Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is My Unpopular Bookish Opinions.
That’s hard! But I’m up for giving it a try. Maybe these opinions are more popular than I realize, but here goes my attempt:
- The Twilight series is actually better than people think. If you read them when they came out, then you remember how all-consuming and impossible to put down these books were. Sure, we can (and do) poke lots of fun at the more ridiculous plot points… but these books were an amazing read at the time.
- Wuthering Heights will never appeal to me. I can’t see why this book is so beloved… and believe me, I’ve tried!
- Many “classic romantic couples” are dysfunctional as hell. Romeo and Juliet, I’m looking at you… not to mention Heathcliff and Catherine, and many more.
- Zombie fiction has passed its peak. Enough, already.
- Assassins and killers are not compelling protagonists. Books about killers seem to be all the rage, and I’ve actually read a couple of good ones — but no matter how you dress it up, I still can’t get behind having a murderer (no matter how great the cause!) as a lead character we’re supposed to root for.
- Grumpy love interests would just be jerks in real life. Romantic fiction is amazing, and I know people love the grumpy-sunshine trope… but I think so many of these guys would be actually insufferable if you met them in person.
- Fourth Wing is nonsense. Don’t throw rocks at me! I know I’m in the minority on this — but to me, this book is a weird mash-up of a [insert any YA about a special school here] + death + sex + dragons. It doesn’t work.
- Sprayed-edge books aren’t special anymore. I do love when there’s a gorgeous edition of a book I love, and I’ll happily buy one, but it seems like it’s becoming more and more standard for new releases to have the painted edges, no matter what it is (but especially in fantasy/romantasy). It’s starting to feel like too much of a good thing (and/or, just another excuse to raise prices for a new book).
- Reading stats can have a negative effect on reading. I’m guilty of falling into this trap: We set a reading goal to read xx number of books in a year, then plan our reading to make sure we meet that target. I think readers (again, including myself) who focus on the numbers, page counts, etc often end up avoiding longer or more challenging books out of fear of missing their targets.
- Celebrity books clubs are good for readers and the book industry. Don’t scoff! I have a post coming soon about celebrity book clubs in general, but my quick take is that there are some really great books that get attention because they’re book club picks, when they might have totally gone unnoticed otherwise. I think these type of clubs overall do a great service for the reading community.
I’ll just wrap things up with what I think should be a POPULAR opinion: People should read whatever they want! Read what makes you happy! That’s it, that’s all that matters.
What are your unpopular bookish opinions?
If you wrote a TTT post this week, please share your link!
Bookshelf Fantasies 
I agree 100 per cent on Wuthering Heights–how could anyone like Heathcliff after one thing that he did (I’m sure you can guess what I’m referring to), and even otherwise, I couldn’t get on with it. Twilight though didn’t work for me. A friend lent me the first and I very excitedly read it but found it a bit shallow. And about celebrity picks–I’m the kind likely to avoid books picked by them but you are right, there are some good ones among them, and if they’re getting people (especially non readers) to pick up books, then that’s a great thing!
You know, I’ve really blocked out most of Wuthering Heights, so I don’t know the reference! But ugh, no thank you when it comes to Heathcliff. 🙂
Glad you could block it off; one particular scene has never left me though I have forgotten many of the other details. Agreed about Heathcliff–I wonder why so many ‘love’ him!
I almost added Twilight and talked about it. It’s the series that got me back into reading and reading with a vengeance! I read those books so fast and was obsessed. haha. What a time!
Ditto, such an obsession! I read the 1st book while I was away on a trip and didn’t have access to the 2nd until I got home… so I just reread the 1st one, because I couldn’t leave those characters alone!
Yes!! I had to go buy the second book, immediately. I had my (then boyfriend, now husband) take me to the store at like 9pm to get the next one. haha. I was in HS and not driving yet.. gosh.. I feel old now.
I am so with you on Wuthering Heights! Pretty much every character was awful, and I had no clue why Heathcliff is considered this great romantic hero!
It doesn’t make sense! It’s been a really long time for me since I read it, and sometimes I wonder if I’d feel differently about it if I gave it another try… but I just can’t bring myself to do it.
You have some controversial opinions there and I agree with most of them lol. Especially the special editions thing. If every book is a special edition, it’s not the same.
Exactly! The first time or two I came across a special edition of a book I loved, it was so exciting! But now, they’re selling books with sprayed/painted edges right from the start, and that really makes them start feeling like just another book version.
