Welcome back to another episode of Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Girl. This week’s topic is Things That Make Me Pick Up A Book.

As I mentioned in my first Top Ten Tuesday post, I’m really bad when it comes to lists. My brain just tends to freeze up whenever someone says “Give me a Top __ List!”, and then I forget that I’ve ever had any thoughts about the topic to begin with. So I’m going to do my best and see if we can get down 10 points today!

So what do I look for in a book?

1. The Cover. I’d be lying if I said that covers don’t matter. I’ll admit to being guilty of occasionally judging a book by its cover, and I know that the majority of you book lovers can say the same thing. It goes without saying that the story matters most, but if you’ve got an eye-catching cover, I’m 50% more likely to at least pick it up and read the blurb, than not!

2. A Great Blurb. I love reading a blurb at the back of the book and thinking, I need to read this book as soon as possible! Even better when I read a blurb and think it sounds interesting, but then I can’t get it out of my head for a long time.

3. Trusted Reviews. Every time I head into a bookstore, I have my phone out and my Goodreads (and lately, bookstagram) open so that I can check titles, and ratings and see what friends and my favourite reviewers have to say about the book; if they’ve read it. They haven’t steered me wrong yet! I have to say that this also includes the crazy hype on bookstagram–although I always have some time to process the hype because books don’t normally come out in Asia as fast as they do elsewhere!

4. Favorite Author Buys. We all have these authors. Some of my favourite authors that are automatic book buys are Jodi Picoult, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Brandon Sanderson, and Taylor Jenkins Reid. Those aren’t all of them but just to name a few!

On to more specifics…

5. Romance of all kinds. I love slow-burn romances. The office romances. The forbidden love kind of romance with HEAs. I love heartbreaking romances, unexpected couples and romances. I’m a hopeless romantic, and anything that’s likely to tug on my love heart strings is definitely a win!

6. Settings. I love books that are set in certain locations, such as Scotland, Alaska, and the UK generally. Of all the places I’ve visited, Scotland is probably one of my favourites. Everywhere I visited was not only beautiful but gave me wistful, happy, comforting feelings. Alaska is one of the places that I’d love to visit at one point in my life; it’s totally random, but I became low-key obsessed with Alaska in my early 20s!

7. Books About Books. I love stories where the main character is a bookish person, works in a library, or owns/runs a bookstore. I also love stories where the plot centres around books, especially when magic is involved! I always feel this element lends characters and stories an added appeal, and a stronger connection to me as a reader.

8. Magic. Who doesn’t love magic? Most of the time the world-building in these magical lands are fantastic and it just takes me away from reality, which is really 100% of the fun of reading books.

9. WWII. I love historical fiction, but I particularly love stories about this time period. I find these stories always manage to worm their way into my heart, and leave me feeling everything. I’m always left in awe by the authors who have the ability to write these stories, and I’m always amazed by the resilience and strength of the characters, and their capacity to overcome facing such horrors.

10. Parallel Universes. Okay, maybe not just parallel universes, but books that have to do with the idea of fate/destiny and how all the choices we could ever make are played out in various worlds. I love the idea that there are a million possibilities and they all play out somehow, somewhere. Hah, isn’t that romantic?! 😂

What are some of the reasons you pick a book up? Have you written a Top Ten Tuesday post as well? Leave your link in the comments and let’s talk books 🙂

• Follow me on Goodreads!
• Follow me on Twitter!
• Follow me on Instagram!