When I had my YouTube channel I had created this book tag (which you can find if you google Phobia Book Tag, if you really want to cringe at THAT video) and it didn’t really go anywhere. That doesn’t surprise me though because I had at MOST 50 subscribers, so no one really saw that tag. I have redone a few of the prompts and decided to repost the tag here!
A few things I want to talk about before we get started: First, if you have a phobia I can assure you that I will NOT be adding any photos of the phobia to this post. I find the idea of phobias to be extremely interesting (did you know that there is a phobia for knees?) so I’ve tried to link each phobia back to a (hopefully) reliable and reputable source of information if you want to learn more about any of the phobias I have in this tag!
Phobias and any sort of anxiety is very serious, but surprisingly there are quite a few people out there who are unaware of the impact that things like this can have on someone’s life. With this tag, I want to bring attention to these very real fears in the hopes that this can educate people in a fun way, while also providing information that may help someone else. This list does also include a phobia that I myself have (so don’t go thinking that I’m making fun of anyone with a phobia), and each phobia can have varying levels of severity. Some people can have full on panic attacks, while others have only mild anxiety. Most people who have a phobia realize that their reaction is irrational, but cannot stop the panic and anxiety they cause. If you are interested in learning more about phobias in general, check out this website, or this article that gives a bit of background on the science behind phobias.
Rules:
- Answer all 15 prompts.
- Answer honestly.
- Tag at least one person.
- Link back to this post.
- Remember to credit the creator. (Katie @ Melting Pages)
- Have fun!
Aichmophobia (Fear of Sharp Objects) – Name a book with assassins or warriors
Aichmophobia is the fear of sharp objects such as scissors, knives or needles. This is similar to Belonephobia which is a fear of of pins and needles while Aichmophobia is a fear of a variety of sharp objects. For this I’m going to go with There Will Come a Darkness because of the Pale Hand!
Agoraphobia (Fear of Public Places) – Name a book with amazing world building
Agoraphobia is mainly the fear public places, so I decided to twist this to a book with world building (get it? public places=outdoors=world building). For this prompt I have to go with A Song of Ice and Fire because George R. R. Martin put so much thought and history into his world, I could spend HOURS just reading the lore and history of Westeros.
Bromidrophobia (Fear of Body Odors) – A book that left a bad taste in your mouth
Generally, bromidrophobia is considered the fear of perceived body odors, and is often linked with OCD in the form of compulsive washing. With this prompt I went with a play on the odor thing – sometimes a book just stinks! For this I have to go with The Queen Underneath because I really didn’t like this book but I really wanted it to be great!
Gerontophobia (Fear of the Elderly) – A book with amazing older characters
Gerontophobia is the fear of getting old or a fear of the elderly, mainly due to the inevitability of death. To combat this phobia, I made the prompt about fantastic older characters to show that getting old doesn’t mean you can’t do amazing things. For this, I’m choosing a book I read recently that was tons of fun: The Old Man’s War by John Scalzi.
Gelotophobia (Fear of Being Laughed At) – Name a book that made you laugh
This is a much more severe form of social anxiety. People who have gelotophobia are constantly afraid of laughter, especially when they perceive that it is directed towards them. They also sometimes have trouble distinguishing between playful teasing and someone actually making fun of them. I was not expecting this book to make me laugh, but there were parts of The Fate of the Fallen that I was just laughing at! Poor Aaslo keeps getting himself into these crazy situations and Mathias’ commentary is just so sarcastic and funny!
Gynophobia (Fear of Women) – A book with a powerful and strong female character
I can’t define this phobia any better than this website: “Historians say the term arose to define the fear men experience of being humiliated by women, namely by emasculation.” This is also known as misogyny, but to the extreme. Women are so incredibly strong, so I wanted this prompt to be about a strong female character, whether that’s physical or emotional strength. For this I’m going with Daleina from Queen of Blood, because she stands up for what she believes in and fights for it even if she isn’t the most powerful.
Hydrophobia (Fear of Water) – A book that drowned you in emotion
Hydrophobia is the irrational fear of water, whether you are drinking it or swimming in it. Fun Fact: this term also used to be used for rabies, because in the later stages the person or animal affected has a hard time swallowing so they would avoid water. For this, I’m going with Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas because that was the last book that made me feel all sorts of emotions – I laughed, I cried, and got mad all within one book.
