ITT: Huge red flags that help you avoid wasting your time with potentially terrible books

[Anonymous No.19849377]

I'll start:
>Author worked for the United Nations, more specifically their human rights branches
>Non-fiction work was a #1 bestseller past 197x
>Author is Victor Hugo

[Anonymous No.19849384]

>>19849377
If any of the goodreads reviews contain gifs/pics.

[Anonymous No.19849397]

>>19849384
i'm sure there's a good number of excellent classics that have unfortunately received that treatment due to their popularity, but i understand what you mean.

[Anonymous No.19849404]

>>19849384
>using goodreads

[Anonymous No.19849421]

>>19849377
>Author worked for the United Nations, more specifically their human rights branches
It's quite curious. Of course, you're probably one of those who thinks the UN is some sort of institution designed for world government and preparing the terrain for the coming of the antichrist, but UN bureaucrats, rapporteurs and so on write some of the most anodyne, worthless bullshit about the topic with which they deal. It always reads like they have capitulated their souls a long time ago.

[Anonymous No.19849425]

>book has more than one author
>when googling book's name, google returns a reddit thread on page 1
>post WW2 author used to be or still is a journalist

[Anonymous No.19849437]

>>19849377
>author is an online personality
>author cites tolkien as an inspiration

[Anonymous No.19849456]

>>19849404
>book has the goodreads author™ badge assigned to it
>>19849421
it signals that it's either written by a detached shill or a misguided person with a childishly idealistic view of the world with no lucidity whatsoever. it's worse when it's written as a ''sprawling work that looks deeply into the problem of injustice in the world (see: the people who have bigger issue to worry about than what this asshat is pedaling)''. rootless & self hating diasporafags tend to fall into the latter category a lot, unfortunately.

[Anonymous No.19849602]

>>19849425
Hunter S. Thompson is alright

[Anonymous No.19849694]

>>19849377
Hugo is nice.

[Anonymous No.19849724]

>enthusiastic quotes from newspaper or other periodic on the front jacket
>New York Times bestseller
>XXX : The One Thing That Nobody Ever Thought About And Will Solve All Your Problems

[Anonymous No.19849791]

>Author is a jewish woman

[Anonymous No.19849808]

>book described as snarky
>book described as ephemeral
>book described as irreverent
>cover looks like pic related

[Anonymous No.19849824]

>>19849791
>he isn't acquainted with the arcane power of simone weil

[Anonymous No.19849845]

>>19849377
>NYT bestseller!

[Anonymous No.19849860]

>>19849724
>New York Times bestseller
But everything ever written is a NYT bestseller

[Anonymous No.19849937]

> Author is young/ has a Twitter account / is alive
> Book / Author is described as a neglected classic/ ahead of it's time
> Is only really popular today within a minor subculture or a protected demographic
> Authors only good/famous book
> Get's memed on lit
> Is described as 'Important'
> Is written by multiple people
> is first and foremost labeled as either fantasy or science fiction
> 'debut'
> 'the X experience'
> 'queer'
> Intro/ forward by a celebrity
> 'a woman's journey'
> claims to fix your life

[Anonymous No.19849951]

>>19849377
What's wrong with Hugo?

[Anonymous No.19849959]

>it was reccomended by /lit/
>it was forced meme on /lit/
>It was described as "woke"
>it was described as "based and redpilled"

that's about it

[Anonymous No.19849986]

>>19849377
>New York Times top ten list
>Horrible cover art
>Harry Potter
>Hunger Games
>Pulitzer Prize winner
>Author is a journalist or news person
>Loved by reddit and booktuber women

[Anonymous No.19849993]

>>19849937
> 'stunning'
> youngest winner of the X prize
> Anything to do with the booker
> inspired by Joyce / Pound
> modern poetry
> A book for the X generation
> YA / modern romance

[Anonymous No.19849994]

>>19849456
>rootless & self hating diasporafags tend to fall into the latter category a lot, unfortunately.
true

[Anonymous No.19850017]

>Author isn't Henry James

[Anonymous No.19850073]

>author is a woman who is not a nun

[Anonymous No.19850490]

>>19850073
>author is a woman who is not a nut

[Anonymous No.19850685]

>>19849384
I hate women.