I totally agree with grumpy love interests in real life! Who would put up with them?! 🤷♀️😂
Haha, can you imagine? Too much brooding and judging!
Oh this was a fun list and I am going to see where I agree and don’t (cause my opinions are so important! 😉
Excellent fun. Thanks for the thought provoking post.
x The Captain
Ah, I love your detailed response!! It’s so much fun to see where we agree… and where we’re complete opposites!
I’ve noticed the same thing about reading stats.
I’ve noticed the same thing about reading stats.
I do like to be able to look at what I’ve read in a year… but I know I tend to have to really psych myself up for longer books, and I think the unseen pressure of keeping up with reading stats is a piece of that.
#1, #2, #8 and partially #9 are opinions I can get behind 🙂
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2025/04/15/top-ten-tuesday-books-on-my-tbr-i-avoid-reading-and-why/
It’s so nice to see where we align! And yay for showing Twilight a bit of love ❤
This was a fun read. I gave up on the second book of the Fourth Wing series, and while I agree with you about Wuthering Heights, Gone With the Wind is the beloved book I really love to hate–couldn’t stand Scarlett. I agree with you on all the rest, except the jury is still out on the celebrity book club picks.
Thanks! I loved Gone With the Wind so much when I first read (and reread) it… but I really hated Scarlett with a passion and couldn’t stand seeing what that book did to my beloved characters.
I’m so with you on reading stats being negative for reading. I always set my goal to 100 books every year because it’s always been an easy target for me… until last year and I struggled really hard. It made me realize I hated this number I had in my head that I need to achieve a number. This year I’m reading when I want; I still put a goal of 52, but it’s a very low pressure reading year for me, but I’m enjoying what I’m reading!
I love the idea of putting a lower number and giving yourself less pressure! I’ve gone high for the past couple of years, because I factor in listening to audiobooks in addition to reading print books, and also include at least a handful of children’s books each years. Still, I can see that it might be a healthier approach to put a lower number and just go with the flow!
Thank you! It’s probably the best thing I’ve done for my reading! I may up it since I’m sure I’ll hit 52, but I may not, just because knowing I’ve hit my goal will make me feel even less pressure to need to read. I think that’s fair if you’re reading multiple formats and smaller books, that upping the goal makes sense, as long as it doesn’t give anxiety, like it was giving me last year!
Fun post.
Thank you!
I don’t get the whole Wuthering Heights as a romance, but then again I originally read it for a gothic horror class – and thinking about it that way was a lot more fun. 🙂
That sound like a much better approach! Maybe if I’d gone into Wuthering Heights with the expectation of gothic horror, I might not have had such a strongly negative reaction.
I read Twilight when it first came out and loved it. I think the movie version is where people started to make fun of it, unfortunately. Now after the first book, the story started to go downhill, but that first book was so good😁
The first book really was un-put-downable! (Although I still insist that going to Phoenix was the dumbest move they could have made…) And I kind of love-to-hate the chapters in New Moon where Bella does absolutely nothing.
The way i gasped at the FW comment 😂😂😂 I do agree about Twilight though, i still adore it!
Hahaha, I knew my hot take on Fourth Wing would be sure to offend someone! 🙂 I’ve got to speak my truth… but I know so many people who loved it!
Being old as dirt [JFK was president when I was born] I remember well reading Oprah’s very fist book club pick–it wasn’t even a book club yet. Book Clubs weren’t a thing. She got people to read WAR AND PEACE for goodness sake! I do try to scan the big celeb clubs to see what they are reading. I do hope Oprah and a few others will donate BIG to libraries now that they are being axed from DC and from our statehouses. That would be fabulous.
Wuthering Heights–meh is my verdict. Reading it once was enough.
Vampires are over done, as are women spies in WWII. I’m also sick of the trivializing of the Holocaust in bad novels.
Thanks for visiting my blog this week!
I’m just as old as dirt as you are 🙂 and I remember the early Oprah books too! I love that she make books exciting for people who maybe wouldn’t have read them otherwise.
I’m kind of circling back around to vampires a teeny bit, having just reread Dracula, but absolutely agree about women spies in WWII, and simply won’t read Holocaust novels.
Thanks for stopping by!
Dracula was a way better book than I thought–I did read it. Frankentsein too
Great post, Lisa. Interestingly, my mystery book club just read/discussed My Sister, the Serial Killer. Several people didn’t like it because of the serial killer element. I guess my unpopular opinion is about the Harry Potter books. I don’t like jumping on the bandwagon so I didn’t read them. And I totally agree with you about the reading stats. I can only read so many books and don’t like it to be a competition. I usually stay away from reading challenges for that reason. Hope you are doing well. It’s been a super busy time for me and I’ve missed reading your posts!
