What Makes You Put a Book Down?

Recently, I bought a book that I was extremely excited about. I'd see pictures of it at various book events, posters, read interviews with the author, and got all twitchy waiting to lay my paws on it and have a good read.

It's now several months later, and I'm less than halfway through.

It seems that every time I try to read this book before bed my eyes close and I fall asleep before I can get past a page or two. Other books have beeen known to keep me up for all hours, so.... what the heck, book?? Why are you making this so difficult?!

When do you finally decide to throw in the towel on a book you're just not that into?

What finally puts you over the edge? What moves the book from bedside table only to be covered in cobwebs, forgotten in a corner?

For me, the usual culprits are these:

1) Unbelievable dialogue. And I don't mean in the sense of "Whoa! That dialogue is so amazing, it's UNBELIEVABLE!" Rather, dialogue that is just so silly or unreal that it takes me out of the story and makes me cock an eyebrow.

2) Characters repeatedly doing something stupid. No, you idiot! You can't save the world if you keep wandering off by yourself, losing the Sword of Awesomeness, and putting yourself foot-first into traps a cub scout could spot. Also, the female lead likes you. Pull your head out of your ass, already!

3) The writer loves the sound of their own keyboard. Every clickity clack is PURE POETRY and absolutely cannot be cut from the manuscript. Descriptions are long, usually unnecessar, and always snooze-inducing.

However, this book had none of these usual suspects :(. I'm just (and I hate to say it) ... bored.

What do you do when this happens to you?

Do you give the author the benefit of the doubt, or do you pitch it in the Good Will pile at page 10?

It's Rantin' Time!

I'm not sure why, but I sort of hate the world today.

It's been a long, long week at work, and I'm feeling like having a bit of a rant to help lift some of the black clouds currently floating over my head.

Either that, or spread the doom clouds until they blot out the sun. BWAHAHAHAHA! *ahem* Sorry, about that..

So, our topic for today is going to be PET PEEVES. Everyone has them. That thing that people do that makes you just want to punch them in the throat.

A few of mine? Well! I'm so glad you asked!

*Disclaimer--if any of these apply to you, please note that you are the single exception :). Blog follower love!

Top 10 Pet Peeves:

1) People who mispronounce simple words! It's lib-rar-y, not LIBARRY, frustrated with an R and not FUSTRATED, and prob-ab-ly, not PROBALY! Seriously, people. It's not that hard.

2) Close talkers! What is up with those people who corner me at the water cooler and insist on talking in my face from a mere 3" away? Are they trying to read my mind by being closer? Are they trying to pick my pockets? Do they not realize that their coffee/cigarette breath is melting off my eyebrows?

3) The phrase "Well, at least you still have a job!" I think this is the new version of "Sounds like somebody's got a case of the MONDAYS!" Just..... stop it.

4) Office thermostats! When it's 90 degrees outside, it's inevitably 90 degrees inside, because the heat was left on from the previous day. Then, when I wear short sleeves to compensate for office hotness, it's 40 degrees outside, and 40 degrees inside because they fixed the previously problem and now the air conditioning is on a timer. A pox on you, office thermostats! Why must you mock me??

5) People who I've never seen before telling me their life story! Note: this does not apply to lovely, lovely internet people :). I love you all. This has to do with me standing in line to buy a soda at the grocery store, and having someone tell me all about their sister-in-law's tumor with the teeth growing out of it. OMG, have we met??? NO?? Then why are you telling me these things?!

6) The price of delicious, life-giving energy drinks! When I get mad, all I want to do is buy a Monster and get caffeinated like a crazy jungle monkey. However, energy drinks are always like $2.50. This enrages me further. I do not have exact change past 1.00! I carry plastic! PLASTIC!

7) Being mauled by boy scouts! In my town, it's Boy Scout Season, which means scouts are staking out the doors of every local establishment and pressuring me to buy cookies from them when I leave. Just let me get to my car, boy scouts! Why can't you go door to door like I used to when I was a kid? Then I can just pretend I'm not home. If I want your cookies, I will find you.

8) People who ask me how to spell something while sitting in front of a computer! Seriously, you can't just use spell check? Or google? Or dictionary.com? Nothing?? Sure, I could spell it for you, but it feels ... somehow... like you're just being lazy.

9) Red Lobster commercials! I recently became allergice to tasty, tasty shellfish, and now everytime All-You-Can-Eat-Shrimp comes on the TV, I feel like crying or else trying to dip random food into hot, melty, butter to compensate. It's just not the same...

10) Plumber's crack at work! Can you really not feel the draft, there, buddy? How about you, lady-bending-over-the-copier? Somehow, I don't think naked asscrack is an official part of the dress code.

I realized today while fuming over petty details of my everyday life that our characters probably do the same thing :). Do you guys give your characters pet peeves?

If so, what are they? If not, why not?