Top Ten Tuesday – Things That Make Me Instantly Want To Read A Book

This was such a fun prompt that I knew I had to do it. So welcome to a new Top Ten Tuesday! This week I’m talking about what makes me want to read a book instantly. Some of these will be more generalised, and you’ll find them on other people’s lists too. But some of them are pretty specific to me.

The Top Ten Tuesday tag was initially created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now held over on The Artsy Reader Girl. It’s a weekly tag where everyone is given a bookish prompt for bloggers to curate a top ten list. You can then share your blog post on The Artsy Reader Girl’s post for that week. Just remember to check out and comment on other people’s blog posts too!

So let’s get into this list!

Blurbs by Authors I Love: This is a pretty common reason, but it’s so true. Whenever I see an author I love saying good things about a book, I trust that I’ll love it. So Maria V. Snyder, Kelley Armstrong, Lindsey Kelk? I see those names, and I’m instantly curious. Plus, a bunch of other authors, too, ha!

A Kid Involved in the Romance/Surprised Adoption: This one probably sounds random, but I love it when little kids get involved in ships. It’s so cute. In chick-lit or romance, it’s usually one of the characters’ kids trying to get them together or just encouraging the relationship, but it’s always perfect. And then in fantasy and sci-fi, it tends to be more like, oh, they have to protect this kid, and suddenly they’re basically the parents, and I adore it every time.

Ship Comparisons: This one might seem odd and isn’t usually pointed out by others. Though I did buy a book once, as people were saying it was like Zutara. But that was also a DNF… So what I mean is, if I come across a book and the summary sounds like it would work for a fic of whatever my fave ship is at the moment? I’ll instantly want to read it. At the moment, it’s kind of second chance/friends-to-lovers stuff, but royalty/knight, chess, or musician themes are grabbing me too.

Enemies or Rivals To Lovers: I know in my last point I was like, I want to read whatever type of ship I’m into. And I do. But I’ve also been a sucker for rivals or enemies to lovers since I was a kid. Like, the first film I obsessed over was Anastasia. So take from that what you will. But the thought of bickering and fighting as they slowly fall for each other. I want to read that almost every time.

Nerdy Stories/Characters: Though I’ve been reading chick-lit for years, there was something about YA contemporary that I always felt meh about. Then I started stumbling upon more books with nerdy main characters. So now I love reading both adult and YA romances and contemporaries about nerds. I’m much more likely to pick up a book if it has a nerdy relatable interest. Roleplay, cosplay, anime, books…whatever it is, if I share a passion for it, then I want to see it on the pages.

Full-Cast Audiobooks: Obviously, I don’t pick up every full-cast audiobook that gets released. But I have been known to give a book a second chance or try something I’m unsure about if I hear the audiobook is full-cast. Something about it makes the story feel like something I want to devour and excites me. Even if it’s just little sections between longer chapters, it always adds something special, making me much more likely to want to grab a book as an audiobook.

Mixed Media: Following on from the full-cast audio – as these books can make excellent audiobooks when done well – I love a book with mixed media. They can make a good audiobook, yeah, but they’re also fun to flick through in a visual medium. Whether it’s drawings inserted in the pages, interviews, transcripts of recordings or whatever… I love having something different to look through, and these often make for a fast read. So when I see a mixed media book, I get more curious about it.

A Pretty Cover: Another predictable one, I know, but c’mon. We’ve all bought a book for the cover before. What counts as a pretty cover will depend from person to person. But beautiful artwork will instantly draw me to a book. I can’t say I’ll always pick the book up. But considering I’ve picked up books I knew I’d hate in the past as pretty cover means, I want to give it a go….yeah.

Representation: Seeing ourselves in books is very important. I try to read books depicting various disabilities, religions, cultures, sexualities etc., and I like to promote them. But I won’t always pick a book up just because it’s diverse. However, if I see my own rep? Then, yeah, I generally will pick the book up unless something about it doesn’t feel right. In my case, this is books with non-binary characters or books where the character has dyspraxia or cerebral palsy.

Wonderland: I’m really into my Alice in Wonderland stuff at the moment, as I’ve said before, but it’s a book I love so much that if I see others with the concept, I want to read it. There’s a reason Wonderland books have their own shelf on my GoodReads. I adore reading different people’s interpretations of Carroll’s work, and even when it’s just loosely inspired, it can be a lot of fun. So it’s definitely a theme that I will pick up a book if I see it’s Wonderland inspired.

And that’s my top ten things! There probably are other things that make me want to pick up a book instantly, but honestly? I can’t think of them right now. At least I managed to make it to ten!

If you enjoyed this list, let me know what makes you want to pick up a book in the comments below.