The Anti-TBR Book Tag

You guys should know by now that I love me a good tag, especially when it’s filled with tea spilling. This tag was created a few days ago by Nicole & Her Books and I knew I needed to try it as soon as I saw it.

I’ve never been shy about my unpopular and/or controversial bookish opinions and I’m not about to start now. That said, in trying to keep from repeating answers I’ve given on my blog in the past, this tag isn’t filled with my spiciest takes. Or rather, it isn’t filled with my most passionate takes. But many of them sure are controversial! Brace yourselves.

A popular book everyone loves that you have no interest in reading

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Quite frankly, as soon as people described this book as “like a Nina/Matthias AU,” I was out. That is my least favorite Six of Crows ship. If I barely like the original, why would I read about a knock-off? I’ve also read/watched lots of negative reviews from reviewers I trust that reaffirmed my decision to skip this book/series.

A classic book (or author) you don’t have any interest in reading

Charles Dickens

Technically, I’ve read two and a half Dickens books and I didn’t like any of them. Therefore, I won’t be reading any of his other works. Sorry to Tessa and Will, but I’m different.

An author whose books you have no interest in reading

Holly Black

I actually started The Cruel Prince, but I DNF’d it so quickly it hardly counts. If The Folk of the Air is supposedly her best written series, then Black clearly isn’t the writer for me. ~~I also can never hear her name without remembering the time she argued with me on Twitter like three years ago.~~

A problematic author whose books you have no interest in reading

Robert Galbraith

We all know who this actually is, right? Look, I can’t say I haven’t read anything by JK Rowling because I have. But her Cormoran Strike series has never appealed to me, and it does even less so now. Rowling is transphobic, racist, and anti-Semitic. And I probably missed a few labels. The latest book by “Galbraith” is her most overtly transphobic work yet. Not only does Robert Galbraith get a hard pass, but so does any name Rowling decides to write under.

An author you have read a couple of books from and have decided their books are not for you

Stephen King

I read Apt Pupil and that, along with what I’ve heard about the rampant misogyny and racism in his other books, was enough to convince me King’s books aren’t for me. Not only that, but his writing isn’t anything special. I may watch film adaptations of his books, but I won’t be reading anything else by him. I honestly don’t see what all the fuss is about.

A genre you have no interest in or a genre you tried to get into and couldn’t

Erotica

While I’m starting to get into romance books, I’m not ready to venture into full-fledged erotica. I like some smut in my romance, but I also want fluff and plot. Sex without plot is not my jam because I want to care about the characters.

A book you bought but will never read

Freeks by Amanda Hocking

This was one of those books I bought when I just really wanted to get a new book, and this was the best Walmart had at the time. I believe it’s at the lower end of YA and, what’s more, I don’t find the premise interesting in the least. I think I’m going to try and donate it to the library at the school where my mom works.

A series you have no interest in reading or a series you started and DNF’d

Emperium by Claire Legrand

Honestly, I don’t have any issue with this series. I really enjoyed Furyborn and was entertained enough reading Kingsbane. But then I set Kingsbane aside and just haven’t felt any desire to pick it back up. I think I’ve just lost interest in this series because it’s been so long. I definitely see why fans love it; I just have other series I’d rather prioritize.

A new release you have no interest in reading

Swamp Thing: Twin Branches by Maggie Stiefvater

I straight up didn’t even know Stiefvater had a new book out until I started seeing it appear on book blogs. I know absolutely nothing about it, except that the few reviews I’ve seen tend towards negative. But, above all, Stiefvater is an author I left behind after I finished The Raven Cycle. While I’ll probably reread that series, her conduct on Twitter has put me off reading anything else she comes out with.