I’d heard good things about My Sister, the Serial Killer, but haven’t tried it (mainly because I’m not that excited about reading about killers, no matter how sympathetically portrayed!). Thanks so much for your nice thoughts — life has been really busy here too, and I’m having the hardest time keeping up!
I liked My Sister, the Serial Killer. I’m about to write a review…but it’s dark humor and not everyone in my book club appreciated that. As with you, I am always playing catch up. I can’t seem to get on the blog every day the way I used to. So busy with other things!
I wholeheartedly agree with several of these! I’m not a zombie fiction person at all, I loved Twilight back in the day and respect it for getting so many people into reading, and I’m also not really into the rise in popularity of serial killers as protagonists or love interests. I still love some good assassins though 😁
Nice to know we have so many unpopular opinions in common! 🙂 My book group (which I adore) was originally started by women who met through a Twilight fan group… so I appreciate even more how the series brought people together.
God yes to the toxicity of ‘classic romances.’ I actually went to watch & Juliet a few months ago and had to laugh at the characters basically saying WTH would she kill herself over a boy she met literal days ago?!?
LOL, yes! I loved that show — saw it last fall, and thought so much of it was spot-on.
I agree about Twilight. I literally couldn’t put them down when I first read them. I really want to reread them one day although I am somewhat nervous about doing so.
I’m hoping to like Wuthering Heights & Fourth Wing. I guess I know where to turn if I’m disappointed now though 😅
You probably have a point with the grumpy thing too. Granted I want to try more books with the trope after falling for one last year but in reality.
I definitely agree about stats, it’s all too easy to get caught up in numbers. And I’ll watch out for your celebrity book club post, it sounds interesting. I know the taglines mention them have caught my eye on a few occasions too.
I’m not sure I’d reread Twilight… but then again, I read Midnight Sun when it came out and enjoyed it, and even read the gender-swapped version that S Meyer came out with a few years ago!
I still need to read Midnight Sun so I’ll probably start there and see how I get on. How did you find the gender swapped one? I loved the idea of it in theory but when I looked at the start it looked like very little was swapped. Then I heard things that made it sound like it changed a lot later on. I’ve always been somewhat apprehensive about that one though.
Funny, I barely remember the content of the gender-swapper version, so I had to go look up my review from 2016! I guess not much of the plot changed… although I really don’t remember what happened at the end, so I feel like I need to go borrow it from the library again! 🙂
I’ve had to do that with books in the past too, I can remember my general feelings but remembering specifics is hard. I hope you enjoy it if you end up rereading it. I thought I heard the Volturi was in it which is why I’m guessing some things changed 😂
Wow, I really don’t remember!! I do know that I commented in my review that the book has a definitive ending and does not leave the door open for similar versions of the rest of the books, so I guess it must wrap up the entire series! I suppose I really do need to grab the library book again so I can check out what happens!
I can’t really remember where I saw that information so I could be wrong. I am curious about the end now though. I’ll probably borrow it from the library to try eventually. Although I want to get to Midnight Sun first 😅 I hope you enjoy it if you do end up rereading it
Love your post! I only made it through the first Twilight book (I just couldn’t get into shiny romantic vampires)…and while I did like Wuthering Heights when I first read it years ago, it’s definitely not a healthy relationship kind of book. All of your comments made me laugh. So thanks! 😀
Haha, it seems silly now to think how crazy everyone went for vampires who sparkle! 🙂
I’m a bit sick of assassin books too. Maybe fictional assassins just need bigger personalities. They’re all starting to seem interchangeable.
I agree — with the exception of the “women of a certain age” who are assassins in a book I just read. That one was actually great!
Lol at your #4 because I can’t get enough of zombie fiction. Love it.
I’ve read a bunch I’ve enjoyed… but kind of like vampire fiction, it’s all starting to get a “been there, done that” feel for me. But — I’m open to suggestions! Are there any you particularly recommend?
Ah, I see what you mean there. I guess for me it maybe because I haven’t read that many (your question for recs made me realize that, lol). I’d recommend And Then I Woke Up, if you haven’t yet tried it. It’s a different take on the zombie apocalypse concept that might work for you even though you’re over those books. It’s a novella.
Thanks, I’ll check it out!