Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl
Hi everybody and welcome to a new Top Ten Tuesday! Today we talk about our unpopular bookish opinions.
Now, the kind of opinions that are considered unpopular probably depend on what type of people you’re comparing opinions with. But for the sake of this post, I’m just gonna go ahead and assume that most of my bookish opinions are also quite popular with my fellow book bloggers (such as “your’re a reader no matter how many books you read”, “audiobooks count as reading too”, “diversity in books is so important” and “nobody should be made to feel less than for liking a certain book or series”) and I’m only gonna talk about some that may be a little less popular… (please be kind 
)
- Sometimes, the movie or TV show can be better than the book. For example, I loved the movie for “Love, Rosie” but thought the book dragged on way too long.
- Similarly, it can be okay to just watch the movie or tv show without ever intending to read the book. For example, I loved the movie “The Idea of You” but I’m not currently interested in picking up the book. For all I know, the book might be even better, but I feel like now I experienced the story and I have no desire to go pick it up.
- I’m not really into bookish merch. I love the creativity that goes into it, but to me it feels like just buying a lot of stuff that’s not really useful. Like, I can use 2-3 coffee mugs, but I don’t really need 10 coffee mugs just because they look pretty and remind me of a favorite book.
- Continuing from this opinion, I also don’t have an interest in bookish subscription books anymore. I get that it’s something fun to look forward to and a surprise gift to yourself, but on the other hand it’s a lot of merch that goes into a closet somewhere to take up space (for me at least) and maybe the monthly book isn’t always my cup of tea so then it feels like a waste of money.
- I’m also not into readathons. I want to read at my own pace and I don’t like feeling pressured to read (not even if I’m the one pressuring myself)
- I can’t stand when people pick on romance books. Or romantasy books for that matter. If it’s not your type of read, that’s completely fine. But if you’re gonna be all high and mighty and tell me those are not ‘real’ books (this has happened to me before) I’m getting quite annoyed. Please stop bashing on people who like these kind of books – it doesn’t make you look as cool as you think it does. Just let people enjoy their reads, please.
- I don’t like books that prioritize smut over romance. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind some smut. But the key word here is ‘some’. A scene or two to three in a book is great, but not when there are more smut scenes than scenes progressing the plot. Also, I prefer there to be a buildup to the romance. Lust at first sight is not my thing.
- I have no interest in reading ‘the classics’ anymore. As a matter of fact, I think most classics are outdated and show a limited perspective and school curricula definitely need an update with more modern and diverse books.
- Some series are just too long and could be condensed a lot. In fact, I’ve grown more and more fond of standalones lately.
- Book blogging is a hobby, so there shouldn’t be any pressure. I once proudly explained I was a book blogger at a job interview and I was basically told I don’t have enough followers for the amount of time I’ve been blogging. So what? Even if it was for a marketing function, I blog for me, not as a way to show off my marketing skills. It’s my hobby and I don’t want to spend time I could be reading or talking about books with this lovely community on growing my number of followers and working on my social media and optimising my search terms and all that. That’s what my day job is for, not (all of) my free time too.
Tell Me:
Do we have any unpopular bookish opinions in common?
I spy some things on your list I should have added to mine! I’m not into romance books that add “smut” just because (sometimes I feel like it’s added just because they assume a romance isn’t a romance without it). I talked about movies to (and agree, they can be just as good) and should have added book merch to my list. It’s never been something I wanted to collect either.
Glad we have some in common, Rissi! Yes, books and movies are two different media and some stories just fit better for one than the other.
A great list! I agree with what you say. I can’t believe that you were told that you didn’t have enough followers! I’m a stay at home mum and have been for a few years. I was thinking of mentioning it at any job interview that I go for in a few years time but maybe I won’t
Have a great week!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2025/04/15/top-ten-tuesday-my-unpopular-bookish-opinions/
Thanks! I’d definitely still mention it in any job interviews – even if you don’t have millions of followers, just the act of maintaining a book blog shows dedication, discipline and a willingness to learn and if people look down on what you’ve achieved I think it says more about them and their company than you
Well that’s what I thought. I will have been out of the workplace since 2018 (although my maternity leave officially stopped in June 2019) so it would be nice to have something to say other than being a mum
I really need someone to drill in my head that blogging is a hobby and that I don’t need to feel pressured!
