Glossary of Terms

Confused by some of the acronyms or terminology? Here's a living Book Love Affair glossary. If a term that confuses you isn't included, just ask for the definition in a comment.

Antagonist: Often considered as the "villain" of a story, may or may not be a character, but must cause the conflict for the protagonist. Anthology: A collection of short stories. Can be from one author or many. ARC: An acronym for "Advanced Reader's Copy". ARCs are distributed prior to a book's release for publicity purposes. BLA: An acronym for "Book Love Affair"--one of the best book review blogs available on the interwebs. Ed. By: Stands for 'edited by'. Usually indicates an anthology or a work that includes works by other authors. Fantasy: A genre of fiction that uses a magical or supernatural element as a primary plot element. Most traditional fantasy requires a completely devised world, whereas magic that takes place in what is otherwise the world as we know it is often separated into the subgenre of 'urban fantasy'. Genre: Best definition is 'category'. Therefore, a 'genre' of literature may be fantasy, sci-fi, romance, etc. Horror: A genre of fiction that intends to scare, startle, unsettle, or disturb the audience. MM: An acronym for "Mass Market"; the mass market paperback is the small format of paperback. Protagonist: The protagonist is the focus or "hero" of a story and may or may not also be the narrator. Science Fiction: A genre of fiction that focuses on speculation of how things could be different from the world as we know it. These speculations, unlike with fantasy, are based in scientific ideas or rationally thought out possibilities. Speculative Fiction: The set in stone definition for 'speculative fiction' is that speculative fiction contains the science fiction and fantasy genres, but does not include superhero fiction or pulp or comics. Personally, I use this term as a very lovely umbrella to refer to all the genres I love that attempt to 'speculate' about the world, humans, or anything. For me, this includes science fiction and fantasy, but also includes horror. This can be a point of contention for many, but I think horror (like urban fantasy or space opera or space western or high fantasy) sits squarely within the realm of 'speculation'. There you have it. When I use 'speculative fiction' I mean everything Book Love Affair's about: science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all variations thereof. TBR: To Be Read, as in the pile of books I've been slacking off on and really should read in the near future. TC: An acronym for "Trade Cloth"; the trade cloth format can indicate any hardcover version of a book. TL;DR: Too Long; Didn't Read -- self explanatory. The TL;DR version of BLA reviews will only be 1 to 4 sentences long, for those who find that textblocks are too much for them. TP: An acronym for "Trade Paper"; the trade paperback is the larger format of paperback. Unreliable Narrator: This is a narrator who cannot be completely trusted and may try to skew the story. Being aware that a narrator is unreliable can add a whole new depth to a story. Urban Fantasy: A genre of fiction that takes place in the world as we know it, but with elements of magic or supernatural. YA: An acronym reffering to the genre of Young Adult Literature. YA is aimed towards young adults/teens, but can be enjoyed by adults as well.