This isn’t going to be a normal blog post — instead, I’m going to get to the point and update you on a little housekeeping, because is honestly long overdue: Adding content warnings for books I review.
From here on out, I will be tagging my reviews with content warnings. It is the ethical choice, in my opinion (and a lot of people’s).
Why Use Content Warnings for Books?
Just a brief explanation about what this means — my reviews are largely spoiler-free (except for the obviously marked “Very Spoilery Chats” series), and I intend to keep them that way. Therefore, if there are any content warnings, I will simply indicate this at the top of the post — if you wish to see them, you can scroll all the way to the bottom. This seems like the best way to keep things clean for everyone.
To be clear, if I have tagged a content warning, I am referring to the actual book and not the review itself. Along with my mentions of the technical stuff like publisher and release date, I consider CWs an important part of the book’s information.
Obviously, it can be difficult to determine what does and doesn’t constitute a CW, as everyone’s experiences vary. In tagging, I am going to be overly-cautious — even the mildest content will be tagged if it fits into one of these categories. Here is what I currently tag:
List of Current Content Warnings Used
Mental illness
Rape and sexual assault
Excessive violence
Abuse (physical, mental, emotional, verbal, sexual)
Child abuse/pedophilia
Animal cruelty and/or death
Self harm, eating disorders, etc.
Suicide
Pornography
Incest
Death or dying
Kidnapping and other events that might be consider traumatic
Pregnancy/childbirth
Miscarriages/abortion
If you have any further suggestions as to what could be added to this list, let me know and I will consider adding it. This list will be updated if anything is added or removed.
Other Resources on Content Warnings for Books
Popular Books and Their Content Warnings
A Google Spreadsheet listing a ton of books and their respective content warnings. They are also organized by category, in case you are looking to avoid certain material. No, it isn’t entirely comprehensive, but it is a start, and includes some pretty recent titles. (Also, I literally do not know who created this — if you do please let me know so I can give them credit.)
Don’t feel hesitant to reach out if you have any questions or suggestions. No question is silly.
Love,
