Wallbangers

A response to my post on show vs. tell over at my LiveJournal saying that she once put down a book because it was all tell and no show got me thinking. (Danger, Will Robinson!) We've all had the unfortunate experience of reading a wallbanger or two (i.e. a book that get's you so frustrated you want to throw it at the wall -- or, in some cases, literally do!).

For me, a main character I can't sympathize with will definitely do it. I don't have to like the MC, but I do have to understand and appreciate her/his motivations in order to care enough to spend my precious time with her/his story. Another thing that will kill a book for me is a bad ending. Specifically, what I consider a cop-out -- you know what I'm talking about; the last quarter of the book is written like the author simply ran out of time before deadline? -- or an ending that seems completely out of character for the MCs I've gotten to know and love. An author has hundreds of pages to sell me on the ending (a.k.a. the whole book leading up to it!), so that's what I'm expecting them to do. The third most common thing that will make me put a book down is the quality of the writing, itself. Since I've been writing, I read with a more critical eye. I have higher expectations and when they're not met chapter after chapter, it's time for me to turn to the next book waiting on my ginormous TBR shelf.

This post makes it sound like I toss books away all the time. Not true! I hardly ever stop reading a book before the end. (Incidentally, I also hardly ever stop watching movies before they're finished.) But I have had my fair share of frustrating reads and try to keep my hot button issues in mind when I'm writing.

How about you? What are some of the things that will make you stop reading a book before the end--or make you wish you had?