Welcome to Tuesday Book Chat.
This is where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week. As we are a faith-based group the questions refer mainly to Christian fiction or non-fiction.
Today’s question is:
Do social media “spoilers” ruin your vibe? (Think excerpts, trope graphics, etc.)
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation by commenting on this post or on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group. Remember to comment today on Tuesday Book Chat to enter the giveaway.
Let’s chat!
Sometimes, I am one who isn’t a fan of the images that mentions tropes and often these images have several listed. I am sure younger people react better to them than me. There have been social media posts with the graphics that have made me decide not to read some books.
Your turn.
I look forward to reading your comments here or at the FB group.
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I don’t mind them. And if I don’t want to know, I have the option to stop reading so I won’t spoil it for myself.
Thats true. thanks for commenting
Hi Jenny, I like to know what I’m reading before I start to minimise the likelihood that I’ll DNF the book. I always read the book description just before I read Chapter 1/Prologue so my head is in the right place for the story.
The wrong expectations will ruin a story for me eg. thinking it’s a romance but it’s really contemporary fiction with romantic elements / romantic subplot. If I spend the story looking for the romance plot and can’t find it, for example, I’m distracted by this and not appreciating the story for what it is.
I like to know the tropes because then I’ll know the type of read to expect. Years ago I DNF’d a beach read contemporary romance when there was a depressing scene at a side character’s funeral— and the main character barely knew the person who’d passed. I’d picked up that book because I’d been to a funeral a few days early, was grieving, and wanted a light and breezy escapist beach read. If I’d known the story included a detailed funeral scene mid-story, I would have chosen a different book and read that book later when I wasn’t sensitive to reading about grief and loss.
All that to say I appreciate the story information shared on the socials and find it helpful when deciding what to read next.
Thanks for commenting. I do want to know a little about the book but I think for me some of those images have too much info where some of the tropes are very minor. I do think they have improved in the past year and as many questions came about a year ago I am seeing things change.
Usually I like them, but if I don’t like the character art that can turn me off. Although one quote turned me off too but in a good way as I realised I was not going to enjoy the story after all. Too spicy for my tastes
Thanks for mentioning the character art. I know remember some of what the question was inspired by. One is the posts where they use real people suggesting this was what they looked like. I prefer not having that sort of image in my mind cos I never see them like that. The same when people mention Mr Darcy like or swoon worthy like Mr Darcy, I know not to bother reading but as I mentioned to Narelle they have changed in the past year.
I’m still on the fence about tropes. Most of the time it puts me off if that is the only description given about a book. I think more in terms of genre and whether the blurb sounds interesting.
I am too and fully agree with you as I know I would have not read some books if I relied on the tropes.