driving...not exactly prime time for annotating, even if it was possible :(
10. Movies made from books. There are a few exceptions here...but most of the time I hate them. My brain decides while I'm reading who the characters are, what they sound like, their personalities etc. Then Hollywood comes along and changes all that. The exceptions are usually exceptions because the author has maintained a pretty strong sense of control over the movie or has had a hand in the screenplay. I realize that I'm in the minority here and that this is probably more a character flaw of mine rather than the movies...but so be it.
I feel better now...:)
Good list, especially #2. I try to make a point of not visiting the sites of bloggers who post the same exact comment to every blog in a hop. I understand the desire for readers, but that's really annoying.
ReplyDeleteThe Blue Fairy's Bookshelf
Yes, #2! I actually recently changed my comment policy so I could delete the comments that were "Nice list here's mine!" with a link. I'm not visiting yours if you didn't actually read mine!
ReplyDeleteWhoa, #6? Seriously? I hate when people tell me, "I didn't read it, but I watched the movie." You might know the plot (or the adaptation of it for the movie), but you don't understand the feel or themes of the book!
My roommate was one of those in #7. She now teaches a couple of HS honors English classes, and she plugs in all the holes she fell through. She requires her students to make notes on stickies in all the books they read for class...you can't really do that without reading it!
This is a great list. We share some of the same pet peeves. I agree with you about number one. SOO annoying! I also LOVE number six. I completely agree with you!
ReplyDeleteHaha, I love this. As you have probably noticed from my blog, I'm very much with you on 8! As for 2, wow. I haven't noticed it myself, but it's sad that there are people who do that :\
ReplyDeleteI agree with # 1 and #4 - gosh, I don't have anything else to say! But I'm not #2-ing, because I wouldn't respond to other posts by number! :--)
ReplyDeleteYour peeves are my peeves Patti. Especially #10. I haven't seen a single Harry Potter movie because I like the way those books look in my head and I don't want anyone to change that.
ReplyDeleteBTW, love the pics you chose to go along with this list!
I loved this post and the pictures that illustrate it! Yes, I share many of the same peeves as you, and particularly the one about literary snobs. Let people read what they like! There is no particular moral highground to be had because a person has read Thomas Pynchon.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I actually gasped at some of these (there are teachers telling students to use SparkNotes? I can't speak)Students who don't read, ugh. Literary snobs-I hear you. Only one slight disagreement, while I do dislike most movies of books, I love To Kill a Mockingbird. One of the only movies to make me feel the same way as the book. (my son is reading and watching for school right now so it's on my brain)
ReplyDeleteGreat list.(oh, and pics)
Lindsey, annoying is a very nice word...it literally makes me cringe.
ReplyDeleteRonnica, I just don't get the point...why are you blogging if all you want to do is say what you want to say and not hear what anybody else has to say? I guess it's a follower thing but it makes me crazy.
Unfortunately, I have a little too much insider information on #6...I'm one of the ones who gets to go in and try to fix things when it gets so bad the state department starts calling the superintendent's office...I've seen good teachers resort to these "strategies" just out of frustration too.
#7 and #6 probably go together bc #6 is usually the ones that causes #7...usually. My oldest daughter is fortunate enough to have an AP English teacher right now who has figured out ways to make her students read the books as well...students who want AP credit sometimes sign up for her class and realize they really didn't want AP credit bc she actually makes them do the work. I love her btw :)
Christina, I went to school with a girl who was in education classes just bc her parents made her get a degree...she is probably sitting in a classroom somewhere half-@*sed teaching our children.
Nymeth, What I love about your blog and postings is that they are sooooo SMART!!! But, you never leave anyone out :) You give us plenty to think about without an attitude of superiority. I LOVE your stuff :):) #2 comments are those very general comments like Ronnica's example...I'm gritting my teeth just thinking about them.
Rhapsody, I actually helped a lady in BooksAMillion once bc the sales dude couldn't :/ The #2's I'm talking about are the general ones like Ronnica's example, "nice list, here's mine" Grrrrrrr.
