Hi everyone! How are you? Did you have a great month? Mine was great thanks to all those extended weekends. It made me craving for summer even more!
Today I’m back on the blog with a brand new topic. I’m going to talk about *drum roll please* …BOOKS! Yaaay! Hope you’re as excited as I am. Since I am not talking about books a lot, I decided to, inspired by the Top Ten Tuesday recent theme, talk about some of my favorite things in books with a little list….let’s see: what makes me want to read a book right NOW?
1. Any – yes ANY – book my sister has read and loved.
We have similar taste and since she reads so much faster than me, my TBR is HUGE. I really can’t complain because I absolutely adore everything she recommends me!
2. It is well rated on Goodreads.
3. An author I like has come out with a brand new book.
If I enjoyed the writing and the world-building in a book, there’s a 99% chance I’ll try another one by the same author. Because you know what? There’s like 99% of chance I’ll devour it too.
4. It is set in an intriguing dystopian world.
Uglies, Matched, Divergent, Awaken, Delirium and so on…the worlds in these books captivated me so much and I want more!
5. A cute romance is mentioned in the synopsis.
I admit it, I’m such a girl. I love it when there’s love involved in a story. No insta-crush, no love triangle but friends becoming lovers or love/hate relationships and I’m hooked!
6. It is about sisters or family.
I love my sister and we have a really awesome family (yes, I’m totally biased…) so no surprises there, I like those kind of stories where there is an emphasis on this, such as The Sky Is Everywhere, Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, Second Chance Summer…
7. It is a 2nd or 3rd book in a series I have started and really enjoyed.
The Hunger Games, I’m looking at you! Only a few pages turned and already I’m obsessed. I didn’t have a choice; I NEED to know what happens next. So yeah I’m weak…
8. It features a strong female lead.
Girl power! Since I’m a girl (no way!!!), I enjoy having a girl hero. Someone I can relate to, someone to inspire me. Someone who is not perfect in any way but just real.
9. It has a beautiful cannot-stop-staring-at-it kind of cover.
I’m aware that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but…well, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one in that case…
10. It is a modern retelling.
I’m instantly thinking about the Lunar Chronicles, it is PERFECTION. If you haven’t read it yet, please do. Each book entails a new take on an old fairy tale, including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Snow White. It’s like rediscovering a story you fell in love with years ago...only to find it completely changed, but love it anyway.
What are the things that instantly make you want to pick up a book? On the contrary, what are the things that make you NOT want to read a story?
Bonus question: any AMAZING retellings recommendations for me?
I totally agree with your list, Nyx! Omg The Lunar Chronicles is AMAZING. Like I honestly don’t know how Marissa Meyer made it so great??? PRETTY COVERS ARE THE BEST. Female leads are also great because 1) I’m a girl and I relate to females… and 2) often, those leads are strong and quite sassy. 😛
I would recommend some retellings but I can’t think of any! :'( Maybe like… Yeah, I got nothing. XD
YEEES, I’m so in love with those books! ?? And yes to sassy characters! Haha don’t worry, I’ll find some on Goodreads for sure ?
I definitely agree with all of these!! YAY. Apart from 1, the ‘strong female lead’ like I’m a girl, and I DO enjoy these types of characters but it’s becoming so overdone? like charaters are just ‘sassy’ for the sake of it. NO I WANT REAL STUFF, so no that puts me off a little htough I will still probably read that book. If my sister has read it or a wonderful bloggger has, I will for sure read it! Series, same author, yeah that’s pretty much why i pick up a book. Not to mention GORGEOUS covers <3
Yes, you’re right! Sometimes it’s just too much and the character doesn’t seem real enough. We’ve got lots of similar stuff on our list, high five! ?
As twins, we cannot help but recommend books all the time – sometimes one of reads faster, sometimes the other does! We are usually drawn to pretty covers (who isn’t?!?)! As for fairytale retellings we would recommend ACOTAR – the first book is slow and has some flaws but we PROMISE you the second makes up for it!
Yaaaay, thank you so much for the rec! I’ll definitely check it out ??
No problem! ?♥ We hope you enjoy the series as much as we di (and still do)!! ?
We have the same list!!
Yaaay, high five! ?
Good reviews on blogs/GoodReads are definitely musts for me. Also, if I like an author, I’m more likely to read another of their books = not necessarily part of a series, but that doesn’t hurt, either. I’m 50/50 on retellings. They have to be unique or original in some way.
