Most Common Reading Mistakes

[shereads]

1. Reading the preface as a courtesy to the author. Those are wasted minutes you can never get back.

2. Compulsively reading the footnotes. A good rule of thumb is no more than three footnotes per 600 pages; the second two, only if the first one made you gasp.

 

[shereads]

Most destructive reading mistake made by children:

Reading any book with cover art of an adorable animal, if anywhere on the bookjacket are the words, "the classic coming-of-age story."

Translation: Some lonely backwoods kid will finally have a best friend when he rescues and raises a dog/pony/orphaned baby deer. Years later, the boy's father will brutally kill his son's pet for a good reason. When the kid stops bawling like a baby and thanks his dad for the tasty venison, he will have come of age.

 

[JamesSD]

Most destructive reading mistake made by children:

Reading any book with cover art of an adorable animal, if anywhere on the bookjacket are the words, "the classic coming-of-age story."

Translation: Some lonely backwoods kid will finally have a best friend when he rescues and raises a dog/pony/orphaned baby deer. Years later, the boy's father will brutally kill his son's pet for a good reason. When the kid stops bawling like a baby and thanks his dad for the tasty venison, he will have come of age.

This made me laugh in that whole dark humor sort of way.

 

[Guest]

Most destructive reading mistake made by children:

Reading any book with cover art of an adorable animal, if anywhere on the bookjacket are the words, "the classic coming-of-age story."

Translation: Some lonely backwoods kid will finally have a best friend when he rescues and raises a dog/pony/orphaned baby deer. Years later, the boy's father will brutally kill his son's pet for a good reason. When the kid stops bawling like a baby and thanks his dad for the tasty venison, he will have come of age.

A grinning BUMP!

 

[oggbashan]

Thinking that your friends will enjoy the book you found fascinating.

Og

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Buying a romance novel based on the cover art.

That book with the cover showing an Aztec princess in full orgasm clawing George Clooney's pirate shirt off is actually about a woman who starts her own catering business and marries her accountant.

 

[Hooper_X]

Reading anything that appears in the Amazon.com top sellers list's top 10

 

[Kassiana]

Believing that jacket copy is related to between-the-covers content. Note: covers books and human beings equally well.