Book blogger woes – the little detail niggle.

I’ve always read a lot. For a lot of years. And maybe because of this, I’m a tiny bit more cynical when it comes to books.

I’m also a touch on the pedantic side. Details stand out for me. And when they don’t fit, they can throw my enjoyment of the story.

Now, in this case, I’m not going to name any names. Or titles. Because overall, the books aren’t bad books. And it’s likely that most people wouldn’t even notice the things that grated for me. Or at least I don’t think they would 😉

So, there’s one where a girl gets dressed up in a posh court dress with a corset, the kind that you need servants to help you into. And then when she’s all togged up – she puts something in a pocket.

Now, it may be just me, but I’ve never seen a posh court style dress with pockets. In fact, finding pockets in any dress is problematic. So this was just daft. And actually, it would have fitted beautifully with the story line for her to be outraged at no pockets and have to find a different way of carrying the thing that she wanted to carry.

Elsewhere in the same book, we had a ‘practically lifesize map’. As a family member remarked in response to my writing, the rest of us just call that a place.

Different book, different issues. Set in London, but had the main character describing a slither of sky turning from impenetrable velvet black to the denim blue of dawn. Um. In London? Light pollution anyone? That sky that you can see is no way velvet black. Not even close. Velvet with a hint of orange (contemplates a whole new paint line for Dulux. Do you think it would take off?)

I confess this particular book had irritated early on, with a lazy reference to someone possibly being “on the spectrum”. Stereotypic references to autism annoy me, I can’t really think why. Dear authors, all authors, autistic people feel. Sometimes obsessively. We can love, hurt, grieve, empathise. We might not be very good at social cues (I am never going to be able to work out whether hugs, kiss or formal handshakes are appropriate) but that’s not because we don’t want to be.

I will point here, that I don’t speak for all autistic people. That would be as bad as the whole “on the spectrum” comment itself to be honest. Just don’t use autism as shorthand for Rainman. He was fictional. We’re not.