Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is: Buzzwords or Phrases That Make Me Want to Read (or Avoid) a Book. These words or phrases can be in the title, synopsis, marketing materials, reviews, author blurbs, etc. and immediately pique your interest or immediately make you say “NOPE”. I decided to pick ten of each today because WHY NOT!?
Makes Me Want to Read a Book
Fake Dating/Engagement/Marriage
My favorite romance trope ever. Add this to a book and I am there.
Anything that alludes to a book’s level of cozy
I love cozy fantasies, but I also love books that are described as a warm cup of cocoa, worthy of being read under a blanket, taking place in small cafes or shops, low-stakes, relaxing, etc.
Stranded/lost/survival
Give me people who have been in a plane crash, have been shipwrecked, are lost in the wilderness, etc. and need to survive in the elements (and maybe fall in love with each other) and I’m excited.
Snowed in
I love a snowed in romance.
Atmospheric/Spooky
Spooky season is one of my favorite reading times because I love slightly chilly, spine-tingling reads that don’t keep me up all night in terror but give me that slight anxiety when I hear my cat run down the hall.
Dragons
I really love dragons.
Pirates
One of my first loves was a pirate hero in a romance novel, and I have loved pirate romances ever since.
Italy (but any country abroad, pretty much)
I love armchair traveling! Italy, Paris, Ireland, and Scotland are my favorites but I’m up for anywhere that’s not here!
Espionage/Spies
So exciting!
Christmas
Holiday romances give me so much joy.
Makes Me Want to Avoid a Book
Surprise pregnancy/baby
I just cannot.
Enemies to lovers
I have a very hard time watching a couple bicker and fight for the bulk of a story.
Any mention of a beloved pet
Unless I know FOR SURE that that pet survives the book with no harm or danger. I’ve been traumatized by books in the past, so it’s sad I have had to become so scared of books that mention animals in the synopsis. But that’s what I have to do to protect my mental health. Otherwise I will be anxious for the entire book.
Demons
I’m not going there!
Angels
I never like angel characters. Angels are never portrayed the way I want them to be.
“For fans of Nicholas Sparks”
His books are never happy! And people seem to think he writes romance, but his books are not romances!
Heart-wrenching
Again, I want to be happy!
Alpha/Pack
“Why Choose” Romance
Just not for me!
Mafia
What buzzwords or phrases make you want to read or avoid a book?
Do we have any in common?
Any books you’d like to recommend based on my first ten picks?
We have fake dating/marriage in common and why choose on our avoid list, haha. You also have a few on your love list that I forgot (I love a lost/survival story), I also did have forced proximity, especially when snowed in!
I liked the books (I think there were two) I’ve read by Nicholas Sparks, but I read the spoiler before I read them so I get wanting to read the happier ones. :) I think, in general, things like “for Nicholas Sparks” or “for Christina Lauren” fans is a marketing thing because, of course, authors / publishers want to find their ideal reader, but I think this annoys me more than it helps me in picking books. But I digress… back on topic which is to say, I enjoyed reading your list. :)
I’m here for cozy, and dragons too :)
Thanks for sharing your list
An interesting list. I love an Enemies to Lovers Romance 😂 apart from that pretty similar. I’ve not read a Pirate Romance before. Something for the future. I’ve not read a book with Angels in either so I’m not sure. I wouldn’t mind reading about Demons. I don’t mind dark, but like you I have to be careful that I can still sleep at night and it doesn’t take much to scare me!
Have a great week!
I’m with you on the loss of beloved pets. Just no.
Nice lists! Find myself agreeing with most of these on their respective list but I have to admit I do love a good enemies to romance. It does depend on how things are setup to make them enemies but I just remember some story arcs where I did loathe the enemy but then we got to know more about his backstory and it was a game changer! Also not really big on the “why choose” either. Not really for me, but I did read Kemmerer’s adult debut and it wasn’t bad. The romantic elements didn’t really kick in until the end, so I’m hoping future books won’t focus too much on it because the rest of the plot was really interesting! Lol.
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Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
The only one that would attract me is Italy. I came up with my own topic this week because the only annoying buzzword I could think of is “unputdownable”. Sorry, a book is never unputdownable unless it’s superglued to your hand. Actually I’ve just thought of “laugh out loud funny” because they rarely are.
Nice list Jana. I went rogue today because I could only think of a few. Now that I’ve seen your list, I could have come up with more.
As soon as the literary buzzword of recent years, “romantasy,” comes up, I lose interest in the book. This term is used solely for advertising and marketing purposes, regardless of how much fantasy or romance is actually involved. Unfortunately, these books often have more steamy scenes, which appear at the most inopportune moments, than actual plot.
I only mentioned those that I look for but I can subscribe to any of those that you said you tend to avoid. They are also a big NO-NO for me.
Fun topic!
I really love this week’s topic! I’ll be doing the anti-buzzwords one next week hehe. I also love an atmospheric read and dragons! But it’s really funny because one of your avoid ones is one of my favs and one of your favs is one of my avoids 😂 ! But I also hate Enemies to Lovers so there’s also stuff we definitely agree on :D
I also love anything cozy–I would love a book described as a warm cup of cocoa! and I’m also not a fan of enemies to lovers, although, at this point, I feel like EVERY romance is described as enemies to lovers even if it isn’t, so I have to scour the synopsis to try to figure out if it really is or isn’t.
💚💚💚Stranded/lost/survival with Dragons! 💚💚💚 are the best.
Ugh, you’re right! Books that feature a pet are so scary for me unless we know for sure they survive!
“Cozy” is on my list, too. I’ve been feeling that vibe A LOT lately! “Haunted/Ghost” is on my list, too, for the same reason you have “Atmospheric/Spooky” on yours – I want to be a LITTLE scared, but not terrified scared. Stranded/Lost/Survival is a great one. I love those kinds of stories, too.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
“Who choose?” books are not for me, either. Fake dating is a lot of fun, though!