Mindee, I have seen the Harry Potter movies bc my older girls and I have shared the Harry Potter experience together...we actually read The Sorcerer's Stone together aloud amid all the controversy after it first published. I didn't really have any problems with the movies but I don't think I have that original perspective anymore bc my brain has been diluted with all the hype and Hollywood :(
ReplyDeleteLitLove, Thanks!! I have a child who reads anything and everything she can get her hands on and a child who would rather poke her eyes out than read...you better believe I let her read ANYTHING she wants to...when she was little she would only read Archie comic books...I bought every. single. one. and was happy about it. She fell in love with To Kill a Mockingbird two years ago, read a couple of Lauren Conrad's on her new Nook, and just finished Sea and is urging me to read it, telling me how good it is :):) They'll find their way if we'll just let them.
ReplyDeleteMartha, I was standing next to a particular teacher and heard her talking about it. I put my hands over my ears and actually told her to quit talking to me. She then began to justify her actions by saying kids won't ever need Shakespeare for anything...why shouldn't she make her life easier? GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!
ReplyDeleteMy middle child who is and always has been a reluctant reader LOVES To Kill a Mockingbird...and she actually read the book b4 she saw the movie. She has the movie now as well; I have no idea how many times she has watched it :):) TKAM is one of my all time favorites for the rest of my life but I've never seen the movie...GULP
I love the cute pics! Totally unrelated to your post but oh so adorable! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's been fun to be a bit peevish this morning, your kitties were a nice break between points. Kaye—the road goes ever ever on
ReplyDeleteFirst of all the pictures are adorable! Your number 2 item drives me nuts. I usually ignore those comments or sometimes delete them if I'm extra annoyed that day.
ReplyDeleteI also usually avoid asking for help at the big box stores. Small places are great for help and recommendations, but the big places I just try to figure it out on my own.
booknympho, the kitties are supposed to visually represent my peevish feelings ;)
ReplyDeleteKaye, it's nice every once in a while to just say it, isn't it...letting off a little steam every once in a while is a good thing ;)
Red, Thanks! I need visuals it seems...just another quirky part of my personality...It's so refreshing to visit my favorite indie store in my area and actually have conversations with people who've read books and know where everything is...:)
Do people actually comment like that? The same comment? Really? That's horrible. They must be commenting...hoping that their visit earns them a visit by you.
ReplyDeleteMy big peeve has to do with students asking me for help with their book report. They don't even try to cover up the fact that they haven't read the book. They come right out and say it! These comments never get published because I deal with them offline but even when I tell them to read the book, they still try to get me to answer a slew of questions on the book!
The second part to this is that their research skills are lacking because a quick Google search is often, all that is needed if they decide to go the scandalous route, yet they don't think to do this.
Being a community college psychology instructor I can feel your pain with the students who graduated with all of this AP and honors classes and then when I ask them to write a paper cannot even construct a proper paragraph. It drives me nuts. Every semester I have to warn each class that if I see texting language within a paper I will immediately put an F on it. It's amazing. I taught the college credit class at a local high school and the kids were very unreceptive even though they signed up for the class. They are ill prepared for college here in Eastern Kentucky and cannot answer any kind of application question. I also teach Foundations of Learning to help at risk or remedial students get into the college mindset so that they will succeed. It is very interesting. Again I will get these students who graduated high school with a distinguished writing portfolio and cannot construct a paragraph. My minor was literature so I come from a strong writing background, not to mention writing a dissertation. Anyway, enough rant. Loved today's post and really loved all the pictures of the cats!!!
ReplyDeleteTi, I'm sure it has something to do with the follower, visiting thing but it's so superficial...I'm not going to follow someone like that nor do I want to visit them :/
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that students email you asking about books for an assignment!!! Are they your students?? My students have no idea I have a blog...I kinda like to keep it a place where it's just me.
Their research skills are still lacking when they get to us as well...I had a student working on research paper who thought it was ok that his 10 sources for the paper came from the same website. Each "source" was a 1 paragraph definition of some kind of weather phenomenon...10 paragraphs, same website, 10 pages = 10 sources for a college level research paper, right?? Needless to say, he dropped my class after I gave him the "bad" news.
English teachers who encourage their students to read SparkNotes instead of the original book or who equate teaching literature with watching movies.
ReplyDeleteYes, this!!!!! As an English teacher, those people drive me NUTS. That's just not doing a good job. In fact, that's cheating your students.
I had a student working on research paper who thought it was ok that his 10 sources for the paper came from the same website. Each "source" was a 1 paragraph definition of some kind of weather phenomenon...10 paragraphs, same website, 10 pages = 10 sources for a college level research paper, right?? Needless to say, he dropped my class after I gave him the "bad" news.
