How Perfect Does A Book Have to Be?

I'm immersed in a story that I'm trying to finish in the next couple of days, so I hope you will forgive me for not posting a new Friday Fave. Instead, I'm giving you a post that I initially posted on the Romance Writer's Revenge a few months ago. Enjoy!

Some readers are such sticklers for accuracy they will stop reading, or even throw a book against the wall, if information isn't presented properly. 

And when I say, "throw a book against the wall", I am of course talking about print books. I'm not sure how one expresses disgust with an e-book. I would guess the book would be deleted, but how is the vehemence expressed? Holding the delete key longer than necessary? Scowling while doing so? Making a pretend throwing movement and THEN hitting the delete key?

Reading is obviously a subjective activity, which is why I frequently love a book that everyone else ignores, and why I'm puzzled when everyone loves something I find less interesting than the owners' manual of my curling iron.

So I'm intrigued by what will make a reader respond a certain way when it comes to inaccuracies.

For instance, I read a book that said the heroine used finely-ground coffee in her French press coffee maker. This is wrong. Majorly wrong. I know because I make French press coffee almost daily, and have done so for years. If you use finely-ground coffee, it's going to be tough—nearly impossible—to press the plunger down. 

And how do I know this? Because once I was forced to use the only coffee I had on hand—finely-ground coffee—in the only coffee maker I had on hand—a French press. It beefed up my biceps, but I nearly wept when it seemed I might not get to drink coffee that particular day.

However, this faux pas did not make me foam at the mouth and declare I would never read this author again. It could have, because the heroine was a foodie, and her career was in the food business, so this little piece was presented as a "fact" of how French press coffee is made.

To me it was an annoyance, and it pulled me out of the story for just a moment--but not any more than if my phone rang and I glanced at the caller ID hoping to see "Christine" (my agent) listed, or if somebody at Starbucks interrupted my writing to ask if I was a writer and then started yakking about the book they were going to write someday.

For someone else, though, that little factual boo-boo with the coffee might have been the inciting incident for a permanent mental meltdown, or a scathing letter to the author, or even a blast on a public forum.

I watch the TV show, Psych, which is supposedly set in Santa Barbara. While I have never been there, I have been to several other cities and regions of California. I might be convinced Santa Barbara is actually being depicted in this show. . .except there are a majority of scenes where it is raining AND the characters' breath is visibly frosty AND there is not a palm tree in sight.  I actually know they are filming in Vancouver, BC (where there is an abundance of rain, it is definitely cooler, and they have a ton of evergreen trees).  

Still, it doesn't take away from my enjoyment of the show, nor do I feel like they're pulling a fast one on me, even though they are, because I know it has more to do with production budgets and tax incentives rather than carelessness or sloppy research.

The same with the TV show Leverage. It's supposedly set in Boston, and they mention the city constantly, and show overhead shots of Beantown, but it's Portland, Oregon. I've been to both places many times, and Portland looks nothing like Boston. 

Yet if this were being done in a book – saying it's set in Boston, while the author describes Portland – there would be a lot less indulgence by the reader. Is it because we know there is smoke and mirrors involved with TV and film, and we're willing to buy into that? If so, why the higher standard for books, which involves creating out of thin air just like TV and film? 

So I'm curious what you think.  Tell me what kinds of things you can forgive when it comes to reading, and what is impossible to forgive.  What makes something an annoyance and something else a wallbanger? 

Comments

[Kari Marie]

You know I'm usually willing to suspend belief for both fiction and TV/Movies. However, I appreciate a well researched topic because I get to learn something new. The deal breaker is when it goes a little too far over the top. I read a book last year where the MC jumps out of helicopter (very very very high up). As he is hurtling out of the helicopter, he remembers to spread his body as wide as possible (to slow him down) and lands in the river and lives. Now, there might be science to back this up, but I didn't believe it. I felt like it went to far.

[Donna Cummings]

Kari Marie, I'm pretty willing to suspend belief, especially if the tone of the movie is such that you KNOW certain things can't happen, and they know that you know, but it's fun to go along with it. The Transporter is one of my fave movies but some of those fight scenes are farfetched, which is what I love about it. LOL

I like to learn new things from reading, too, and it often spurs me to go do my own research on a topic.

[Liz Fichera]

I'm willing to forgive and soldier on but, if it happens more than once or twice, I might give up. Depends. I'm more likely to stop reading a book if I'm annoyed by the characters or a slow-moving plot, more so than any inaccuracies.

[Donna Cummings]

Liz, I agree -- I'm more likely to give up if the plot drags or I've lost interest in what happens to the characters. If I care about them, I'll forgive a lot. :)

[Maureen]

I can forgive most anything if the story is well written. I can't forgive...let me see how to put his... Author betrayal. If an author is tired of a series, end it with love, not with a nasty twist that eviscerates the readers who fell in love with the series.

Yup. I nearly threw my e-reader at a wall.

[Donna Cummings]

Maureen, yes, that is a terrible offense. I'm glad your e-reader didn't have to suffer though! It has lived to see another day (and book!)

[Maureen]

I wanted to scrub it's screen with bleach...

[Lena]

I, too, am fairly forgiving if the story grabs me. One book that I recently finished, I actually had to stop myself from grabbing a red pen, correctly ALL of the grammar mistakes (too numerous to count) and send the book back to the author. I didn't, though. But as others mentioned, if the story doesn't grab me or the characters aren't worthy of my sentiment, then the book gets 'gently' placed on the table.
Truth be told, I have only thrown books where the endings (excuse the vernacular) suck and I felt like all of the time I invested in the book was for nothing. One I actually threw away, it was so vulgar!

[Donna Cummings]

Lena, since I started writing, I'm more indulgent with books in one way, since I know the effort it takes to write them. :) But I'm also less likely to finish something that doesn't grab me, because my reading time is so limited now, and there are tons of books waiting for my attention! The ones I don't finish I usually donate to the library--maybe somebody else will love them. :)