Friday, May 21, 2010

Red Flag Words in Book Reviews

I make many of my decisions about what to read or not to read based on book reviews. Certain words and phrases are consistently red flags for me; when I see these in reviews, I almost automatically decide that a book is not something I want to read. Of course this is very individual; everyone's tastes are different and therefore everyone's red flag list would be different. A few such off-putting words and phrases from my personal list are as follows:
-science fiction
-fantasy
-thriller
-fast-paced
-hard-boiled
-action-packed
-noirish
-ominous
-nightmarish
-magical realism
-postmodern
-experimental

On the other hand, words and phrases that pique my interest include the following:
-character-driven
-well-developed characters
-women's lives
-marriage
-urban
-sophisticated
-witty
-funny
-social comedy
-drawing room comedy
-British
-Manhattan
-San Francisco

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