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Welcome to The Restless Reader’s Acronyms Page, your essential guide to the shorthand and terminology commonly used in the literary world!
With this page, I aim to clarify those acronyms to make your reading experience easier and more enjoyable.
I hope it will help you navigate the vibrant and often quirky language shared by readers and writers alike.
Happy reading!
General Book Terms
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- ARC: Advanced Reader Copy (a pre-publication copy of a book)
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- BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (used to refer to diverse characters and authors in literature)
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- BOTM: Book of the Month
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- DNF: Did Not Finish (referring to a book that the reader didn’t complete)
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- E-ARC: Electronic Advanced Reader Copy
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- FAVE: Favorite
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- FL: Fictional Love (referring to beloved characters or romantic pairings in books)
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- FMC: Female Main Character (see Main Character below)
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- FOOL: First On Our List (a book that’s high on a reader’s priority list)
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- HUGE: (A way to express enthusiasm for a book – “I loved it HUGE!”)
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- LOVED: Shortened version of “I loved this book”
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- MC: Main Character (the primary character around whom the story revolves)
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- MMC: Male Main Character (see Main Character above)
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- MUST READ: highly recommended book
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- POV: Point of View (first-person, third-person)
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- RT: Reread (A book that a reader has read again)
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- TBR: To Be Read (reader plans to read)
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- TLC: Tender Loving Care (often used to describe a book that has an emotional or heartfelt quality)
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- WL: Want to List (reader is interested in reading)
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- WIP:Â Work In Progress (a term used by authors to describe a book that is currently being written)
Genre-Specific Acronyms
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- BL: Boys’ Love (a genre that focuses on romantic relationships between male characters)
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- FF: Fanfiction
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- HEA: Happy Ever After (often used for romance novels)
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- HFM: Happy for Now (often used for romance novels)
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- MG: Middle Grade (classification for books aimed at readers aged roughly 8 to 12)
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- NA: New Adult (a subgenre of young adult fiction)
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- SFF: Science Fiction and Fantasy (A genre that includes both science fiction and fantasy elements)
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- SL: Slow Burn (describes a romance that develops gradually over the course of the story)
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- YA: Young Adult (fiction targeting teenagers)
Social Media Terms
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- #Bookstagram: The Instagram community dedicated to books
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- #BookTok: The TikTok community dedicated to books
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- #BookReview: A hashtag used for book reviews
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- #ReadWithMe: A hashtag used for book discussion and shared reading
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- #Bookish: Anything related to books
I know this is a list of a few of the many acronyms used in the book review community. As you explore different blogs and online spaces, you’re likely to encounter more!
For a more exhaustive list, you can refer to Book Riot’s acronym list here
You may also want to visit the Rating System page for an understanding of how I rate books.
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