Hippopotomonstrosequipedaliophobia (Fear of Long Words) – A book with a ridiculous title
Did you think I made that word up? I didn’t, but it’s crazy that the phobia for fear of long words is….a long word. This isn’t an officially recognized phobia and is considered to be a social phobia. This website has a lot of interesting information on this phobia! Now, a ridiculous title can be whatever you want. For me I’m going with The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making, because that’s a ridiculously long title, and very specific!
Necrophobia (fear of the dead/death) – The worst (or best) character death
While it is common to be afraid of death, necrophobia is a debilitating fear of death so much so that it can disrupt a persons life, sometimes even to the point of cutting themselves off from the outside world. For this prompt, I tried going for something that wasn’t Throne of Glass and I struggled. So I guess I’m going to go with those deaths in Kingdom of Ash.
Nomophobia (Fear of Being Out of Mobile Contact) – A book featuring the loss of technology
Being without a mobile device or out of mobile contact is something that is a growing fear in today’s world, but when it becomes an irrational, uncontrollable fear it becomes nomophobia. For this prompt, choose a book where technology is lost or is in danger of being destroyed. I’m going with Station Eleven as my choice!
Nyctophobia (Fear of the Dark) – Your favorite dark book
Fear of the dark usually happens because you cannot see what’s around you in the darkness and is pretty common (I mean, who isn’t afraid of the dark?) but nyctophobia is the EXTREME fear of the dark and can disrupt a persons sleep patterns and daily life. For this prompt, I’m twisting it a bit for a book that covers darker topics and themes. For this I’m choosing Prince of Thorns because of how dark both the characters and plot is – they don’t call it grimdark for no reason!
Pathophobia (Fear of Disease) – A book that you see everywhere and have no interest in contracting reading
If I had to choose one phobia on this list that could potentially cause the most issues for a person, I would say (in my completely unprofessional opinion) that it would be pathophobia because it could be so severe that it could keep a person away from hospitals or doctors offices, and therefore could lead to poor healthcare. For this prompt, I’m choosing The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes because I have absolutely no intentions of reading this book.
Philophobia (Fear of Love) – A ship you just can’t get behind
“Philophobia is the fear of emotional attachment; fear of being in, or falling in love.” Philophobia can even impact a person’s relationships with family and friends, as it can impact non-romantic love as well as romantic love. For this prompt, name a ship (relationship) that you just can’t get behind! I think I’m going to need to go with Aelin and Rowan on this one, I still wish she would’ve ended up with Dorian!
Somniphobia (Fear of Sleeping)- A book you wouldn’t want to read before going to bed
Somniphobia, also sometimes known as hypnophobia, is the fear of the thought of going to sleep and can be caused by trauma, PTSD, or sleep disorders including insomnia, sleep paralysis, or nightmare disorder, among many other things. For this prompt, choose a book that would keep you up all night! I’m choosing Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky, because even though I’m not that far into it, there’s no way I’m reading that before bed!
Trypophobia (Fear of Holes) – A book that you fell down the reading hole with (a book you binged)
The final phobia for this tag is trypophobia, which is the fear of holes, specifically closely-packed holes. This phobia makes people queasy, and is actually the phobia that I have. This isn’t an officially recognized phobia, but can be triggered by objects that have small holes gathered close together like in a lotus seed pod. For this prompt, I’m choosing Illuminae because I loved reading every second of this book and binged it so quickly!
*Phobias can have a real impact on your life and well being. Many people have phobias, and they are often treatable. I’ve tried to find links that are accurate, but as this is the internet, PLEASE take any concerns you may have regarding your health and wellbeing to your doctor.
I would love to see your answers to this tag! I’m actually going to tag people for once, since it’s my own tag, but please feel free to do this even if you weren’t tagged!
Kristin @ Kristin Kraves Books
Christine @ Purple Manatees
Mandy @ Devouring Books
Emma @ A Few Chapters ’til Love
Mehek @ Critiques of a Fangirl
Sara @ The Bibliophagist
Lisa @ Way Too Fantasy
Melting Pages 
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