TTT #290 | Things That Make Me Instantly Want to Read a Book

We have been having fun with Top Ten Tuesday, so we decided we will do one every week. This bookish meme was hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, and has been going since June 2010! Since January 2018 Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s topic is Things That Make Me Instantly Want to Read a Book. You can go in so many directions with that topic and I decided to mostly look at tropes I really enjoy and that always draw me in. Let’s dive in!

1. Magical Tournament

I’m a big sucker for a magical tournament. Even non-magical tournaments get me super excited. Whenever a synopsis mentions even a hint at a magical tournament I immediately add the book to my wishlist. It also makes a book more enjoyable, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with a magical tournament I didn’t like.

2. Magical School/ Boarding School

No matter how many books with this I read, I still want more. Give me a magical boarding school and I want to read the book. I love this setting so so much and like I said, I just can’t get enough of it. Especially when we get some everyday scenes, show me what life is like at this school!

3. Fake Dating

This remains one of my favorite tropes ever. I know it’s not for everyone but this is definitely something that get me to pick up a contemporary novel. You know where the story is going but I just love the road to getting there. This is another trope that just never disappoints.

4. Rivals to Lovers

Next up are two distinctive tropes. One of them is rivals to lovers, academic rivals for example. There isn’t a hate but there is usually a pretty strong dislike despite an obvious attraction. While I hate miscommunication as a plot point, I do love it when the characters aren’t telling each other how they feel yet and we get to see that attraction develop into love.

5. Enemies to Lovers

The second of the two is enemies to lovers. Definitely something different to rivals to lovers. This gives us stronger feelings of dislike and usually even hate but with that same building tension. And this trope usually comes with another favorite of mine that is coming up next.

6. Morally Grey Main Character

Give me a well written morally grey character and I’m hooked. It can me the main character, it can be the villain, and like I said this is often paired with enemies to lovers. I love it when the character makes some questionable decisions, especially when they’re based on logic instead of empathy or feelings.

7. A Heist

How could I not mention this one! Give me a heist and I’ll buy your book. Especially since reading Six of Crows I have been on the hunt for another heist like it. Same with movies, Ocean’s Eleven remains one of my favorite movies and I’m always looking for another one with a similar feel. These stories are especially epic when something inevitably goes wrong and there turns out to be another part of the plan.

8. An Unreliable Narrator

Yes! Especially when the story involves a murder. I want to figure out whether I’m being lied to, are you telling me the whole truth? Where can I figure out what’s going on? But it’s possibly even better when you don’t know that there is an unreliable narrator right up until the end. Those plot twists can be so good and definitely make me want to reread the book to see if I can spot it.

9. Animal Companion

The connection between humans and animals is so special and I love seeing that in a story. It can be all about the animal companion or just a little part of the story. As long as I get to read about their relationship and see them do some day to day things like training.

10. Something Involving Books or Libraries

And last but certainly not least, a story involving book or libraries is always exciting. It can be a regular library or a magical one. And it can be about regular books, through a (fanfic)writer or a reader, but it can also be about magical books that suck you into the story for example. So many fun possibilities!

Some Recent TTT Posts:

TTT #285| My Favorite TV Shows
TTT #286| Favorite Audiobook Narrators
TTT #287| The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from My Shelf
TTT #288| Books I Recommend to Others the Most
TTT #289 | Things Getting In the Way of Reading

This was a fun topic to think about! I think these are 10 things that almost guarantee that I’ll want to read the book. Do you like any of these tropes? And what is something that makes you pick up a book? Let me know in the comments!

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