Reading Side Effects

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is: Halloween Freebie - I got nothing for that. So instead, I'll share a list of reading side effects or some books I read that sort of changed my thoughts on what I'm reading. This may be a list of complaints just so you know. I probably, maybe, should stop linking to Top Ten Tuesday because I don't use the prompts any more. For more Top Ten Tuesday, visit That Artsy Reader Girl here.

01 | Read one too many translated book that was a bit too Americanized — So maybe it's mostly Japanese translated books that I find a bit too Americanized and not other foreign books. Maybe because it never felt like the books were taking place in Japan or even with Japanese people that sort of make me think it's Americanize plus all the American cliches and phrases that were used. Do they make them more Americanized for American audience or for some other reason? I actually don't want to read that many translated book because I find most of them aren't translated well or rather, I read them as not translated well but who knows?

02 | Read one book with gross content — The fact that some people said this is their favorite book baffled me because it was not a book one would say nice things about and yet, these people make it seem like it's a wonderful fantasy book. I don't know if they were reading the same book but mine version had a disgusting scene in it and it would never be a favorite book. Also, this was categorized as children's book which makes no sense because there was a sex scene in there. This book had me avoided reading the author's other works. Actually, now that I think about, I don't read this author's works because they are mostly horror which I've not realized before.    
    This book made me realized my tolerance for disgusting things is just a little too low compared to other people's. How other readers loved this book, I guess, is by ignoring the disgusting bit and the sex scene and focus on the good bits which this book does have but the disgusting scene overrode any good that I had read because I certainly don't remember any of the good parts.

03 | Read a book with a scene with a boy watching two men having oral sex — This definitely started my need for trigger warnings or at least, content warnings. It may have been my fault for reading one review that offered a glorified view of the book and a couple of reviews that said how good that book was but none of them mentioned any kind content that people might need/want to know. But I definitely prefer not to read books with oral sex.

04 | Read more than one book that uses the f word as a verb — If a man says to a woman, 'Okay, let's f*ck,' and then the woman actually sleeps with the man, is this consider romantic? It makes me wonder, why would a woman sleeps with a man who says such things? I find that too vulgar and certainly, it's neither romantic nor something I would think of as a good thing. Being frank is good but isn't this a bit too much? But I guess I'm too much of a prude to accept such talk.

05 | Read far too many books with rape scenes — Why is it the scene is never quick or short as if the writer decided we need excessive details about how a woman is being raped? Reading books with rape scenes makes me keep wondering how could this happened or why did this happened or sometimes, was it necessary to have happened? If a writer wants a woman to have a tough life, why did they use rape when there are many ways that could destroy a person? There are a few books I put off reading knowing there would be a rape scene in it. It's just not something I read and then moved on. The images lingered somehow.

06 | Read one too many books that are first book in a series but I didn't know — Somehow, I seem to always missed where it said that the book was first in a series until after I finished the book and it has no real ending. Why publishers keep pretending that some books that are part of a series can be read as a standalone and advertise it as such, I don't know. They are standalone if you don't care about finding out the end to the plot that the whole book series is supposed to be about. I sort of hate book series and I kind of avoid them but I always, somehow, end up reading a book that is a series. I think it's easier to find books that are part of a series than standalones.
    And novella series? They are even worst. I think of novellas as short stories so to me, making novellas into series is like separating short stories into books. Why do that? Or why is it not a novel? Or why can't you just put them into one volume? Or why are they 20 or 30 books long? Or why do we have to pay full price for them when they are under 150 pages and are clearly not a novel? Do we need to treat novellas like book series in which people anticipate their releases? Why are we so into making every book, novella a series?

07 | Read many YA books that has romances that I hated — Is it mandatory to have a romance in Young Adults books? I wonder. One of the reasons I avoid reading YA books is because they almost always have a romance in it whether it is needed or not. I'm not against young romance but sometimes while reading a YA book I keep thinking, don't make it a romance because it's stupid or so unreasonably unnecessary but they always do, it's like you can't avoid them. Is it necessary to have romance in YA books or are YA books essentially romance books and I just didn't know?

08 | Read too many middle grade books that have semi-romance — I said semi because it's not actually romances but blushing and hand accidentally touching, that sort of thing but they feel like romance moments, cringe-worthy romance moments because these are 11 and 12 years olds. If they are implying that 11 and 12 years olds can have deep, romantic relationships, then I'm out. Yes, they can have crushes but can't they start that after they are older like in a YA book and not in a middle grade book? I read middle grades to avoid romances but somehow they just keep leaking in.
 
09 | Read too many books with footnotes — What's up with footnotes? It's okay if they are teaching kids word meanings but when they contain useless information that offer nothing to the story, then I have to question why they are there. Can't they insert these info into the book or are they footnotes because they are useless? I guess I don't like my reading getting interrupted for useless information or side information that does not make the story better or make the reader more informative. I can ignore footnotes, yes but I guess I keep thinking, these footnotes are there for a reason so I should read them, right?

10 | Read one too many books that uses famous characters or some relation to those characters  — I guess since we are all for the familiar that if we see any name we know, we would immediately be interested in that book. I also am like that. For example, I gravitate toward books related to or about Sherlock Holmes and I read a lot of them and they could be original stories if not for the Holmes bits. I guess the only reason to include such familiar and famous character is to attract readers but I kind of wish writers would stop doing it. I'm not saying I won't read books that uses original characters or some new make-up original characters' children or relative, I just find that I either like the famous character or the new original idea more than the combination of the two. I suppose if I am to choose, I would rather read an original story than one that combines a familiar character with a new idea.
    
Has a book or books changed your idea of reading?