Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke & The Bookish.
Welcome back to Top 10 Tuesday! Last week I had a lot of fun thinking and talking about some of the most unique books I've ever read. I talked about everything from Kiersten White's imagining of the Vlad the Impaler as Lada the Impaler to Rainbow Rowell and Joyce Carol Oates.
And this week is super fun, too. Today we're talking about the top ten things that will make us instantly want to read a book. It can be anything from words in the summaries, to aspects of the cover, to being recommended by a certain person--just anything that will certainly guarantee that you pick up that book!
Here are the top ten things that are essentially Ashley-bait.
Retelling: Especially of myths or fairy tales. This is my ultimate weakness, hence why it's #1. I've loved retellings ever since I was a little girl and read the Big Bad Wolf's version of The Three Little Pigs.
Reimagining: This is part of the Retelling genre, imo, but with slight differences, such as a stronger focus on reimagining historical events (like, "What if Vlad the Impaler had been a woman?").
Enemies to Lovers: Maybe you can resist these romances, but I certainly can't. It usually indicates some smart-assed characters and deeply satisfying fights.
Love Triangles: I know I'm in the minority here, and I'm not even arguing that these books AREN'T boring most of the time. But sometimes they work so well you can't even believe it, and I always keep holding out hope for that next surprise.
Mythology: I'm not talking about retellings of myths here, exactly, as much as books with their own deeply rooted myths. It can also just be books about mythology in general. Any connection, really. Just gimme.
Forbidden Romance: Like enemies-to-lovers stories, the forbidden romance is another story of unlikely love happening DESPITE ALL ODDS. What's not to love?
Road Trip: These are particularly popular in young adult and new adult novels, and I can't resist them.
Study Abroad: I especially love study abroad stories set in college years because then you know you're getting a romance set in an exotic locale.
Historical Romance (Victorian, Regency, Duke, Lord, Lady, Scottish Highlands, and so on and so forth forever): I've always loved historical romances, the cheesier and more full of super basic tropes the better. I did start to get tired of them recently but then found Tessa Dare, who is so much fun I can't stand it.
Dark Past: Once I read "a man/woman/stranger with a dark past" it's going to be hard for me to turn away. This is usually a signal for an angsty romance, which could easily be #11 on this list, if I were to make this list 11 long.
Do our lists overlap at all? Let me know below, or let me know if you have any recommendations for great books that fall in any of (or many of) those buckets!
Check out other Top 10 Tuesday Posts:
Thanks again to The Broke & The Bookish for another Top Ten Tuesday.