My TTT: https://romantasylife.com/my-unpopular-bookish-opinions/
Haha, I get it, even if it’s my opinion that it’s my hobby first and foremost, I still often have to fight the voice in my head that says I should do more…
Bookish merch is too common these days and dare I say overdone? Totally agree with that one. https://readwithstefani.com/my-unpopular-bookish-opinions/
Glad to hear I’m not the only one who’s not into bookish merch! I think it’s pretty and I love the creativity people put behind it… but there’s just too much out there.
I’ve just recently started a book subscription box, and while I’m having fun seeing what I get each month at the moment, I can definitely see the novelty wearing off in the future, and deciding to either cancel altogether or at least switch to the book-only version…
There indeed are many fun things about book subscription boxes, so I hope you’ll continue to enjoy it for a long time – and it’s good that there is a book-only version if you would prefer!
The length of series is one of the reasons I’ve struggled to get into fantasy as a genre. I don’t think I have the energy to commit to 10/15 books!
I do love fantasy, but the thought of more than 3-4 books in a series feels daunting nowadays!
That was not a nice thing for your interviewer to say. I’m sorry that happened to you.
I think I have like 1 bookish mug, and that’s all I need. My cabinet doesn’t have space for more than that.
It wasn’t, but it helped me realize that job probably wasn’t for me anyway
My feelings about too many bookish mugs probably also have something to do with my limited cabinet space
Me having probably more than 20 mugs… but they’re not all bookish! hahaha
Haha that is an amazing collection then
Me sitting here with a bookish mug on the shelf behind me, full of bookmarks. LOL! I also have a hoodie, and a couple of hats. None are connected to a specific book, just reading in general. But that’s me, and what I like.
I actually have my blog on my resume and LinkedIn profile. Not to brag about things, but I do it to showcase skills I have learned that could translate over to different jobs.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/books-that-dont-deserve-the-hype-my-unpopular-opinon/
Haha that’s great, I definitely love bookish merch, I just can’t purchase it myself. I think it’s a great idea to have your blog on LinkedIn and your resume as I do agree that book blogging showcases valuable skills – I just don’t personally feel like it’s the most important reason to book blog (and that one interviewer seemed to think it was)
A lot of things I agree with! I can’t really do classics anymore. I don’t even want to waste the time. I can’t read a romance that is just pure smut either! YES! Book blogging is a hobby and so are writing reviews!!
Thanks! Indeed, I’d just be forcing myself to read most of the so-called classics, and there’s just not enough time to read books we have to force ourselves to read.
Exactly!! They can stay in the classics section. haha
We have two in common Lindsey! Long series and smut!
Glad to know I’m not alone in those opinions!
Oh I love that last one because I’ve been feeling a little low lately about not being able to blog as much as I used to. I don’t consider myself a book blogger because I definitely don’t have enough followers or hits on my site, but it’s important for me to have a place I can talk about books and connect with other people who love books. Thanks for making me feel so much better about it!
Haze
https://thebookhaze.com/
You’re definitely not alone in feeling like that, but I’d say if you have a blog where you talk about books, you’re definitely a book blogger, no matter your number of followers or hits
And I love your blog!
Great list! I mostly read fantasy so the movies or shows are never as good to me, but movie adaptations of classics are sometimes better than the books, especially the more boring ones
If you’d like to visit, here’s my TTT: https://thebooklorefairyreads.wordpress.com/2025/04/15/top-ten-tuesday-unpopular-bookish-opinions/
Yes, fantasy can indeed be trickier to adapt than something more contemporary or historical and so true about the classics!
I’ve seen a few Netflix series that were way better than the books, so I agree with you there!
So true about some Netflix series being better than the books!
I agree with a lot of these. My husband is not a reader but will sometimes want to watch a movie that’s based on a book (whether he realizes it or not), and I don’t necessarily want to actually read the book. Subscriptions can be cute, but I’d rather pick my book myself. And I enjoy classics, but I definitely don’t read as many as I used to.
I feel the same when I’m watching a movie (based on a book) with my husband! And yes, subscriptions are so cute and when I see a post on social media unboxing them I always love it, but I do also prefer to pick my own book.