Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
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Publishing Buzzwords, Clichés and Euphemisms Decoded
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Below are "more explanations of terms that editors, publishers and critics use when describing books."I found them at: http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress...
“affecting” = “I felt something. Could’ve been the book. Could’ve been my lunch.”
“a book for the ages” = “no need to read it now”
“brilliant debut collection” = “yet another friggin’ MFA thesis”
“dazzling” = “We hope you’ll find the prose so gorgeous that you won’t really notice that nothing happens”
“dedicated fan base” = “Mom and spouse”
“endearing” = “heavy on the treacle”
“game-changer” = “the Betamax of print”
“ground breaking romantic comedy” = “heroine hit by a car at the end. By a man.”
“haunting” = “Sat unfinished on my nightstand for months while I read other stuff.”
“heartwarming” = “major character is a dog, an old guy, or both”
“historical” novel = “American = dust, prairies & drab clothing; Italian = poison & plots; English = sex, beautiful clothes & beheadings.”
“Hemingwayesque” = “Hemingwayesque = short sentences.
"Faulkneresque" = long sentences.
"Fitzgeraldesque" = regret, longing, rich people.”
“it grabs you by the throat and won’t let go” = “it’s gonna hurt”
“national besteller” = “made list in Buffalo & Fresno. International bestseller = made list in Irkutsk”
“nominated for the Pulitzer” = “publisher paid $50 application fee.”
“powerful” = “all plot, with attitude”
“reminiscent of Ellison and Baldwin” = “black guy”
“quirky” = “about half the length you’d expect and/or no capital letters”
“Shakespearean” = “everyone dies, uh, like Hamlet”
“She divides her time between New York City and The Ozarks” = “She lives in Manhattan, submits fellowship apps from Arkansas.”
“a stirring commentary on the human condition” = “a book about feelings written by a man.
“sweeping family saga” = “your mother might like this”
“a wake-up call for America” = “a bad-tempered diatribe by a member of the previous administration” Also: “a delusional rant by a conspiracy theorist”
“uneven” = “feel free to skip and skim”
[NOTE: The link at the top of this post includes the source of each definition.]
Have any of you read the story of a three year old going and returning from heaven written by his father, a minister, "Heaven is For Real?" Do you believe it? ps your quotes are interesting, Joy.
Nina, this might be the book you referred to:Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back
by Todd Burpo.
Nina, I never know what to make of this type of story. Call me skeptical.
Not my sort of story. As much as I like Mary Roach, Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife was my least favorite of her books. I think Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers was my favorite, although Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void was pretty cool, too.
Jim, those books by Mary Roach sound interesting... kind of eerie, but strangely fascinating. I think I'll put them on my "keep-in-mind" shelf. Ed might like them too.I remember that you mentioned _Packing for Mars_ earlier this year and I borrowed it from our library. Ed enjoyed it but I only skimmed it because I didn't have time to read it.
I haven't read the book but I too remain skeptical yet I did find the reviews interesting. It seems most were favorable toward the book whether they believed it or not, which struck me as strange.
Those blurb cliches were funny, Joy. Thanx:)
Arnieh wrote: "Those blurb cliches were funny, Joy. Thanx:)"You're welcome, Arnie. It's funny how I came across them. I was googling for websites with one-minute film reviews and when I scrolled down and saw the list, I said to myself, those might be fun to read.
I especially liked: "“Hemingwayesque” ... "Faulkneresque" and "Fitzgeraldesque".
Below is a link to "*esque" words. I thought #202 was amusing: 202. shatneresque.
http://www.onelook.com/?w=*esque&...
We are watching "Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill," for the second time. I think we watched it years ago. It bears repeating. Great acting. And fun to see Churchill's parents and wonder how they influenced their famous son.
Nina wrote: "We are watching "Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill," for the second time. I think we watched it years ago. It bears repeating. Great acting. And fun to see Churchill's parents and wonder how they inf..."That sounds like a good movie, Nina.
The following poem has nothing to do with that movie, but the name "Jennie" reminded me of one of my favorite poems:
=============================================
Jenny kiss'd me when we met,
Jumping from the chair she sat in;
Time, you thief, who love to get
Sweets into your list, put that in!
