I've read two not-so-recommendable, yet highly visible books in my favorite genres recently. And it struck me that I should write down two things I don't like about them so that I may endeavor not to emulate those mistakes.

1. Instant, overwhelming, burning attraction.
I know it's considered romantic to have attraction like that. However, it doesn't work for me. I need a first meeting between our hero/heroine that treats eachother like normal people meeting other normal people (or normal person meeting vampire or whatever). Then I need some small details that leads up to a realization of attraction. A crooked smile. Noticing how the hero's throat looks above his t-shirt collar. How he cares intens3ly about his sister/underling/puppy. I want to fall in love/lust, too. Let me experience the journey along with the characters.

2. Unrelenting twists and turns in the action/plot.
So I like fast-paced books. It's okay to have action and problems, it's not okay to have those twists make the reader forget about the problems the hero/heroine had in the first place. And then not to go back and tie up loose ends is really frustrating after I've gone to the trouble of trying to remember each twist! And it goes without saying that it does not good to show how kick ass and practical a heroine is, and then have her go and make stupid decisions for the sake of plot. Or to give her really useful and powerful magic/companion/bombs and then not have her use it until the final pages just for effect while she gets her butt kicked in other scenes.

I was just explaining to a friend why I keep reading these books even when they make me exclaim aloud in frustration. I think its kind of like eating cheetos. I have to have just one, right? And once you have one, you are compelled to have another and another, and then before you know it your lips are died a sickly orange and your stomach feels like a load of mud-covered bricks are filling it.

Yep, those books are kind of like that.