[Anonymous No.19850864]

>>19849377
>early life
>X was born to jewish parents

[Anonymous No.19850874]

>>19849377
>author has a background in the c-suite for an IT firm

[Anonymous No.19850949]

>>19850864
never underestimate the self-hating jew's power

[Anonymous No.19850984]

>>19849377
Filtered by Hugo, of all authors
Embarrassing

[Anonymous No.19850995]

>>19849824
Literally the only good woman

[Anonymous No.19851036]

>>19850984
>hon hon hon tout pour la liberté mon ami! l'égalité pour toute l'humanité ! melodrama for 14 year old girls!
c'est une blague ce truc

[Anonymous No.19851149]

>>19849377
>Author worked for the United Nations, more specifically their human rights branches

what books did you run into this problem with? Or is this just a theoretical flag

[Anonymous No.19851334]

My dad works for the UN AMA

[Anonymous No.19851421]

>>19851334
Has he raped any kids? Did he rape you?

[Anonymous No.19851469]

>>19851334
is your dad happy and fulfilled with his profession? what are his academic credentials?

[Anonymous No.19851474]

>>19849384
fax

[Anonymous No.19851963]

>>19849377

Current, living authors:
>author is an American born after the 80s
>author constantly gives interviews on TV or shows like Joe Rogan
>author has a YouTube channel or is active on Twitter
>author has done an AMA on twitter
>author won Hugo Awards after 2010

Classic, dead authors:
>book is considered part of a "experimental phase" of the author
>author was inspired by Freud, Spencer and/or Nietzsche
>author uses book to exemplify his political views, but fails to criticise his own shortcomings (e.g. "if we do X we will live on a flawless utopia")

[Anonymous No.19851993]

This thread is low effort but this is genuinely something I struggle with. I have a great second hand book store near me with a huge selection, but I'm so unaware of what most of the books are. A lot seem to have high impact fonts, a title like "The Train" or some shit like that, and blurbs that read like they were written by an overexcited child. I always end up walking in, going to the classics section (which is 2 small bookshelves) and finding something there. I'm sure I'm missing out on some great authors but it all just looks like tripe to me.

[Anonymous No.19852011]

>>19851993
In general it is better to be open minded while you are new to reading and looking to expand your interests. Red flags should be learned through reading, not through the opinions of random people online. Let the author speak for themselves, a lot of the blurbs and the design choices come from the publisher looking for the best way to increase sales.

[Anonymous No.19852239]

>>19849377
Normies' red flags are generally a reason to read something. This doesn't work as well outside the anglosphere (especially France).

[Anonymous No.19852251]

Is the main character named Adam?
Does he have conversations with his imaginary friend in the sky?

[Anonymous No.19852918]

>>19852251
Anything else to say, Jude?

[Anonymous No.19853344]

>>19851993
presentation is not very well done in the medium of literature today, it's not as aesthetically concerned as it should (calasso & his adelphi books would support this). have it be a healthy mix: make a list of what catches you eye, go back home to look it up and do a bit of reading about them online before going back to the store a second time and getting what really seems like it's worth your money ; while also going with a blind reading every once in a while, it's good to be adventurous and open yourself up to what would otherwise lie far from your radar.

[Anonymous No.19853402]

>>19849808
Who reads these books?
Who actually buys these books?

[Anonymous No.19853426]

>>19853402
I imagine out of the millions of young women who read Twilight, some 10,000-100,000 of them must be avid readers and will go on to try anything like it to get that high again.
You make a cash grab and you get cash. Simple as.

[Anonymous No.19853455]

>>19849377
For me

>Author claims to be an "expert"
>author is female after 1970
>author is French aside from Baudrillard, Foucault, Rousseau
>author was endorsed by Oprah (this applies to male authors too, chud)

Its not that I won't read it, but those tend to be red flags

[Anonymous No.19853465]

