I'm late to the party once again, so it's a good thing this week's prompt is an easy one: Top Ten Buzzwords or Phrases That Make Me Want to Read (or Avoid) a Book. I think I'm going to do five of each, just for funsies. As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Buzzwords or Phrases That Make Me Want to Read (or Avoid) a Book
I'll give at least a second glance to any title or plot summary that includes these five words/phrases:
1. Gothic—I love me a moody, atmospheric read!
2. Cozy/Quaint—More and more, this is the vibe I'm craving.
3. Haunted/Ghost—These are pretty much the same thing, so I'm combining them. I'm too wimpy to read much actual horror these days, but I still like a shivery tale as long as it's not TOO creepy.
4. Books/Bookish—I mean, obviously, right?
5. Twisty/Clever/"Knives Out"—What mystery/thriller reader doesn't want to be entertained by a smart, surprising plot? Calling a book "clever" or "twisty" or comparing it to "Knives Out" is an excellent way to turn my head.
Any of these words on a book cover or in a plot summary will have me running for the hills:
1. Spicy/Sexy/Erotic—I'm a prude; what can I say?
2. Spare—Too many details and I get bored, but I'd always rather have too many words in a book than too few. I also prefer clarity over creativity, so I generally find that "spare" books are too minimalistic for my tastes.
3. Zany/Screwball/Oddball—I'm boring. I prefer books that are straightforward and traditional. Unique premises are great, but I get irritated by anything too offbeat or different. (Quirky, I can handle, as long as it's not, you know, too quirky.)
4. Grisly—Mysteries and thrillers are my jam, but if they get too gory, I'm out.
5. Terrifying/Horrifying—Nope! I value my sleep and my sanity.
There you go, five buzzwords on a book that will always tempt me and five that never will. Do we share any? Which buzzwords/phrases attract you? Which do the opposite? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
I can’t do grisly fiction or nonfiction either!
ReplyDeleteOoh nice! I am the exact same with Haunted/Ghost! I like a good spooky read but one that's not too horrifying! Lol. I would avoid spicy as well. I like some romance but when it starts getting over the top I start getting bored.
ReplyDeletePretty much match up with every single one lol
ReplyDeleteI relate to so many on your list! 🙌 ~Carol @ ReadingLadies
ReplyDeleteI pretty much agree with all of these. I'm about to read a Gothic story and I am hoping that it's not too scary 😂
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
I like cosy or quaint but I will 100% avoid anything that says "quirky" haha.
ReplyDeleteI love a good Gothic setting and/or atmosphere. And I've always really enjoyed ghost stories as well. Not into spicy books either. Honestly, I agree with practically all of these!
ReplyDeleteoooh yes to gothic! Moody is everything
ReplyDeleteI'm also not to great with anything scary! Psychological horror is the worst though... (Actually, anything with lots of spiders would be the worst, but in that case I would definitely not be reading the book.)
ReplyDeleteI love a good atmospheric read!
ReplyDeletethe #1 word(s) of this Tuesday's Top 10:
ReplyDelete🏆🏆🏆Books/Bookish 🏆🏆🏆
I don’t mind spooky but I can’t do horror or gothic:)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your #TTT
Books described as grisly or terrifying are ones that I tend to avoid, too. But I love a good (tame) haunted house story!
ReplyDeleteI can’t do grisly too.
ReplyDeleteI am with you on the cozy front. I need the comfort. I do enjoy zany/quirky though.
ReplyDeleteI would run from the same books you run from but I wouldn't necessarily grab all of those that you like. But we still have a few in common.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my post:
https://momobookblog.blogspot.com/2026/03/top-ten-tuesday-buzzwords.html
Yep, mentions of books will get me every time... (hides my new books, where several got me just by mentioning books, haha). And grisly as a nope, absolutely, even the word is unpleasant. Good list!
ReplyDeleteI get secondhand embarrassment bad so the zany/screwball thing always makes me hesitate. Sometimes it works but sometimes it just makes me cringe the whole book. I love a ghost books - and am with you not too scary! Great list!
ReplyDeleteLol this is a great post. Thank you! I am with you on most of it!
ReplyDeleteGreat list. I love many of the same types of books you do. This was a fun topic.
ReplyDeleteSame goes for me with the first 5! And I don't like grisly reads either.
ReplyDeleteI love how you said you value your sleep and sanity because SAME 😂 I tend to think about books for at least a night after I read them and I don’t want to stare expectantly into the night lol.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on twisted and haunted!
ReplyDeleteI love a good ghost story too, and I'm not so bothered by horrifying/terrifying books anymore if they're about monsters and fictional creatures. I find "real life" horror are the ones that keep me up nowadays. 😭
ReplyDeleteToo spicy is not my cup of tea either! Thanks so much for visiting my list from this week too. :)
ReplyDelete