50 Times Book Lovers Were Horrified By What They Saw And Just Had To Share It (New Pics)

Book lovers, we’ve all been there. You’re cozied up with a brand-new book, ready to escape into another world, when bam!—a typo smacks you in the face. Or worse, you turn a page, only to realize it’s missing entirely. Nothing shatters the bliss of reading quite like these bookish betrayals. Sure, we can laugh about them later, but in the moment? It’s enough to make you dramatically close thebook.Today, theBored Pandateam scoured the internet to find some of the most triggering book crimes that readers have shared online. Whether it’s peculiar mistakes in a children’s book (yes, the irony) or entire missing pages, these moments are enough to make any bibliophile scream. Keep reading to see if you can stomach these bookish horrors! And don’t forget to check out our interview with Karishma Kothari, a first-time author who knows a thing or two about the struggles of writing, and the inevitable (but painful) tiny mistakes that slip through.This post may includeaffiliate links.

Today, theBored Pandateam scoured the internet to find some of the most triggering book crimes that readers have shared online. Whether it’s peculiar mistakes in a children’s book (yes, the irony) or entire missing pages, these moments are enough to make any bibliophile scream. Keep reading to see if you can stomach these bookish horrors! And don’t forget to check out our interview with Karishma Kothari, a first-time author who knows a thing or two about the struggles of writing, and the inevitable (but painful) tiny mistakes that slip through.

This post may includeaffiliate links.

Poorly designed book showing an incorrect number of bananas for counting.

Illustration from poorly written book showing a sleeping child dreaming of a wedding cake.

Hands holding poorly designed books with overlapping page numbers in a casual setting.

The joy of flipping through untouched pages, the thrill of diving into a new story—it’s unmatched. But along with that joy comes the occasional heartbreak. A typo. A missing page. A weird formatting error that makes you pause mid-sentence. It’s frustrating, isn’t it?

Illustration from poorly-written-designed book showing a family lighting holiday candles with Hebrew prayers below.

Poorly written designed books featuring a PSA film scene with a woman holding a card in front of a colorful backdrop.

3D pie chart with colorful segments labeled 10% to 80%, visually representing data distribution.

To understand things better, we spoke with Karishma Kothari, whosedebut book, I AM MAGIC, was recently released. The book explores those uncertain moments in life when you’re caught between who you were and who you are becoming. It’s a quiet, comforting read for those navigating change.With her first book out in the world, Karishma shared her thoughts on writing, editing, and the little imperfections that sometimes slip through.

With her first book out in the world, Karishma shared her thoughts on writing, editing, and the little imperfections that sometimes slip through.

I know it’s fantasy, but I’m not sure even pretend unicorns should have horns on the side of their heads. As for the amount of extra legs throughout the book, it’s got to the point you can’t tell what to color in and in what color.

Poorly designed book with mythical creatures for coloring, featuring dragons, unicorns, and various characters.

Illustration of people with masks maintaining distance, a depiction from poorly-written-designed-books.

Alphabet book with design errors; “Nut” illustrated with a nest and eggs under “Nn."

“For a non-writer, it might seem easy—just put words together. But it’s not that easy. It’s an entire process to put together words that make sense. Writing isn’t just about stringing sentences together. It’s about choosing the right words, crafting meaningful phrases, and making sure everything flows. It’s a long, intricate process that demands patience and skill.”She explained how easy it is for small mistakes to gounnoticedduring the writing process.“When you’re in the flow of writing, you might not focus on the spelling. Your brain moves faster than your fingers, and before you know it, you’ve typed something incorrectly without even realizing it. These tiny mistakes don’t seem like much at the time, but later? They stick out like a sore thumb.”

She explained how easy it is for small mistakes to gounnoticedduring the writing process.“When you’re in the flow of writing, you might not focus on the spelling. Your brain moves faster than your fingers, and before you know it, you’ve typed something incorrectly without even realizing it. These tiny mistakes don’t seem like much at the time, but later? They stick out like a sore thumb.”

Poorly designed book page showing three red circles labeled incorrectly with text.

Open book displaying text with unclear instructions for beading wild animals, exemplifying poorly written and designed books.

Book cover of “Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis” on a floral background, related to poorly-written-designed-books.

Hand holding a book with pages numbered 170 and 181, showing examples of poorly-written-designed-books.

Chart of numbers from 1 to 100 with multiple design errors, representing poorly designed books.

Poorly designed book cover lying flat on a wooden table, with blue color and unreadable white text.

Giving the book time before reviewing it again can make all the difference.“But you need to give it time. When you write, you think everything is right. But step away for a while, then come back with fresh eyes—suddenly, you’ll notice things you missed before. That’s why the best writing advice is always to take a break before editing.”

Giving the book time before reviewing it again can make all the difference.