>>19851036
Imagine réduire Hugo à cela. Hugo c'est un monstre sacré de la poésie qui a maitrisé tous les genres de la poésie, des odes aux grands poèmes narratifs et philosophiques en passant par le théâtre (quoi que j'entende qu'on n'aime pas Ruy Blas). Il a beaucoup influencé la théorie littéraire (Préface de Cromwell & préfaces des Odes et ballades) en étant le centre orbital de toute la littérature du milieu du XIXeme siècle. Chef de file du romantisme, il regroupe Nerval et Gautier dans le petit-cénacle et met à terre l'esthétique classique fanée du XVIIIeme siècle en reprenant Châteaubriand, Béranger et Lamartine. Il est lauréat du prix de l'Académie des Jeux floraux dès 17 ans. Il a de l'influence sur l'intégralité de la production littéraire postérieure, tous les romantiques, les parnassiens, les décadents et les modernes lui sont tributaires.
Il développe tout un système cosmogonique et métaphysique dans sa poésie (Ce que dit la bouche d'ombre notamment) et dans son œuvre romanesque (Les Misérables et sa préface philosophique), avec une vision singulière de la divinité (Dieu), de la place de la poésie et de sa nature (il développe la théorie des correspondances avant Baudelaire), de la place de l'homme et de la structure de son histoire (La Fin de Satan, La légende des siècles). Il s'engage en politique pour mettre en œuvre les conclusions qu'il dérive de son système (famille des socialismes mystiques pré-marxistes) où il devient député et travaille pour la dignité des miséreux.
Dans son œuvre romanesque il fait preuve d'une grande finesse d'observation des sentiments humain (surtout dans Notre-Dame de Paris) et si quelquefois il souffre bien de trop jouer dans le mélodrame (ce en quoi il précède le réalisme de Zola) ce n'est que pour mieux mettre en évidence les rouages de son idée de la société humaine. On ne peut d'ailleurs pas retirer à ses romans de se réduire au sentimentalisme romantique quand il y fait preuve de psychologie (Tempête sous un crâne, la mort de Javert) et de philosophie.
Sa vie même est un roman en elle-même, poète fameux dès sa jeunesse, il attaque l'institution classique à la bataille d'Hernani, il apprend la mort de sa fille Léopoldine par noyade, il est contraint à l'exil après le coup d'état de Napoléon suite à ses prises de position, il s'exile à Jersey et Guernesey où il essaye le spiritisme avec Delphine de Girardin pour tenter de communiquer avec Léopoldine et se retrouve à échanger avec Chénier, Dante, Molière et Shakespeare, revenu en France il est élu député puis sénateur avant de décéder et d'être panthéonisé.

Je veux bien qu'on ne soit pas d'accord sur grand chose avec Victor Hugo, ou qu'on n'aime pas le personnage, mais de le réduire à l'effusion sentimentale et mélodramatique de Cosette et des Thénardier c'est aberrant de bêtise.

[Anonymous No.19853490]

>>19853465

Translation :
Imagine reducing Hugo to that. Hugo is a sacred monster of poetry who mastered all the genres of poetry, from the odes to the great narrative and philosophical poems through the theater (although I hear that one does not like Ruy Blas). He has greatly influenced literary theory (Preface to Cromwell & prefaces to the Odes and Ballads) by being the orbital center of all mid-nineteenth century literature. Leader of the romanticism, he gathers Nerval and Gautier in the Bouzingo and puts down the faded classical aesthetics of the XVIIIth century by taking Châteaubriand, Béranger and Lamartine. He won the prize of the Academy of thé Floral Games at the age of 17. He has influence on the whole of the later literary production, all the romantics, the parnassians, the decadents and the moderns are dependent on him.
He develops a whole cosmogonic and metaphysical system in his poetry (Ce que dit la bouche d'ombre notably) and in his novels (Les Misérables and its philosophical preface), with a singular vision of the divinity (Dieu), of the place of poetry and its nature (he develops the theory of correspondences before Baudelaire), of the place of the man and the structure of his history (La Fin de Satan, La légende des siècles) He gets involved in politics to implement the conclusions he derives from his system (family of pre-Marxist mystical socialisms) where he becomes a deputy and works for the dignity of the poor.
In his novels he shows a great finesse in observing human feelings (especially in Notre-Dame de Paris) and if sometimes he suffers from playing too much in the melodrama (in which he precedes the realism of Zola) it is only to better highlight the workings of his idea of human society. Moreover, one cannot take away from his novels the fact that they are reduced to romantic sentimentalism when he shows psychology (Storm under a skull, Javert's death) and philosophy.
His life itself is a novel in itself, a famous poet from his youth, he attacks the classical institution at the battle of Hernani, he learns of the death of his daughter Léopoldine by drowning, he is forced into exile after Napoleon's coup d'état following his stance, He was exiled to Jersey and Guernsey where he tried spiritualism with Delphine de Girardin to try to communicate with Léopoldine and found himself exchanging with Chénier, Dante, Molière and Shakespeare.

I don't mind if we don't agree on much with Victor Hugo, or if we don't like the character, but to reduce him to the sentimental and melodramatic effusion of Cosette and the Thénardiers is aberrantly stupid.

[Anonymous No.19853721]

>title of non-fiction book is a pun
>subtitle: " how x explains all you ever eanted to know about y"

[Anonymous No.19853747]

Shilled by /lit/. BAP, CoC, etc.

[Anonymous No.19853871]

>>19853465
what language is this?

[Anonymous No.19854016]

>>19853871
japanese

[Anonymous No.19854072]

>>19853747
>CoC
That's an academic book, it has no place with BAP or other memes.

