Thanks to the wonderful Carrie from Reading is my SuperPower and the brilliant minds from The Broke and the Bookish...I have finally decided to jump into the Top Ten Tuesday posts! Yay! It only took me about a year to finally get around to it. Better late than never right? This week's topic will hopefully be enlightening for you...and I am curious to know your answers. So comment below before you skedaddle. 😊
As an avid Bookworm (or dragon) with a TBR pile that is threatening my existence on a daily basis (read more about this struggle on Paper Fury)...It can be a HUGE challenge to decide what books are worthy of my immediate time. However, between the "Hmmming" and "Hawing", I do have a sort of system that I TRY and stick to. Of course there are times when I abandon all reason and pick up a book spontaneously just because I want to. In no particular order...I give you....my Top Ten Reasons I Pick Up a Book!
A Friend's Recommendation
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| My Review |
I have several bookish friends that read WAAAAY more than I do. They KNOW my style and the kinds of books that I swoon over. Hence, when they tell me I NEED to read a book (sometimes they go so far as to actually sending me the book...) I KNOW I have to move it to the "Very Tippy Top" (Nicole Coley) of my list. I am referring to The Lady and the Lionheart by Joanne Bischof in this particular instance. And it is now one of my TOP FOUR FAVORITE BOOKS EVER!!!
The Cover
I admit it...I DO judge a book by its cover. Now, I won't pass up a book just because the cover doesn't call to me...However, if the cover is beyond swoon-worthy...I will put it on my list in a heartbeat! Here are A FEW of my VERY favorite covers (in no particular order)! #coverlove
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| Click the titles below to learn more about these fabulous books! The White Feather Murders | Close to You | A Worthy Heart | The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest At Your Request | Can't Help Falling | Not by Sight | The Lost Girl of Astor Street |
The Genre
I am a SUCKER for Historical Romance (clean) and Young Adult Fiction...If the covers above didn't tell you that already...I have a hard time passing up anything in these two genres. I am slowly adapting to a wider variety...But I will ALWAYS have a soft spot for Historicals. And if it comes down to it, I am more likely to choose Historical or YA over any other genre. (The Thorn Keeper is one of my very favorite books of all time.)
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| Follow the links below to learn more about these books The Thorn Keeper | Leviathan |
A Unique Setting
While the genre has a lot to do with the setting of the book...I am talking about WHERE this book takes place. I am currently reading All of You by Sarah Monzon and WOW! Talk about UNIQUE! Not only is it a split timeline book, jumping back and forth between present day and WWII...But our main female characters are pilots...YES a WWII FEMALE PILOT! I have NEVER EVER read a book with this type of setting and I am COMPLETELY IN LOVE!!! (Granted I had NO idea about the setting when I picked this book up...but that is beside the point.) And this is only ONE unique aspect of this book. You will have to check it out for yourself! You can pre order All of You HERE. Pepper Basham also has wonderfully unique books. Especially her most recent one Just the Way You Are. A Britallachian book that clashes British and Appalachian cultures in a Romantic Comedy! (My Review)
Critical Reviews
As a rule...I don't read reviews on retail sites or Goodreads. But there are times when I do, and if I run across critical reviews that are (to be blunt) pathetic...It immediately makes me want to read the book. While I wholeheartedly agree with everyone having a right to their own opinion...I will NOT stand for people completely tearing down and trashing an author or their book. ESPECIALLY in the Christian Book world. We should instead, state our opinion in a way that allows the author to grow and learn. We should be encouraging and uplifting...Not destructive. Unfortunately, this happens more times than it should. One book that I have bought and read because of this...was For Such a Time by Kate Breslin. This book is now one of my favorites! My Review
The Author
I am VERY LOYAL to "My Authors" and it is very likely that I will read ANYTHING published (or not published) by certain authors. A few of those FABULOUS people are listed below. Chances are I would read their grocery list written on a napkin if it came down to it. In fact Pepper Basham DID write a grocery list...(items inspired by her books of course)...
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| Click on the author's name below to learn more about their books. Jen Turano | Pepper Basham Jody Hedlund | Kate Breslin | Kristy Cambron |
Publishing House
I will 100% read a book from a different publishing house or an Indie published book. But THESE houses tend to produce the majority of the books I am drawn to. I trust the quality and the content wholeheartedly.
Author Recommendation
While I do consider many authors personal friends of mine...Their opinions are usually held at a different level for me. Not higher necessarily, but their insight is simply from a different point of view. Recently Rachel McMillan kept talking about The Lost Girl of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill. And I adore Rachel's books (Herringford & Watts Mysteries)! Therefore, even though I was swamped with reviews and life and adulting, I disregarded all reason and I decided I should give this book a try. I AM SO GLAD I DID!!! Check out my review HERE. 
The Title
Sometimes you just find a title that SPEAKS to you...Saying "YOU MUST READ ME!!!" Kristy Cambron's books do that to me...I mean how can I say no to The Ringmaster's Wife or The Illusionist's Apprentice? A book I recently bought purely because of the title (well and cover...and possibly the general theme...) is Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly. I know nothing about the book...except that it is an original story based off of Beauty and the Beast. (The 2017 movie is INCREDIBLE by the way...I am currently listening to the soundtrack for the 500 millionth time since I saw it in theatres a month ago. My review can be found HERE.) I look forward to getting lost in THIS book SOON!!! 
The Tag Line
I do NOT read book blurbs...you know the synopsis on the back of books? Ya...avoid them like the plague. (I apologize to authors everywhere, because I know how much work you put into writing those.) I can not abide spoilers...of ANY kind! I would rather jump in blind and sort things out as I go. I much prefer an unbiased, unspoiled opinion as I go in. HOWEVER, a good tag line is ALWAYS fun! Like with Mikal Dawn's upcoming book Count Me In (see below)! THAT combined with the AMAZING cover...and the fact that I ADORE Mikal...This book went on my TBR faster than my little fingers could type this sentence.
And there you have it my friends! Typically it is a combination of these items that will cause me to want to read a book IMMEDIATELY. But there are times when a book just stands out to me a screams my name! (Seriously, I hear it saying, "RAAAAAAACHELLLLLL......REEEEEEEEAAAAAAAD MEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!" How do you say no to that?) What about you? What makes you decide to read a book? I would love to hear your thoughts below!
