PeevePile • A Pet Peeve Archive » When people list high school books as their favorites

When people list high school books as their favorites

I mean really. All listing 1984, animal farm, and catcher in the rye as your favorite books does is let everyone know you haven't read a book since adolescence. Leave it blank people.

— rebecca from | Internet | 9.15.2008 | Comments (7)

I agree completely. Of course they are your favorite books, you never read anything else.

— Hal

having a high school book as your favorite doesn't mean you've not read anymore. i've read hundreds of books and my favorite one is one I read when i was 10.

— that guy posted 10/17/2008

That is not exactly fair; 1984 was one of my favourites even before I entered high school. Don't be so generalizing. And besides, isn't it possible for well-read people to actually LIKE commonly known books?

— Serg posted 10/22/2008

especially when the same list includes something by Shakespeare. yeah, right. Pericles is your favorite ever, after To Kill a Mockingbird.

— Sarah M. posted 10/22/2008

I don't think this one is 100% fair. Some of my favorite books are books I read in high school, yet I've read over 100 books since (some of which are also my favorites). Also, "high school" books are different depending on the high school that you went to. I read 1984 on my own while in college. Hence, it isn't a high school book. I think this ends up being a peeve for those who think only obscure, artsy books can be true favorites (a la the hipsters). Books become popular because they are good, as does some music. It's not a fault to like popular things.

— Brooke posted 10/23/2008

Ha I read all the time but often, the books I read in high school TRULY are favorites of mine so don't assume that means I don't read at all lol

— Ali posted 10/26/2008

what makes those high school books? they're good books. Liking a good book that happens to be popular for high school class material doesn't mean anything except that you yourself are too stuck in a high school mentality to remember that those books were not written to be high school texts.

— tab posted 11/5/2008

Saying that men watching their own kids are "babysitting." » 5 stars

Water on the counter at a public bathroom such that when you lean over to wash your hands, your stomach and crotch area get all wet. » 5 stars

When people tell me to "calm down" when I am already calm. » 5 stars

Putting on a clean pair of socks, entering the bathroom or kitchen and standing in a water splash left on the floor, thus getting your clean socks wet and forcing you to change them. » 5 stars

Excessive and difficult-to-remove packaging » 4.95238 stars

Rolls of toilet paper in which the size and weight to tensile strength ratio renders it impossible to dispense the paper in the usual manner (ie: pull on the end, roll turns, paper advances). » 4.93333 stars

Doctors "shortening" your wait time by making you wait in the exam room instead. » 4.93333 stars

People who touch computer screens. » 4.91667 stars

Using mobile phones at the register. » 127 Comments

The non-existance of unpadded bras in cup sizes less than D. Macy's, Victoria's secret, and Bloomingdales do not carry them. unpadded. » 41 Comments

People who put ketchup in the refrigerator. » 41 Comments

When pregnant women complain about being pregnant. » 39 Comments

People who deliberately pronounce words incorrectly and repeatedly. » 34 Comments

Women who are just so beautiful they don't have to contribute to sex... » 32 Comments

"Irregardless." » 30 Comments

Saying that men watching their own kids are "babysitting." » 27 Comments

Using mobile phones at the register. » super – luctroyally 2/6

Using mobile phones at the register. » super – Cireekeld 2/6

Using mobile phones at the register. » super – Kannyhila 2/6

Using mobile phones at the register. » super – Steashamate 2/6

10.31.10

Thanks to a recent torrent of spam, I’ve had to disable comments for a while. I’ve now removed the ability to put links in the comments. Email me if you want to put something in, such as five links to knock-off handbag sites, and I’ll happily oblige.

09.10.10

I’ve added two features to the sidebar: Highest Rating and Hotly Debated. They will be updated daily. To my surprise, the ketchup-in-fridge peeve seemed to really incite some anger — it’s clearly a complex situation that affects us all.

It should be noted that the star ratings indicate how much you agree with, or appreciate, the peeve, not how you feel when it happens.

I will be adding a Paragon Peeves section as well, for my and my friends’ personal favorites.

Please enjoy, and contact me if you have any new feature ideas.