Top Ten Tuesday used to be a weekly post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, but was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl. “It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.” This is definitely something I can understand and want to participate in.
Hi all and welcome back to Top Ten Tuesday. The weather is officially nice outside, and people aren’t all bundled up. I especially like this time of year when fresh cut grass can be smelled through a window.
Passover began on Saturday night, and since Mom has been in the hospital, the whole family had to scramble for Passover plans. The hospital gave her food that was kosher for passover, electric candles, and even grape juice. I think she had the easiest time. One of my brothers only lives about a mile away, and he and his girlfriend hosted a Seder. It was wonderful, enjoyable night, and we all had a great time. Then on Sunday he picked me up so we could visit my mom. We spent all afternoon with her, and she was finally discharged from the hospital on Monday, so now we have to get re-adjusted to our typical merged routines.
This week’s prompt is my unpopular bookish opinions, but I want to put my own spin on the topic. I want to share bookish opinions that I wish were more popular, in keeping with my plan for keeping my focus towards the positive side. Here’s some that I came up with:
- All reading is reading. I don’t care if it’s a comic book, a children’s book, an audiobook, or the back of a cereal box. It’s reading.
- Discrimination and hate speech doesn’t belong in the publishing industry, no matter which group it’s directed towards. Authors, publishers, agents, and anyone else involved in the publication of a book should be treated equally across the board.
- Harmful representation is not better than no representation. I would rather see no representation or diversity in a book over getting bad representation. I was raised as the daughter of a refugee, and we were all taught to show respect to everyone no matter what. There’s a fine line to walk when you’re including representation of a marginalized group, and harmful or inaccurate representation can amplify stereotypes or tropes that have been used to justify harm to that group.
- Reviews are for readers. Authors shouldn’t be reading reviews, and should not be commenting on them. I’ve never seen a case where an author left a comment about the content of a review where it didn’t blow up in the author’s face and put them on a ‘NEVER READING THIS’ list.
- It is okay to write negative reviews. I’ve never not read a book because of a bad review or two. Sometimes a bad review will make me want to pick up a book even more! Have you ever trolled the instagram account @goodreads.reviews? If not, they are hilarious and I highly recommend it.
- It’s also okay to stop reading a book you aren’t enjoying. This is one that I had to work on to drop the old ‘you have to finish everything even when you hate it’ mindset. If I’m not enjoying the book, it’s either the book or me that is the problem, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is bad.
- Sniffing books is acceptable. I love the smell of a book, and there’s nothing quite like the feeling of opening a book and giving it a good sniff. At least it isn’t drugs, right?
- You don’t need any kind of qualifications to be a book blogger, so let’s not take ourselves too seriously. Reading and enjoying a book is 100% a subjective experience. The type of thing that makes a book a 5 star read for me, could be the same thing that makes it a 1 star read for someone else. So maybe we could all just agree to disagree on our *literal opinions* and save our energy for the big battles we all face in our lives?
- All genres are equally valid. Some people love reading romance and smut. Others hate seeing romance in books. Still more people like nonfiction, while more like classic literature. I’m here to tell you that you’re a reader no matter what you enjoy.
- Bring back the Pizza Hut reading rewards program! IYKYK 🤣 In the 80s and 90s, they used to bribe us to read books by rewarding us for reading a certain number of books, and that reward was free Pizza Hut. We should all be treated to free Pizza Hut for reading books, seriously. But I included this to remind us all (including myself) not to take myself so seriously, and to remember that I originally started reading because it is fun, and I should stay attentive to keep it that way.
What are some bookish opinions that you think should be more popular?
Categories: Top Ten Tuesday
Leah's Books 
Writing a negative review can be done in a nice way, and I agree; we all should be able to write one if we didn’t care for the book. This doesn’t mean that hundreds of other readers won’t love it, just means it didn’t work for us. I also agree that not finishing a book is all good too! Something I think I’ve improved on but still need to teach myself to “accept” more often. 🙂
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It has really been a journey for me, learning to be okay with DNFing a book, as well as writing a negative review that reflects my subjective experience, while still being able to talk about positives in the book.
