My friends and family will probably say, “What makes you not pick up a book?” It’s true — I am incredibly drawn to them. A whole world exists in such a small footprint. But there are a few things that make a book irresistible to me.
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader
It’s by an author I know.
If I am browsing a shelf and I see a book title I don’t recognize by an author I do, I will give it a look. Even if I didn’t like the author’s other work, I’m usually interested to see if this seems similar or a departure.
It’s old.
Especially if it has an embossed and ornate cover. I just have to run my hand over it.
It looks like it will smell good.
Yeah, I’m not above sticking my nose in a book and taking a big sniff. How do you not?
It has a weird title.
Favorites include The Strumpet Wind and Galahad: Enough of His Life to Explain His Reputation. I’m not making those up.
It’s a Victorian Gothic ghost story.
I can’t resist at least giving it a try. I never get enough of them. If there is poison, inheritances, lost ships, gaslighting or an abandoned manor house, I’m in.
It’s an imprint I’ve come to admire.
I’m not a publisher snob by an means, but there are some imprints that I have found have wonderful books. Pushkin Vertigo publishes international classic crime and I’ve gone down the rabbit hole for the British Library’s Tales of the Weird series.
It’s in the bargain bin.
Obviously I frequent bookstores — new and used — but I also have to check out yard sales and library sales! You never know what treasure is at the bottom of the clearance shelf.
It’s pretty.
I won’t buy a book because it’s pretty, but I will probably pick it up. Clothbound, deckle edges, interesting cover art, cool typography — they’re like a magnet.
I’m stuck somewhere and somehow don’t have my own book (or Kindle) with me.
My brain gets bored pretty quickly. If I’m waiting for something, I like to be doing the crossword or reading. I will get desperate and grab the nearest reading material.
It’s an old favorite.
It’s hard to reread when there are so many new books waiting for me, but sometimes I just need a comfort read. I read Sherlock Holmes over and over. P.G. Wodehouse too. Curling up with a comfortably worn copy of a favorite book can’t be beat.
Why do you pick up a book?
Oh my God I’m so soft for Victorian/Gothic ghosty books. I will pick up almost anything in that genre, or that seems inspired by that genre, and even when it’s bad I often enjoy it anyway. Luv that Gothic style.