magic | The Quirky Book Nerd

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday list. This is an original weekly blog meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, there is a new bookish topic for bloggers to create a list about. If you want to know more about Top 10 Tuesday, click here!

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is the top ten things that will make you instantly want to read a book. It was a little tough thinking up ten things that turn me on to a book, which is odd considering I will read just about anything I can get my hands on. I guess that goes to show that I will give any book a try, but I somewhat rarely feel that need to instantly pick up a novel. However, there are a few cases where this is true.

Time Travel or Parallel Universes – Anyone who knows me knows that I am absolutely addicted to books about time travel and/or parallel universes. Honestly, this is one of the only cases where there is practically no hesitation on my part. I will literally read anything I find that involves either time travel, parallel worlds, or (preferably) both!

Books About Books – I think many book lovers out there can relate to this one! I love reading books in which reading and literature plays a huge part. This can come in the form of the characters being book nerds like myself, the setting being somewhere like a bookstore or library, or a storyline that is shaped around either a real or fictional book within the book.

Recommendations – I’m not one who typically gives into major hype about books—I have been disappointed many times when I get sucked into that. However, if a friend that I trust and share a similar reading taste with highly recommends something, I will pick it up straight away. People like my best friend Lizzie, and my awesome blogger besties Heather and Anna, are to blame for much of my ever increasing TBR pile!

Retellings – I am a complete sucker for retellings. Whether it’s a retelling of a classic novel, folklore, or fairytale, that’s pretty much all I need to know before I pick it up. This can occasionally amount to me reading a really crappy version of a story I love. But many times I have discovered some absolutely wonderfully crafted retellings with their own unique twist.

Interesting Magic System – I love love love fantasy novels! This is the primary genre that I read, but I do get a bit picky with them, at least in recent years. There are a lot of novels that deal with the same subjects over and over again, and those don’t make for the best reading experience. However, any fantasy novel with a unique-sounding magic system will instantly pique my interest.

Modern Fairytale – As I mentioned, I love fairytales and folklore, and I love present-day novels that give off that fairytale or folklore feeling. I find those types of stories to be absolutely beautiful and captivating. I really hope I can write a story like that one day.

Highly Praised Classic – I am a huge fan of classic literature—I was always that weird kid in English class that loved almost every book they made us read! So if a classic is highly praised, either by people I know or just in general, I will most likely pick it up. I won’t say I always like them, but I’ll at least give them a try!

Little to No Romance – I’ve talked about this many times before, that, despite being a hopeless romantic, I actually really do not like reading about romance in novels. Sometimes a little bit is nice, bit I find that there are so many instances where it completely overshadows the actual plot. So if a novel boasts little to no romance, that’s definitely a plus for me.

Noir or Gothic – I love noir and gothic everything! Books, movies—you name it, I love it! So of course, these are major turn-ons for me when it comes to finding books. If it has a noir or gothic setting, I’m getting my read on! 😛

Sounds Like Sherlock Holmes – And finally, the most embarrassing book turn-on I have to admit. I typically don’t go for books that are compared to other books I love because ninety percent of the time, I end up feeling disappointed in a book that may have been great if I weren’t holding it to the highest possible standard. However, the one thing that gets me every time is when a novel (or a character in a novel) is compared to Sherlock Holmes…or Doctor Who (hence my love of the Jackaby series!).

Honorable Mentions

Gillian Flynn, Neil Gaiman, Patrick Ness, Victoria Schwab – …Enough said… 🙂

What are some things that make you instantly want to read a book? Let me know in the comments, and stay tuned for next Tuesday when I talk about my book turn-offs!

I was tagged to do the Harry Potter Tag by the lovely Kai from Black Cat Kai. Thank you so much for the tag, Kai! Make sure to stop by and check out her blog! 😀

This awesome tag and all of the corresponding art was created by two fantastic book bloggers—Lashaan and Trang from Bookidote. The only rule of the tag: you cannot use Harry Potter books for any of your answers.

Let’s get this tag started!

A book where you found the theme interesting, but you’d like to rewrite it.

The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin

The concept of the novel was incredibly interesting—it was intended to be formatted in a way that was sort of like found footage movies, but in book form. That style, along with a plot focusing on a murder mystery while making a commentary on celebrity culture, should have theoretically made for a great novel. However, there was no mystery, the characters felt too much like stereotypical caricatures, and the text itself was like reading paperwork. I’d definitely rewrite this to fix those elements. Click here to check out my full review of The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone!

The first book in a series that got you hooked.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I haven’t read all that many series so far in my life, and since I can’t use Harry Potter here, that narrows my list even further! However, The Hunger Games immediately comes to mind here because it was the first series I really got excited about after Harry Potter ended. I absolutely devoured this book, and it quickly made this one of my all-time favorite trilogies!

A book you wish you could have right now.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

I can’t decide between the two—I’m so excited for both. Not only are these books by two of my auto-buy authors, the stories themselves sound absolutely fantastic. I need them in my hands ASAP!

A killer book. Both senses. Take it as you like.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Well, doesn’t this just fit here perfectly! Seriously, this book is killer. It’s by far the most captivating, well-written, and brilliantly plotted book I’ve ever read. Click here to check out my full review of Gone Girl!

A book that you found really confusing.

The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu

I read this a couple of years ago and to this day I’m still not certain how I felt about it. The concept for the plot was intriguing, but the actual execution of it was not the smoothest. I found that the story jumped around far too much, making it choppy and hard to follow. On top of that, it at times felt like the author was unsure of where he wanted the story to go. Overall, it unfortunately ended up being a jumbled and unsatisfying read.

Your spirit animal book.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Is anyone surprised by this? 😀 My brain is essentially solely comprised of superheroes and supervillains, so this book is everything a nerd like me ever wanted and more. Morally ambiguous characters are my favorite to both read and write about, as well as the intriguing psychology elements that inevitably come into a plot along with them. Between the vivid characters, fascinating storyline, and stellar writing, there is no doubt in my mind that Vicious is my spirit animal! Click here to check out my full review of Vicious!

A dark, twisted book.

Alice by Christina Henry

I absolutely love reading dark stories and have read tons over the years, but this is definitely the darkest and most twisted one I’ve come across so far. If you enjoy those kinds of book though, I would highly recommend it because it was fantastic! I will actually have a full review of this up on here one day, I promise!

A book that surprised you in a great way, reveals to be more than it is.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Whenever I think of books that surprised me, this instantly comes to mind. I was expecting a much different type of story than what it turned out to be, and I think that made me love it even more. There are so many layers, so much complexity in what is an outwardly simple and straightforward story. It is a remarkably beautiful piece of literature. Click here to check out my full review of A Monster Calls!