“But you need to give it time. When you write, you think everything is right. But step away for a while, then come back with fresh eyes—suddenly, you’ll notice things you missed before. That’s why the best writing advice is always to take a break before editing.”

Penguin illustration in a poorly designed book about the Arctic, with text highlighting cold and icy conditions.

A page from poorly-designed books with text and a sketched fly on the margin.

Page displaying “The Loch Ness Monster’s Song,” showcasing elements of poorly-designed books.

No book starts out perfect, no matter how skilled the writer is. “The first draft is never perfect. And it never is. The first draft is messy, filled with inconsistencies, and often makes no sense when reread. But that’s part of the process. Writing is rewriting, and every great book goes through multiple drafts before it’s ready for the world.”

Illustration from poorly written designed books showing an old man falling down stairs with accompanying verse.

Bought this book to help my boy learn his letters and numbers. The guide for 8 doesn’t work as the arrows are incorrect!

Poorly written designed book page showing tracing instructions for the number eight.

Cover of a poorly-written-designed book featuring a tiger against a moonlit background.

Even after countless revisions, sometimeserrorsslip through.“Sometimes, some things might slip. Once everything is published, you can’t do anything. No matter how many rounds of editing a book goes through, mistakes still happen. And once the book is printed? That’s it. There’s no fixing it unless you’re willing to go through the long and expensive process of republishing.”

Even after countless revisions, sometimeserrorsslip through.

“Sometimes, some things might slip. Once everything is published, you can’t do anything. No matter how many rounds of editing a book goes through, mistakes still happen. And once the book is printed? That’s it. There’s no fixing it unless you’re willing to go through the long and expensive process of republishing.”

Retro book cover design featuring a train, lighthouse, and large anchor emerging from waves, representing poorly designed books.

Children’s book with colorful octopus and tortoise illustrations, highlighting poorly written design.

Map highlighting faulty weather symbols, demonstrating poorly designed books.

She acknowledged thatfixing errorsafter publication isn’t always possible. “The cost to reprint can be higher. So you let that one small error be. It’s not ideal, but there’s nothing you can do. Printing a book isn’t cheap, and reprinting it for a minor typo isn’t always practical. So, sometimes, authors have to live with tiny imperfections. It’s frustrating, but it’s reality. And honestly, as long as the story is good, does one small mistake really matter?” she added.

Poorly written text with “Congratuations Class of 2018” and commentary on cost.

Dot-to-dot puzzle showing cricket players in a poorly-designed book, with numbers forming an unclear image.

Page from a poorly-written book with narrative text, beginning a chapter with the number one at the top.

Perfection is every writer’s dream, but some things are simply beyond control. “As a writer, you want your book to be perfect, but sometimes things are not in your control. No matter how much effort goes into it, something always slips through. And maybe, just maybe, that’s what makes books so beautifully human.”Books are love. Books are life. And sometimes, even with the occasional typo or misplaced comma, a great book is still a great book. So, fellow book lovers—tell us, which of these moments made you laugh, sigh, or cry inside just a little bit?

Books are love. Books are life. And sometimes, even with the occasional typo or misplaced comma, a great book is still a great book. So, fellow book lovers—tell us, which of these moments made you laugh, sigh, or cry inside just a little bit?

Cover of a poorly designed book, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with a digital fairy and creature in a forest scene.

Sheet music with text: “Can you spell the name Beethoven,” illustrating poorly-written-designed-books.

Poorly-Written-Designed-Books cover with jumbled lettering, held by a person in brown pants and white shoes.

Poorly written or designed book page showing a starfish labeled as “Pentagon,” highlighting an error.

Poorly designed book showing fish senses with humorous illustration and coloring.

Poorly designed book page with colorful background and the text “My coat would be soft."

Children’s book with a safari maze, featuring a rhino in a jeep. Example of poorly-designed books.

Poorly-designed book image showing “Six Yellow Lemons” text below an illustration of seven lemons.

Row of fantasy books with dragon covers, illustrating poorly designed books on a shelf.

Poorly designed book cover featuring “The Crimson Labyrinth” by Yusuke Kishi with intricate patterns and bold text.

Open book pages showing text layout, illustrating poorly-written-designed-books concept in a casual reading setting.

My wife bought this on Amazon, it’s just a bound book of random low-resolution/quality coloring pages easily found on Google image search. Initiated a refund and they didn’t even want it back.

Poorly-Written-Designed-Books: A Rapunzel coloring book with amateur illustrations and low-quality printing details.

Poorly designed word search puzzle with emojis, featuring circled words like “smirk” and “money” in green.

I took a picture of each page so you can get the full effect of reading the whole thing outloud, getting to the end, only for the last page to break the rules of the rest of the book. Did they not have the budget to do one more page and do rhymes for the last 4 letters?

Children’s alphabet book with illustrations; example of poorly written designed books.