Say I'm weary, say I'm sad,
Say that health and wealth have miss'd me,
Say I'm growing old, but add,
Jenny kiss'd me.
Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)
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Of course, a woman could substitute the name, "Johnny" for "Jenny" and the poem would have the same wonderful effect.
There's nothing like romance!
I agree but I so like it when a writer shows romance rather than telling us in detail. This poem does it well.
Yes, Nina, we don't need explicit descriptions. In fact, the bawdy stuff doesn't come under the heading of "romance". At best, it can be called "erotica". At its worst, it's known as "x-rated" and a few other choice words.A good definition of "romance" might be: "ardent emotional attachment or involvement between two people".
"Ardent". There's a good word. I looked it up and found the following:
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"Ardent is essentially a more sophisticated way of saying "passionate." It is derived from the Latin ardere, “to burn.” This is also the source for the word "arson." Think, "burning with enthusiasm."
FROM: http://vocabulary-vocabulary.com/dict...
===============================================
But don't think "hot"! (lol)
Mary JL wrote: "A charming poem, Joy!"Yes, Mary JL. I've always loved it ("Jenny kiss'd me").
It says so much with just a few words.
I suppose it brings back special memories to people who have experienced those feelings of real romance.
At this point in the conversation, I can't fail to include the following sonnet which, again, expresses real romance:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sonnet 29
by William Shakespeare
When, in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
-William Shakespeare, Sonnet 29
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They may not be "Buzzwords" but they make me buzz!
That sonnet is one of about 5 poems I committed to memory---just beautiful.
Glad you liked it, Arnie.
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
Books mentioned in this topic
Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife (other topics)Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void (other topics)
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (other topics)
Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Mary Roach (other topics)Todd Burpo (other topics)
"Publishing Buzzwords, Clichés and Euphemisms Decoded".
See the list below or go to the following link (where you have to scroll down to find it):
http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress...
“absorbing”: “makes a great coaster”
“accessible”: “not too many big words”
“acclaimed”: “poorly selling”
“breakout book”: “Hail Mary pass”
“brilliantly defies categorization”: “even the author has no clue what he’s turned in”
“captures the times we live in”: “captures the times we were living in two years ago”
“classroom-friendly”: “kids won’t read it unless they have to”
“continues in the proud tradition of J.R.R. Tolkien”: “this book has a dwarf in it”
“definitive”: “could have used an editor”
“an eBook original”: “still no proofreading and bad formatting”
“edgy”: “contains no adult voices of reason”
“epic”: “very long”
“erotic”: “porn”
“ethnic literature”: “stuff written by nonwhite people”
“frothy romp”: “funny book by lady” “Funny = funny book by a man”
“gripping”: “I turned the pages fast but didn’t read them”
“gritty street tale”: “Black author from the hood. Run.”
“I’ve been a fan of Author X for a long time”: “I slept with them regrettably, in MFA school.”
“lapidary prose”: “I did not know what half of these words meant”
“literary”: “plotless”
“long-awaited”: “late”
“luminous” or “lyrical”: “not much happens”
“magisterial”: “long”
“meticulously researched”: “overloaded with footnotes”
“memoir”: “nonfiction until proven otherwise”
“the next Elmore Leonard”: “This book has criminals or Detroit or maybe Florida in it”
“novella”: “short story with large font”
“a real tear-jerker”: “writing so bad it makes you cry”
“ripped from the headlines”: “no original plot line”
“rollicking”: “chaotic”
“sensual”: “soft porn”
“stunning”: “major character dies”
“provocative”: “about race/religion”
“promising debut”: “many flaws, but not unforgivably bad”
“unflinching”: “has a lot of bad words”
“visionary”: “can’t be proved wrong yet”
“voice of a generation”: “instantly dated”
“weighty”: “I had to lug this dense historical monster all over town and I still can’t bring myself to finish it”
“wildly imaginative”: “wrote book high on mescaline”
“a writer to watch”: “as opposed to one you are actually going to want to read”
[NOTE: The link at the top of this post includes the source of each definition.]