It is a truth universally acknowledged, that whenever a subject is broached on Twitter, there is someone looking to get canceled for their terrible take. Frankly, it’s what the site is for now. If you’re a big reader, chances are you’ve formed an opinion about books that not all of your friends agree with. That is if you have any friends left. I don’t. I lost them all while posting my cancellable opinion on Ben & Jerry’s (there’s too much going on in those pints to enjoy the flavor! Tone it down, I say.)
This entire website is devoted to unpopular opinions on classic literature. We’ve roasted everyone from Danielle Steel to Shakespeare. Honestly, I thought no bad take on reading could shock me, but I found myself once again talking to my laptop screen, playing armchair psychologist to people with anime characters in their profile pics. Good Lord, I need a hobby.
Thankfully, my opinions aren’t nearly as cancellable as the ones below. Let’s take a look.
It all started here with @cursedhive asking people to share their “bad” book takes:
It turns out people have hills they’d like to die on when it comes to literature. From covers to opening lines to subjects readers just can’t tolerate, everyone has a take they know others will hate to hear.
Here are the most controversial takes about books according to Twitter:
1. Number one with a bullet. Not all books are alike in dignity.
2. Romance authors, do better!
3. Hear me out: what if some people are well-adjusted?
https://twitter.com/ceejreads/status/1512025222211420161?s=20&t=LVbSwzlym5skL-yAmCWGIA
4. Damn. They said it all.
https://twitter.com/jjartspace/status/1512000007146250241?s=20&t=LVbSwzlym5skL-yAmCWGIA
5. Yes. It would be nice to take a breather.
https://twitter.com/pipelewaoluwa/status/1512038270699515904?s=20&t=LVbSwzlym5skL-yAmCWGIA
6. Strong disagree here, but I’ve heard this one before:
i HATE it when books reference pop culture, i absolutely die when i see things like “Netflix” or “Spotify” or a celebrity’s name or something. biggest pet peeve ever. https://t.co/N8zuAUYpIV
— ❀ (@sunsushi01) April 7, 2022
7. On a positive note…
i fear percy jackson maybe the best written children’s/youn adult fanatsy franchise
(i also think one of the best franchises ever but that’s a take for a diff day)
— sam 🤍 (@thesammg) April 6, 2022
8. Stop being a baby and read that book, dorks!
if you think an author needs to make it super-duper clear that they don’t ~endorse the bad actions/opinions of the MC, you’re not mature enough to be reading more challenging pieces. that’s a YOU problem, not the author’s. https://t.co/cLL3mUf8Zn
— vena cava || find me on 🦋 (@bleed_peroxide) April 7, 2022
9. We need to redo The Goldfinch!
https://twitter.com/fandomtingz_/status/1511815770279489540?s=20&t=X9f75C8vTBkZ3sK_JbxCgQ
10. On the other hand, though…
https://twitter.com/joexhunt/status/1511919170811617282?s=20&t=pfmE1X9kU5DWOfI9W7P37g
11. The fact is: the blurbs don’t do enough because the blurb-ers didn’t read the books.
EYE think we should bring back putting synopsis in the back of books instead of blurbs from reviewers https://t.co/Iw4k9tVHih
— adeline ⁷ | the buccs era (@filmsvalmont) April 6, 2022
12. Judge not lest ye be judged.
covers ARE meant to be judged so no i'm not reading the book with a shirtless man on the cover https://t.co/l61BqdyDkg
— bia 🏹 kenji's gf (real!) (@kkishiimoto) April 6, 2022
13. Make your own reality.
i will purposely ignore physical character traits, “they were blonde” no they weren’t actually https://t.co/UpZQaj1FfK
— courtney (@queersuga) April 6, 2022
14. Mark it up!
https://twitter.com/MadMarx37/status/1511969452333617152?s=20&t=X9f75C8vTBkZ3sK_JbxCgQ
15. This seems extremely specific, but if you’re on the hunt for success in this field… apparently people agree with this hot take.
if people are looking to adapt fanfiction for book deals and movies they need to be look on ao3 not wattpad https://t.co/59DCcFlOdR
— zoe 🫣 (@zoesnewusername) April 6, 2022
16. Wait… literally?
https://twitter.com/cronindoykos/status/1511811826186653706?s=20&t=X9f75C8vTBkZ3sK_JbxCgQ
17. This made me laugh.
https://twitter.com/vulpes___vulpes/status/1512433172172005377?s=20&t=X9f75C8vTBkZ3sK_JbxCgQ
18. A hot take shared by all now, I guess.
https://twitter.com/lil__coconut/status/1511848559037009921?s=20&t=X9f75C8vTBkZ3sK_JbxCgQ
19. Get out of here, “now a motion picture” covers!
If the book has real people on the cover im not reading it https://t.co/blqPlJbKC1
— AALIYAH (@ZAUNAALI) April 8, 2022
20. Truth.
Couples in romance books can have a happy ending without getting married or having children https://t.co/zrZwcEBZVD
— miss.b 🍪 (@showsandstories) April 6, 2022
21. Plots matter.
some writers need to focus more on actually developing a well thought out plot with characters that drive it instead of trying to add every trope you can think of and throwing in representation to just check off a list https://t.co/uOYJhZYC4z
— sofiya (@ghafaera) April 6, 2022
22. Mine isn’t.
Why’s every book a #1 New York Times bestseller? https://t.co/n6Ph0hY36X
— The Feds (@TheNon_Nun) April 7, 2022
23. The ultimate take.
https://twitter.com/herochao/status/1511788151517462529?s=20&t=X9f75C8vTBkZ3sK_JbxCgQ
24. Now we’re getting somewhere.
https://twitter.com/nodudu_/status/1512048471561363467?s=20&t=X9f75C8vTBkZ3sK_JbxCgQ
25. Stop boring me, book I chose to read!
i don’t understand why some ppl read high fantasy only to complain about the worldbuilding, intense plot, and lengthy lore. those are literally staples of the genre😀‼️ https://t.co/NRbwkBX0Th
— hayley ⚢ (@pagesofhayley) April 6, 2022
26. Hard pass.
https://twitter.com/helnikswaffles/status/1511791040025477128?s=20&t=X9f75C8vTBkZ3sK_JbxCgQ
27. Hell yeah.
https://twitter.com/snailsuke/status/1511822086632841216?s=20&t=X9f75C8vTBkZ3sK_JbxCgQ
28. RIP, my generation.
https://twitter.com/reidsite/status/1511887452973240321?s=20&t=X9f75C8vTBkZ3sK_JbxCgQ
29. Give the people what they want!
There needs to be more in-book art in adult fantasy books. I want illustrations of the scenes goddammit https://t.co/hQSMcVNj2s
— Aparna Verma (updates only) (@Spirited_Gal) April 6, 2022
30. Oh yeah? Well, guess what.
https://twitter.com/akaneliswaa/status/1511952411782434819?s=20&t=X9f75C8vTBkZ3sK_JbxCgQ
31. A nuanced opinion? Sir, this is Twitter.
Older books can be dated and 'problematic' by modern standards and still have value, both as pieces of literature and in the importance they hold for individual readers. It's fine to warn people about the content of older books but thinking no one should read them at all is dumb. https://t.co/MyIhJ0zAdr
— Lucy Westenra's Harem (@ahabthepredator) April 7, 2022
There you have it. Every person has a different idea of what books should and should not be.
What’s your cancellable opinion about books?
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