[Anonymous No.19854097]

>>19849377
There's a very particular way upper-middle class urbanites write in my language that never fails to tip me off about a worthless book when I see that style used by someone praising that particular book. Those people wouldn't know quality if it hit them in the face so their praise is a sure sign of that book being awful unless it's more than two centuries old, in which case it's more likely that those people are reading it because it's canon rather than because it is made to appeal to them.

[Anonymous No.19854137]

>>19849377
>author is an *nglo born after the second world war

[Anonymous No.19854201]

>>19854137
>Author is not a WASP or MAYBE Dutch

[Anonymous No.19854436]

The book is not written by me

[Anonymous No.19854657]

>>19853465
alors toi t'es un bon gars. merci pour le pavé césar.

[Anonymous No.19854890]

>>19849384
Why the hell would anyone use a 3rd party social media?

[Anonymous No.19854891]

>>19853455
Foucault was a proto SJW hyper fag. His ideas are embraced by college litfags on the liberal arts campus who pretend his convoluted manner of exposition is somehow innovative and interesting.

Anyway, carry on, just had to vent that.

[Anonymous No.19854975]

>>19854891
you're underage, we know.

[Anonymous No.19854979]

If the author doesnt have kids or women, i dont read him.
I dont want the ideas of a gay man in my head.

If the woman is single past her 30s i dont read her either. Something is wrong with her.

[Anonymous No.19854990]

>>19854975
That response is far too "based" to even really understand. Yes...I must be "underage" because I read Foucault in the 2000's and discarded that hyper pretensious bald French Nietzsche wannabe fag.
Will to power my ass.

[Anonymous No.19855137]

>author hasn't committed suicide
sure sign of a hack

[Anonymous No.19855172]

>5 star reviews from mostly women
>Secret History followed by literally anything
>The author is living and active in the Anglosphere
>It agrees with the general societal consensus on anything

[Anonymous No.19855236]

>>19850949
why'd you make the image so fucking huge when its so lowres

[Anonymous No.19855241]

>American Negro
>American Woman

[Anonymous No.19855347]

>>19855236
it's funnier

[Anonymous No.19855391]

>>19849377
>Non-fiction work was a #1 bestseller past 197x
Why this one? Taleb is a twat but he writes relatively well and his antifragility idea is worth knowing.

[Anonymous No.19855543]

>>19849937
>> Book / Author is described as a neglected classic/ ahead of it's time
>Apostrophizes a possessive "its".

[Anonymous No.19855986]

>>19854657
Avec plaisir, je déteste entendre déprécier un grand auteur. La plupart du temps, quand on entend parler de Hugo, de Molière, de Racine, de Baudelaire, de Voltaire, de Mallarmé ou de quelque autre c'est de gens qui n'y entendent pas grand chose. Hugo en particulier a vraiment construit une œuvre complète et si il a une esthétique moins immédiatement attrayante que celle d'un Nerval ou d'un Musset, il est plus puissant que ceux-là dans la profondeur.

[Anonymous No.19856218]

>>19849377
Book is not 50 years or more older

[Anonymous No.19856232]

>>19849860
Kek

[Anonymous No.19857310]

>American
Would have been enough

[Anonymous No.19857323]

>>19849377
Not being the Holy Bible.

[Anonymous No.19857347]

>author is female
>author is a presently living journalist

[Anonymous No.19857364]

>>19855986
>>19854657
Guys calm down on with the copie-pâtes. We're on an angloïd imageboard and it's not /fr/ here.

[Anonymous No.19857670]

Anything written by a journalist.
Anything written by a you know what
Anything that has "NYT best seller" on the cover
Anything "pop-political" (think pop-sci, but for politics; both crt nonsense and republican nonsense count for this)

Currently reading Bruce Schneier's Click Here to Kill Everybody, and it's straddling the line of the first red flag. He's not so much a journalist as a blogger, but he does write op-eds. The book itself is /almost/ as trite as if it was written by an outright journalist. It's probably the last thing I'll ever read of Schneier's, because I expect he has no depth beyond what will be demonstrated in this book. Any other book or article he has written or will write will most likely be more of the same.

[N E M O . !!GgBWHLRiayD No.19858072]

>Book was not interestly precised through my intuition.

[Anonymous No.19858106]

>Nobel prize winner

[Anonymous No.19858115]

>>19851334
Does he have any opinions that would seem out of the norm for his position?

[Anonymous No.19858679]

Wiki page section for "early life" or "personal life" is a sus group

[Anonymous No.19858950]

>>19849808
does she fuck the dog

[Anonymous No.19859023]

>Deconstruction of X genre