August 21, 2018

Tell Me Something Tuesday: What Things Are You Drawn to When Choosing Your Next Read?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.
Here is what is on deck this week:

WHAT THINGS ARE YOU DRAWN TO WHEN CHOOSING YOUR NEXT READ?

Well...NOT the cover, for sure. Unlike most of my fellow readers/bloggers, I'm totally cover-blind LOL. I mean, it's not like I don't notice if it's good or bad, but I've never been drawn to a book because of its cover.

What then?


  1. Afterlife setting, or dead/undead character. I'm a sucker for a character who a) is dead, but still lives an (un)life of sorts in the everafter, or b) still walks the earth as a ghost, or c) comes back but is not technically alive anymore. It's not like I would read EVERY SINGLE BOOK with these characteristics, because some may not appeal to me for a number of reason - but it's a great starting point, and most of the times, they do. Favourite books I've read in these three subgenres so far: a) the Balance series by C.W. Snyder; b) Remember Me by Christopher Pike; c) the Deadgirl series by B.C. Johnson.
  2. Time travel/multiverse. Though, sadly, most multiverse novels end up not appealing to me when I find out they're romance-driven. But the very mention of multiverse in a blurb never fails to have me looking into the book. As for time travel - I was a fan long before Doctor Who entered my life (that is, one year, seven months and three weeks ago, but who's counting. And WHY THE HECK did I resist it so long? Ah, right, I thought it had cheesy monsters...). I'm a lover of paradoxes and impossibilities 😉. Whereas most people escape their (maybe dull) everyday life by romance, I do the same by switching times and places - or at least by getting to pay them a short visit...Favourite time travel book I've read so far: Singing the Dogstar Blues by Alison Goodman; favourite multiverse book I've read so far: The Switch by A.W. Hill & Nathanael Hill.
  3. Male/female friendship (without second means, but I'll accept a dancing-over-the-line one if done properly). Favourite M/F friendship book so far (despite the misleading title): Sweethearts by Sara Zarr.
  4. I'm not going to list all the minutia here, but there are a number of random things that can pique my interest in a blurb, usually weird ones...


Well, that's it for now. And if you're interested in participating, here is the TMST prompt list for the last week of August and the whole month of September:
  • August 28th: Does it bother you when a book cover doesn't fit the characters in the book?
  • September 4th: Back to school: what were some of your favourite required reading books in school?
  • September 11th: Picks for fall 2018
  • September 18th: What do you love about fall reading?
  • September 25th: Love your library post
My next TMST will be on August 28th. Are you in too?

Now tell me something...which is/are the magic ingredient(s) that compel you to pick up a book?

12 comments:

  1. the synopsis for one is a draw and the cover too. I have discovered great books because of their cover, a good cover does help the attraction

    also, if the reviews are in favor of the book or if some elements are there such as magic, books, sarcasm, humor, character traits, so basically almost everything

    sometimes I read excerpts - those one the ones that really gets me to read a book. I have at times pick up books at random and flip to a page and read the excerpt and if I like it, I read that book. so it's random sometimes but these days with the internet, you can't help but find books by word of mouth. & I read a lot of book blogs.

    have a lovely day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I read excerpt too! Most people prefer to go into a book totally blind - some don't even read the synopsis! - but I believe in "tasting" the prose and seeing if it works for me. I have sometimes erased books from my TBR list, even if I was drawn to them by the blurb. And I read a lot of book blogs too, plus a lot of reviews on Goodreads.

      You too have a lovely day! Your blog is new to me - I'll visit it ASAP!

      Delete
  2. You should read comics if you like time travel, parallel universe, or multiverse. It's pretty much an every day occurrence, haha.

    Have you read A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Grey? I think you'd enjoy it.

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've never been drawn to comics...NOT because I consider them a lesser form of art (as some probably do). I just can't seem to fix my eyes on the illustrations...I need words, words, words LOL.

      I had that series on my TBR list once...unless I found out it was heavy on romance. Because of course 😉😂.

      Delete
  3. Cover blind??!! Wow. I scroll through lists of books, and if there is no cover, I won't even pause to read the synopsis. So, I am essentially the opposite of you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I know - I'm a black sheep LOL. If a title is intriguing enough, though, it can pique my interest even before there is a blurb. Of course, I will read tons of reviews once the blurb itself has been revealed...

      Delete
  4. Please lend me your cover blindness because I could use it, haha. THEY'RE DECEIVING LITTLE... I'll hush now.

    I try to judge by the synopsis if I can - anything that smells of obviously horrible trope is something to avoid. 😂 Oh and reviews... Especially one I'm on the fence about. Some might say reviews shouldn't be whether or not you read a book but I think it helps make that decision (AND THERE ARE SO MANY BOOKS - I'M BUSY).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL, ditto to all this. Also...reviews aren't just a way to discuss books among those who have already read them - are they? I know they've saved me a bunch of ill-matched reads...

      Delete
  5. Ooh, I also like male/female friendships, though nothing warms my heart quite as much as female/female friendships, OR a really great male/male friendship, OR really any well-written friendship. I think you RTed my tweet about The Darkest Minds, and ah, the friendship was SO GOOD in that, because each character was so different from the others. I love when significantly different personalities can work together, and become super-close. Another good example is The Naturals series - I actually think you'd like those books, it's like Criminal Minds for teens, but I think you've seen me talking about it before. Anyhow, the characters start off roughly, but by the end they are A FAMILY, and it is SO BEAUTIFUL. *cries* Great post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Friendship in books has always been a bit overlooked so far, but maybe things are changing? More often than not, girls/women got pitted against each other for the male interest, which is NOT OK. Let's hope 2019 will bring us less love triangles and more friendships!

      Delete
  6. This may sound weird but NOTHING about a book can excited me unless I'm in the mood for it. I can appreciate the elements, but I need to be in the mood for, say, fantasy, to be able to pick up one of that genre. Mood-reader much?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL, that's something I've never experimented.

      Delete

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