Ah! That makes total sense. Our definitions differ and that’s ok! I also giggled at “honey mustard pretzel books” 🤣

I know "popcorn book" is often used to kind of write something off but for me it's not like that.

I agree it’s usually used as a write off of poor or simple literature, but that’s not how I define it either. To me a “popcorn book” is more synonymous to a vacation book, something that is quick and I can finish an entire story in a week. I don’t typically consider series as popcorn books since I can’t go start to finish in a single week. I’m a slower reader, so that probably changes my definition a little bit.

To me, books like Dark Matter and Run by Blake Crouch or The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi or some of the Star Trek novels are popcorn books. I loved the story and absorbed the entire thing within a few days. But they anre also one and done books. I’ve reread Dark Matter and recommend it frequently, especially to those new to scifi-ish stories, and I would never look down on them.

I don’t personally consider “popcorn books” a write off or insulting either.