Things That Make Me Pick Up A Book

It's the first Top Ten Tuesday of April! I for one am really looking forward to this month, even though I do have a lot going on. I like being busy in fun ways and actually manage my time better when I have stuff going on but am not overwhelmed. Things are already starting to look better outside with springtime.

The prompt this week is things that make me pick up a book. This is a little open ended, but not as much as last week, which was an audio freebie. Anyway, I decided to go with both physical things that I see when browsing and also when other people talk about and recommend a book and what of those things help me to choose to read that book. So here we go!

1.  Pretty and Colorful Covers

I absolutely 100% judge books by their covers. When I'm at the library and picking out books to read, I pick out based on the spines and covers before reading the synopsis to see if that's the book for me. When I'm browsing, covers are very much the thing that helps me decide whether or not to choose these books. (The Thing With Feathers)

2. Bisexual Characters

This one is separate from the next because just like most folks, I love seeing my own representation within a book, particularly if it is good representation. I love having a character that I can recognize my sexuality in and become more comfortable with who I am.

3. LGBTQ+ Representation

A bit more general, but I still love reading books with any LGBTQ+ characters. I'll read books people say have good representation, but I also get really excited when I find them just browsing in the library (and first by looking at their spine).

4. Lots of Complements on Diversity

When it seems like everyone over on book twitter is talking about how much they love a book, you know that I'm going to be right there picking up that book. It doesn't matter if it's exactly "me" in the book because everyone should see themselves and other people in a story.

5. Bildungsroman/Coming of Age Stories

My favorite type of book is when the main character grows so much and is then able to discover who are they are throughout the course of a story. I love this growth and how amazing things get to end up. Great stories to read that generally do not become too dark. Also, I love the word bildungsroman for it.

6. Age Group- Primarily YA

Not surprisingly, based on the books that I've reviewed and recommended, but I read primarily YA. I'm more likely to read YA books as well. I'm only nineteen and in college and just don't relate as well to some of the adult protagonists. I've read a few books that I enjoy but with all the great YA books out there, that's what I end up mostly reading.

7. Genre- Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary

These are my primary genres that I read and while I do enjoy science fiction and historical fiction, these are the books that I get so much more excited about generally and I do read more within these genres.

8. Liking the Author- Other Books and Twitter

The authors I run into on twitter that I find hilarious? Of course I want to check out their books if they are a fraction as great as the person behind them. I also will try books in another series of authors that I enjoy, even if the new book is not necessarily what I tend to read. If I love the author, I try their books.

9. Titles

This one's a little weird, but I stand by it. Particularly with one word novels, like "Wreck" and "Spin". They just raise so many questions that I want answered. Basically, I want to read books with interesting titles that I want to find out more about.

10. Someone Else's Favorite Book

Particularly on twitter, but when someone loves a book or a series that they talk about it all the time because it is that fantastic, of course I am going to read it. It's great to get some recommendations from people who are so passionate about a specific book that make you want to read it as well.


I really liked this prompt and thought it was really fun. I can't wait to see what motivates all of you to pick up books and get all the books read.

Thanks for reading!
Alyssa