10 Buzzwords That Make Me Want to Read (or Avoid) a Book
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This weeks prompt is Buzzwords/Phrases That Make Me Want to Read (or Avoid) a Book.

What are Buzzwords?
Buzzwords are words or phrases that are used to communicate a book’s writing style, tone, tropes, themes, intended audience or overall vibe. You’ll find them in the blurb, marketing copy, reviews and all over social media.
They can be both helpful and limiting, in that they can guide you toward books you’ll love, but they can also create expectations that don’t quite match what’s on the page. Either way, they’re a useful way to pique a reader’s interest.
Buzzwords That Make Me Want to Read a Book
Buzzwords That Make Me Want to Avoid a Book
- Love triangle
- Miscommunication
- Mafia
- Sci-fi
- Retelling (fairytale or mythological)
- “For fans of Harry Potter, Hunger Games or Game of Thrones”
- Pirates
- Hollywood glamour
- Family drama
- Coming of age
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books and a desire to bring bookish friends together.











Have a good week and have a good day. Here is my TTT. https://dmhoisington.wordpress.com/2026/03/31/top-ten-tuesday-25-buzzwords-or-phrases-that-make-me-want-to-read-or-avoid-a-book/
You’ve certainly got a type 😉
Thanks for sharing your #TTT
I love the found family trope!
I love books with a gothic atmosphere too, and slow-burn romance! I also put Dragons on my list 😛🐉!
And I haven’t done my anti-buzzwords list, saving it for next week but Mafia will be on that list for darn sure!
Here’s my list: https://darkshelfofwonders.com/top-10-buzzwords-that-make-me-pick-book/
Dragons and dark academia are some of my fave topic points as well! I’ve been a fan of dragons ever since I randomly picked up His Majesty’s Dragon in high school 😂 Dark academia is a genre I keep coming back to during autumn, it’s the perfect setting for it.
I’m a huge fan of sci-fi and retellings, so can’t relate to that, but to each their own! 😄 Miscommunication and love triangles on the other hand I hate with a burning passion. 😂
Christmas is a hard nope, dark academia mostly too.
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2026/03/31/top-ten-tuesday-reasons-to-read-or-avoid-a-book/
I really hate the miscommunication trope. There have been many times while reading a book when I’ve started yelling at the characters to grow up and talk already. Ok, most of the time the yelling is in my head, but it’s still the same.
Here’s my TTT for the week: https://readbakecreate.com/the-qs-us-vs-have-it-ten-titles-starting-with-q-u-or-v/