Skip to main content

Top Ten Words/Topics That Will Make Me NOT Pick Up a Book

I have to say, I loved the positive version of this topic, but there's something more deliciously wicked about this one-Happy Top Ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Words/Topics That Will Make Me NOT Pick Up a Book

1. Romance

Sorry guys, just not into the schmoopy stuff.

2. Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

Bleh. So many mysteries are so predictable. There are some great ones, they're just few and far between.

3. Horror

Not my thing.

4. "Action-packed"

As far as I can tell, this is code for all plot and little to no character or world-building.

5. Dan Brown or "Like The Da Vinci Code"

If it's an author I haven't cared for or compared to an author or book I don't care for, it will be a lot harder to get me to pick it up.

6. "Like Pride and Prejudice"

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Pride and Prejudice and Jane Austen. But too often this is just code for girly romantic comedy, reflecting the widespread social misunderstandings about Austen.

7. Shopping

If it mentions shopping or clothes or makeup in the title, I'm not interested, sorry. It occurs to me that I probably miss out on some good books this way. Boo marketing.

8. Chick lit

I have a love/hate relationship with so-called chick lit. On the one hand, some of what is marketed as chick lit is really great literary fiction that happens to be focused on women. However, sometimes it means books that focus on shallow and stereotypically female topics without delving deeper into what it all really means.

9. "If you want to land a man, you should really read this book..."

...Or something to that effect. I'm not in the market and if I were, I wouldn't try to trick someone into getting with me. That's a recipe for disaster.

10. "If you want to lose weight, you should really read this book..."

...or something to that effect. I don't need you to screw with my body image, I like it just the way it is. Thanks.


Comments

Mandy said…
Clever list. I have self help this week on my list.
Thanks for sharing.
My TTT
Anonymous said…
Brilliant list this week. I should've put self help books on my list.
Feli said…
Totally agree about Dan Brown, or what I like to call plane books (mainly thrillers or mystery novels that you can find at every single airport book shop)
Chikadee said…
I agree, great list!
Unknown said…
I agree with all the shopping, chick lit stiff. I just can't get into it. It may be because I don;t get into it in my real life, but books like that I avoid.
See, I just feel like so many books are undersold by terrible marketing that I don't even know which keywords to avoid anymore...

Popular posts from this blog

My Reactions to Common Book Buzzwords or Phrases

I'm trying to post but take it easy, so I'm including my reactions to some of the example buzzwords Jana used in the prompt, plus any more I think of. I had some very strong and immediate reactions, probably since these buzzwords are so common, especially in romance and the romantasy that's ultrapopular these days! Happy Top Ten Tuesday! My Reactions to Common Book Buzzwords or Phrases Phrase: "Morally grey characters" My Reaction: NO. Why?: I'm thoroughly sick of this trend, especially because it typically means "morally grey male love interest" which typically actually means "I fell in love with a serial killer BUT HE LOOOOVES ME." No. Don't get me wrong, I can and do enjoy genuinely nuanced characters and I do not expect anyone, much less a fictional character, to be perfect nor do I want them to be, but if I see that phrase, I think Rhysand, or, at best, Christian Grey, and I'm just not into that. (But if you are, you're ...

Cozy Snowy Books and Books I Want for Hanukkah

 As usual, it's that time again to adjust the Top Ten Tuesday topic because tonight is the third night of Hanukkah. Hanukkah always starts on the 25th of Kislev but that sometimes needs some adjusting on the Gregorian calendar. Happy third night to my fellow celebrants, and happy almost-winter and/or winter holidays to everyone else! Since I also missed last week's topic, I've decided to share some cozy snowy reads--the topic was books set in snowy places but Jana added cozy and I like that as well-- to get into the wintery mood as well as some books I'd like for Hanukkah. Books Set in (Cozy) Snowy Places Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliott--This one is set during Hanukkah in Maine and NYC, so lots of cozy snow and wintry scenes in this evocative Hanukkah romance--and yes, it does involve a lot of food... The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis--Narnia is, of course, not an entirely nice place when the Pevensie children enter it, yet Mr. Tumnus, Mr. and Mrs....

Books I Loved But Never Reviewed

 Reviewed is a strong word. I've mostly stopped doing formal book reviews except for author requests and/or when I feel like it, but I usually give some description and or opinions of books I'm reading, usually multiple times, through weekly and monthly wrap-ups. I do find that it' s more difficult to review my absolute favorite books than books I either disliked or engaged with strongly on an intellectual rather than emotional level. For example, I rarely review poetry beyond "I loved it'" or "Meh." It's much easier to explain criticism of vocabulary usage or a plot device than explain how the book felt like a snug little snow globe. So, for this Top Ten Tuesday , I'm listing books that I loved, didn't give a formal review, and (I think) didn't discuss too much.  Books I Loved But Never Reviewed A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman We Are Okay by Nina LaCour The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. J...