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Once I posed a question/issue I had with a book and the author answered. I really appreciated his input and it changed the way I felt about the issue. His comment made me worried that authors were always reading my comments. So even if I write a negative review I try to temper my comments.
I’m off the board again this week. More on poetry: https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/2025/04/ttt-excerpts-from-new-to-me-poems-i-like.html
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I always try my best to write a fair, balanced review, especially knowing that sometimes authors step into reader spaces. We can dislike a book without being mean.
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A great list. I put a spin on mine because I want mine to be positive too 😊
That was very nice of the hospital to do that for your mum. Im glad to hear that she was discharged ☺️
Have a great week!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
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Yes, it was so sweet of the hospital to do that. I love a good positive spin whenever I can include it. Enjoy your week!
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It shows that there is still heart.
Definitely. I can’t be doing with all that negativity 😂
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You too 😊
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OMG I forgot about the pizza hut reading rewards program!!!
My TTT: https://romantasylife.com/my-unpopular-bookish-opinions/
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My friend from elementary school recently mentioned it to me, and it totally jarred a memory loose. The Scholastic Book Fair was always so exciting, too.
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It’s taken me a while to realize DNF is okay and now DNF a lot and it’s liberating. Happy reading! My TTT https://readwithstefani.com/my-unpopular-bookish-opinions/
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It is such a liberating feeling, especially when a book and I just aren’t clicking.
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I love all of these, especially #10.
Glad to hear your mom is out of the hospital.
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Thank you! I think this might be one of the favorite top ten lists that I’ve posted. And it is so good to have mom home, I’m going to make a nice holiday meal for her to make up for her having to miss the first two nights of holiday. I hope you have a fantastic weekend!
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Great post!
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2025/04/15/top-ten-tuesday-books-on-my-tbr-i-avoid-reading-and-why/
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Thank you!
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I’m glad your mom was able to partake in the meal, albeit from the hospital, over the weekend. I’m also glad she’s back home now. As to your opinions, I totally agree with all of them. I don’t like it when people poo all over others opinions about what is reading, and what genre is the best. If a book makes you happy, and entertains you, then let it! Don’t worry about what others think! I’ve never had an author comment on a review, other than to say thank you for reading their book.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/books-that-dont-deserve-the-hype-my-unpopular-opinon/
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We were so glad that the hospital offered something special, and they even gave her kosher for passover meals! But there’s nothing quite like being in your own bed at home to recover. I’m more of a live and let live type when it comes to books, or maybe a read and let read? It allows us to each have our own subjective and unique experience while reading a book – even opening us to having a different experience when rereading!
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This is a great list. I have gotten more comfortable with not finishing books I’m not enjoying. I even pulled out of a book tour recently. I only have so much time to spend on reading, I don’t want to waste it reading something that isn’t making me happy. I remember the Pizza Hut reading programs. We should also have more Schoolastic adult book sales.
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Thank you! More Scholastic book sales for grown ups and the Pizza Hut bribery for reading would absolutely be living our best life. And it makes me happy to know that you don’t feel like you have to finish a book that you’re not enjoying. We all have some seriously outsized TBRs compared to the amount of time we can spend reading.
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Yes! Yes to #1. And well, many others on your list as well. I am also happy to see #5 and fully agree, I see so much dislike for people who write negative reviews it is crazy. Very much YAS to #7, my hubby always looks weirdly at me when he sees me inhale a book, haha.
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Haha, I’m so glad that I’ve found my people. There’s definitely a good way and a not so good way to write a negative review, but as long as I stick with my own perception of the book, I haven’t had an issue yet (luckily)! And now you have proof that it isn’t weird to sniff your books.
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I agree with all of this. Here is my post Top Ten Tuesday-Unpopular Bookish Opinions – Paiges of Novels
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Thank you! So many people are saying the same thing!
