Here’s a minor collection of comments from our book club from the last couple of meetings that made my brain break.

Paraphrased, but pretty close:

“I don’t read anything but the dialogue parts.”

“Why would I read the prologue? That’s just author yap. Same for epilogues.”

“I don’t like stories that have a plot.”

“I literally never read a prologue on principle alone. If it’s that important, it should be in the book.”

Note: This isn’t everyone in the club, but maybe over half *never* read the prologue. That stunned me.

Only one of them was a “I only read dialogue.”

About three of them were anti-plot/story arcs and instead prefer characters that experience zero growth or change, and dislike a three-act story.

Some (but not most) won’t read if it isn’t in the first person.

When I was younger, I might skip a forward,  but the actual beginning and end of a book? Why on earth would you do that?

I was amazed at the replies I got from the “talker only” folks when I asked what they pictured the protagonists looking like or how they were feeling about the setting.

I guess everyone has things they like and don’t…it just amazes me that so many “readers” aren’t members of “the clean plate club.”