Dear Diary: Confessions From A Blogger (10) Vanilla Reads


We all know what goes on behind the scenes at our own blogs but rarely do we lift the curtain and share those experiences with others. Dear Diary: Confessions From A Blogger stems from the curiosity. This week I want to talk about Vanilla Reads.


Here is my Confession:

On my last Dear Diary I talked about 3 Star Reviews. Since then I've had plenty more to add to the list. Now I know I am not going to love every book. As a blogger and avid reader I know and accept that. However the staggering amount of 3 Star reads this year has definitely caught my attention. What is the cause? Is it the books? The Authors? Then it hit me, they were all Vanilla.

I've noticed with many of the 2013 releases the trend is Authors trying to appeal to the masses instead of creating content to appeal to the few, the loyal. Yes authors want to be liked, they want the book to be popular and I get that. However, trying to please everyone has made these books common, lifeless, boring even. Where's the excitement? The narrative that has me glued to my seat refusing to go to bed until I read just one more page?  I want to see characters who strive to be more than just damsels in distress or macho jerks who girls fawn over. I want depth, flavor no... I want Rocky Road, Chunky Monkey, Characters who stick around invading my thoughts long after the book ends. Is that too much to ask for?

Much to my growing frustration even series I've loved initially have fallen into this Vanilla trap and you know what it sucks! Case in point most recently The Eternity Cure. I won't get into why cause I tend to rant ( you can read my review here)  but whether it was Julie Kagawa's or an editorial decision to Vanilla down the sequel it doesn't matter, I expected more and was left bitterly disappointed. 


Sadly the vanilla trend isn't limited to the books themselves, I've also noticed covers getting the same treatment. Gone are the covers with depth, uniqueness. Instead almost every new cover or redo I've seen has fallen into the same pattern: 
The Girl With The Pretty Face

The Girl In The Pretty Mask
The Girl In The Pretty Dress
or my personal favorite (note the sarcasm) 
Girl And Guy With Head Touching
Sadly, I don't see these patterns changing anytime soon. Doesn't mean I have to like them though.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I hope this Vanilla reads trend ends soon. It's awful seeing characters with so much potential pigeon holed into roles that sell vs. roles that inspire. Being disappointed time and time again is not fun. Being a blogger reading book after book and having them turn out to be the same thing rehashed over and over is doubly disappointing considering the sheer amount of books that I read. I don't want to become a picky jaded reader but I've needed to just to keep myself from getting burnt out on the boring.


Now that you've read my confession, Tell me some of yours:

What do you think of  Vanilla Reads? 
Do you see them as negative, positive or a mixture of both?
What's the last book you've read that's been a Vanilla Read?

Leave your responses in the comments below, I love reading them. Have a question? Leave that as well and I'll try and answer it.
_________________________________________
That about wraps up this weeks confessions from a blogger.  Thanks for stopping by and reading,sharing, or commenting on this post. As always, it is appreciated.

Comments

  1. I hate the vanilla trend too, and don't see it going away anytime soon :(
    As a matter of fact, I'm currently reading one. I thought I'm "getting matcha" (<my fave ice cream flavor), but no it's vanilla. The cover is pretty though.

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  2. I agree with you strongly. There are a couple of genres that are very guilty of this. There have been cases recently where I pulled out of a blog tour because I could not promote the book without having a guilty conscience. And there was one I read to help out another blogger and ended up putting together a promo post instead of a review because my honest review would give the book just 2 out of 5 stars. I have recently taken a short break to reassess and one thing I am going to do differently is ask for an excerpt before agreeing to do a review. Sorry for the long comment, but I have definitely had the same experience. It's disappointing and has made me much more picky about books I agree to review.

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    Replies
    1. Don't worry about it, I love comments! I understand the frustration and hope that authors realize that readers want books that set themselves apart from the masses not ones that blend with everything else in the market.

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  3. When I first starting blogging, I was was leary to give a negative review. I had a tour a while back and after DNF the book, I asked to do a promo post instead. I don't have a problem giving my feedback on a book, good and or other wise any more. Now everyone is going to like the same books. As for cover, I really don't mind the covers being a little similar, just don't change them once the series has already been out. I like my covers to match. Silly I know, just a pet peeve of mine. Great post.

    Jenea @ Books Live Forever

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  4. Haha. I think I've ignored every girl in the pretty mask book that I've seen. I just assume they are all the same book or the same series. It's a weird trend unless masquerade balls are the new vampire?

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    Replies
    1. Oh gosh, I hope not that would get boring real quick.

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