ReplyDeleteI have no patience for that kind of nonsense. He surely would have dropped my class as well! Geez!
I used to think of teachers as being beyond reproach, but then I started my university courses and started spending time with people who had graduated with degrees in early elementary education or so forth, and I realized they're just people -- and they're sometimes people who have no idea what they're talking about. They just want to work with kids, which is admirable, but hoo boy...teachers have to be as earnest about wanting to communicate knowledge as they do about wanting to communicate with kids.
ReplyDeleteYour comment about audiobooks is a good one, which is why I only listen to audiobooks that I've already read the "real" book for.
It was a little snarky, but I liked it. I agree about the blog commenting, though I didn't think of it a bookish peeve, since it's more of a people/blogger peeve. I like personal comments that actually relate to the post above.
ReplyDeleteBirdie, I'm not the hardest teacher on our campus but I'm not the easiest either; and I'm never going to apologize for making my students come to class, do their work the way it's supposed to be done and turn things in on time...I mean, geez...so frustrating, isn't it?
ReplyDeletesmellincoffee, I've had some experience with pre-service teachers and I'm stunned that even by their senior year sometimes they think "wanting to work with kids" is all education is about. If you're doing the job correctly, it is one of the hardest, most tiring jobs around.
Loni, a little snark is good for us all sometimes ;)
I totally agree about people in bookstores! How can you work in a bookstore and NOT know the order of the Hunger Games series? I especially hate when someone asks a bookstore employee a question and they turn it into trying to sell a different book...and those books aren't at all related.
ReplyDeleteWait a minute, teachers are pushing Sparknotes on students instead of the actual book! Blasphemy! I am floored by that one.
ReplyDeleteI also "help myself" at bookstores these days. If you can't even direct me to the right section without "checking your computer", then you are not going to be able to help me.
Glad you feel better. You had a lot to get off your chest! And I found that if you listen to an audiobook using the Audible app, you can make a bookmark at a certain point and type in some notes. Not perfect and not an option for everyone but it is something. Great list...enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteExcellent top ten list! It scares me how many high school graduates there are who haven't read certain books and that they think sparknotes or watching a movie is a decent substitute.
ReplyDeleteGrace @ www.feedingmybookaddiction.blogspot.com
Great list. I hate it when people tell me that they don't read with pride. Ugh.
ReplyDelete#1 drives me a little nuts too, especially since when I graduated from college (with a Literature degree) and couldn't get a job at a bookstore.
Here is my list: http://hawthornescarlet.blogspot.com/2011/03/top-ten-tuesday-i-hate-that.html
Sarah, I call it lazy teaching :(
ReplyDeleteJenners, I usually listen to audiobooks when I'm driving so I usually have a CD in the CD player...is Audible something I would use on my Ipod or Ipad?
Jenica, it amazes me daily.
LBC, doesn't surprise me a bit...you were probably considered overqualified :/
#2 - Yes, please don't just leave the same comment on every post. These memes are to write about something fun, not just grab followers! My favorite is when they post the exact same comment week to week when I participate in a weekly meme.
ReplyDeleteAnd #8... yes. I am a very eclectic blogger, and it is so discouraging to me when people refuse to read my blog or because I review some YA books. While I feel like classics and literary fiction are meatier, sometimes a little fun is what I need from my reading.
Great list. For some reason I run into lots of literary snobs. I don't know if I'm just an awesome magnet or what but it is irritating.
ReplyDeleteLL, #2 drives me bonkers
ReplyDelete#8, I've decided that my blog is just that...mine. The only friends or followers I really want are those who want to be friends or follow me just the way I am :)
Alexis, as an English teacher I run into many more than I would like :/
Okay, take the step and watch TKAM. I'm almost certain you won't be sorry. Gregory Peck is Atticus. Let me know if you do, I'd love to hear what you think.
ReplyDeleteI wish there were more actual book reading in high school. My fantasy is to see a literature class that focuses more on stories and discussion than picking apart and being tested on the fine points. It took me a looong time out of high school to fall in love with books again.
ReplyDelete#2 Yes! Oh goodness, the amount of such comments I get sometimes, esp on memes. That makes me snarky, girlfriend! That really does. The whole point of commenting is lost.
ReplyDelete