We have quite the same list that’s awesome! Thanks for stopping by ?
Ahhhhhh, the cover love 😀 I can’t agree on the romance, as I’m too often disappointed and I prefer blood xD
Hahahaha, well if that works better for you haha! ?
So many of these are exactly the same for me! Families and cute romances are the best!
Megan @ http://wanderingsofabookbird.blogspot.co.uk/
Yeees! Glad you agree ?
I agree wit every single thing on your list! Especially the hate to love trope, that one is my favourite and if a book has that, I am very likely to add it to my TBR! ?
Glad you agree ? Same here, I’m a sucker for those kind of stories! ?
I am all for Girl power! Nothing draws me into a book like that does and I also love really strong female friendships. I’m so fed up of books featuring bitchy girls that don’t get on because we’re all pretty nice for the most part!
You’re totally right! We ARE pretty nice ?
Great list for this topic Nyx, and oh I agree with so many of your points as well. Modern retellings are a must for me, all a book has to do is hint that it’s a fairytale retelling and it goes to the top of my to-read list! Also gorgeous covers are a must for me too, so many of the books on my to-read list have been added simply because of how pretty the cover is. There have even been a few books I added without even checking out the blurb, that’s how gorgeous the cover was! 😀
Again great list. 🙂 <3
Thank you so much Beth! ? Haha, yes I’m totally weak when it comes to a gorgeous cover! ?
I totally agree with your list! My favorite things that instantly make me want to pick up a book are Hate to love romance, strong heroines, new book from my favorite author, intriguing premise, beautiful covers, Fae, fantasy books with beautiful world building, beauty and the beast retellings, cute & fun YA romance. But the things that I hate the most are insta-love and slow paced plots.
I also agree with all your items! ? And yes insta-love and slow paced plots are a definite no-no!
Oh wow, I agree with most of your list! I also look at Goodreads ratings before starting a book, anything over a four star rating usually gets priority. And of course sequels to books I’ve read and enjoyed. I also get a lot of my recommendations from other book bloggers.
Aaaah Goodreads, what would we do without it? ?
haha love the gifs!! I agree with all of these!!! 😀
Thank you so much ?
You’re welcome 😀
I agree so much with all of these! For me, both my mom and little sister are huge readers and we share similar taste so we’re always recommending books to each other. I know when one of them loves a book there’s a huge chance I will too. And same about romance or if it features a great sister relationship or family dynamics. Also, hate to love is one of my favorites too. I just read this one book called Alex, Approximately and features a hate to love romance and great family dynamics. You might enjoy that one! ? And I’m complete with you on retellings and gorgeous covers. Gorgeous covers always catch my eye automatically. Great list!!
Isn’t it great when friends or family members are reading and enjoying the same books? ? Awesome, thank you for the rec! I’ll definitely check it out ? Thanks for stopping by ?
It really is! Especially whenever you’re reading the same book and need someone to talk to about it straight away. ? No problem! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. ?
YEES, totally! ??
Hi Nyx! It’s interesting to see you talking about books for once!!! I like to read books when people I like recommend them (either my twin sister, who reads way more than me, or people on the internet), it’s a genre I love (HELLO DYSTOPIA) (Also, I never see people on the internet talking about Uglies but isn’t it SO SO GOOD???), or I just really like the blurb. Great post <3
Isn’t it? I had so much fun doing it! ? OH MY GOD YES, Uglies IS perfection! First book I really fell in love with I think ? Thank you ?
I relate to much of this list so much. For me, if a book is set in a dystopian society or contains a map of the world in the front, it’s pretty much an instant win from me.
Oh yes a map!! I love that! ? Thanks for stopping by ?
With such a long list, it’s no wonder your TBR are out of control, LOL. Although, they are all great reasons! And I love that Ryan Gosling GIF, just…PERFECT.
Haha, riiiight?! Gotta love him ?
I’m such a lover of friends turned lovers. I live for that trope and also for some interesting family dynamics. Stories of sisterhood, however, are pretty much my favorite ever because I have a little sister and know how complicated and wonderful that can be. I will also show up for pretty maps in books, because all of the worldbuilding.
YES, YES and YES! I agree with all your list! ? Thanks for stopping by ?
wow on the list, give me idea on making a list. I agree with some of the list and I never goodreads, I’m going have to look into that. Thank You for sharing your list. God Bless:)
Thank you so so much, glad you enjoyed it ?
You very welcome. Many Blessings