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I love the spin you’ve put on this prompt! I agree wholeheartedly with all your opinions (well, I wasn’t born until 1998 and I haven’t heard of the Pizza Hut program, so I guess almost all). As someone who loves reading middle-grade books, manga, and graphic novels, I definitely agree that all reading is reading 🙂 I hope your mom is doing better now!
If you’d like to visit, here’s my TTT: https://thebooklorefairyreads.wordpress.com/2025/04/15/top-ten-tuesday-unpopular-bookish-opinions/
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Thank you! Mom is home and doing so much better now. And your generation got cheated without the Pizza Hut program. But honestly – what’s not to like? Pizza and books!
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Whaaaaat, you could get free pizza for reading books?! Back in the 90s when basically all I did was read books?!?!? Pizza Hut should most definitely bring this back.
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Yes! I guess it was the upside to the fact that we were the ‘latchkey kid’ era and having commercials to remind your parents of the time and to make sure they knew where their kids were. How far do you think we can get on a change.com petition?
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Haha, it’s definitely worth a try!
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Yes to all of these! I would love it if there was an adult Pizza Hut reading program! 😀
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I really love how excited everyone got about the idea of an adult Pizza Hut reading program! But seriously, it was such a fun program, and a great way to get kids interested in books. I remember the Scholastic book fairs and just gazing longingly at all the books my mom wouldn’t let me get. But it did teach me to appreciate my public library system.
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I love this list, Leah. I agree with all of these, but I don’t smell books, that’s just me. As a retired teacher librarian, I can’t agree with #1 strongly enough! Teachers that would get upset when a kid in grade 8 was reading a comic book or even a picture book during silent reading time used to drive me crazy. I have friends that say I’m not reading because I’m listening to a book. Oh well, that’s their loss because there are so many great audiobooks. I think my only other one would be, We don’t all read the same book, so if my opinion is different than yours, that’s okay.
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Thanks, Carla. I knew some people would identify with the book sniffing, but I had to risk it. If I see a kid reading, it doesn’t really matter what format they read in, I’m just thrilled to see them reading at all. And I fully agree about having different opinions. How boring it would be if we all had the same opinions!
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My class in elementary school got a pizza party because we read a bunch of books. It would be amazing if that happened for adults.
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Right? Elementary school sounds like such a wonderful time and we didn’t even realize it until we’re grown up. I say lets institute reading, napping, and pizza parties as valid rewards for reading.
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Definitely on team reviews are for readers! Thank you for articulating this so well. I understand that people not liking an authors work is going to hurt but getting into online an online stoush with a reader is not going to make it feel any better.
And yes to the validity of all genres! Read what you love, it makes everyone happier.
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Well thank you! I love your enthusiastic support of a couple of these. I have never once not read a book because of a bad review, but you better believe that an author getting into it with a reviewer gets them put on my no-read list fast. It just makes me happy to see so many people reading and loving it. When I was younger, reading was not cool and something you didn’t really share about outside of classes. I’m thrilled that things have changed.
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Thank you! I remember an author completely tanking their debut by telling a reader (with an MFA) that they clearly read the book wrong for giving it a low rating with all the reasoning. No one was touching anything by her after that.
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Sniffing books is acceptable 😂😂. I mean, I agree, it just made me laugh. I absolutely do not take myself seriously, and am 100% aware that people will have different opinions than me, being awful to someone about it is just the lamest of lame.
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It really is. My mom always said ‘a smile doesn’t cost you anything’ to me when I was young, and she’s right. I try to enter every interaction with a positive attitude, and things work so much better that way. You know I love to get silly, and your ability to do the same is one of the reasons I love doing a buddy read with you. If reading wasn’t fun, we wouldn’t do it. So hopefully more people learn to not take themselves seriously, and be able to just have fun. Also, my oldest friend told me that sniffing books is weird.
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Completely agree with you… not with your friend though, sniffing books is not only fine, it’s recommended 😂
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See? I knew I wasn’t a weirdo for it.
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