Top Ten Tuesday – Things I Wish Books Had More or Less of

Hello my reader friends. Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Today’s topic is Books I Wish Had More/Less [Insert Your Concept Here] In Them. I decided to change it up a little and instead am going to share things I wish books had more or less of in general (therefore not calling out any book or author!).

Things I Wish Books Had More Of

Seasoned Married Couples – I’ve been married for over 20 years, and so I would love to read about more couples like us. Those who have been married for awhile and just go up against typical life hardships, and find their way back to each other, or whatever. It would be encouraging, but also easy to relate to the characters.

Fluffy Heroines – I’m a fluffy girl myself and so I love reading about heroines that are my size, or around my size anyways. We can solve crimes, fall in love, and have fun!

Broke Characters that are actually broke – Okay, hear me out on this. We read about characters who seems to be struggling financially, but then you read about them going out to eat, buying a house, or whatever, you fill in the blank. I’ve gone through financial troubles over the years, and you don’t get to do those types of things. You have to be creative with your time and money. Make groceries stretch. That sort of thing. So I think it’d be nice, once in awhile, when I’m reading about a financially struggling character, to see that they are actually struggling. If that makes sense 😉

Chronic illnesses – This one is near and dear to my heart. My husband has some chronic health issues, and let me say that sometimes it’s really hard on him and on me. I’d love to see this dynamic in a story more often.

Characters don’t immediately get saved in book one of a series – By this I mean they don’t have their salvation moment in book one. Of course this only works in a series, not a stand alone. In real life, people don’t always get saved the first time hearing the gospel. Sometimes it’s weeks, months, or even years. I’d like to see that longevity so to speak when it comes to a faith series with an unsaved character. Just to remind us the importance of planting seeds, and not giving up on people.

Diverse Characters – I want more. And I don’t just mean like all African American characters, or Asian characters or whatever. Biracial couples. Diversity in family (like maybe grandparents raising kids, or aunts raising kids). Bring it on people. It’s 2024!

Things I Wish Books Had Less Of

Smut – I mean this is a given, right? But let me go even further and say less smut in YA books, or books that teens read. I mean, I’m 40-something and I don’t want to read it. I definitely do not think teens or young adults need to be reading it.

Immediate Love – I really get tired of reading romance novels where the couples are essentially saying I love you by chapter two. I mean, it’s just not real life to me. I want to see couples actually fall in love by getting to know each other, not just looking into each other’s eyes. Let’s see the real relationship form, and the attraction build. Let’s have banter, quirks, and more. It doesn’t need to take the entire length of the book, but it doesn’t need to happen in chapter two either.

Different Size Books – I may be going out on a limb here, but like don’t you wish all books were the same size? Height wise anyway? It would make our shelves look so much better lol. But if that’s not an option, which it definetely is not, how about at least making a series all the same height. I mean is it too much to ask?

A Big Gap in Hardcover and Paperback Releases – Can we just release them at the same time? I mean, I prefer paperbacks for everything except YA (don’t ask me why, it’s just the way I am). Some authors are auto buys for me. Take Nicholas Sparks (he’s one of the few secular authors I read). He’s an auto buy for me and has been forever. But dang it, I always end up with a hardcover because that’s what is released first and I don’t want to wait. It’s so annoying. I don’t want two copies of the book, nor do I want to spend money twice on the same book. So please, just release them all at once. Thanks.

So what about you? What would you like to see more or less of in the book world?