Postcard For Reader

Top Ten Words That Instantly Make Me Want A Book

Today's Top Ten Tuesday post is ten words that instantly make me want to pick up a book. Considering that two sprang to mind immediately, I thought - well, why not make this a thing?

Dragon.
(noun) a mythical monster generally represented as a huge, winged reptile with crested head and enormous claws and teeth, and often spouting fire.

I love dragon stories. There's basically nothing I won't read if it has the word 'dragon' in it somewhere. They're my favorite mythological creature and honestly, I've never been truly disappointed by a dragon story. (Maybe once, but I can't even remember the title.)

Cannibalism.
(noun) the ceremonial eating of human flesh or parts of the human body for magical or religious purposes, as to acquire the power or skill of a person recently killed.

Cannibalism fascinates me in some weird and strange way, and I've only ever managed to see one book successfully integrate it into the story. (The Inferior, if you're wondering.) But if another book involving cannibalism, particularly a young adult one - maybe a young sleuth trying to solve a murder? - were to appear, I would probably read it. I know, it's weird.

High fantasy.
(noun) imagination, especially when extravagant and unrestrained.

I love high fantasy stories. I'm easily fascinated by new worlds. Seeing what people have created from the back of their imagination is really fun for me. It's why I can get tired of contemporary but never of fantasy. The same story may be told in fantasy, but the world is always different. Contemporary - well, it's this world. How boring is that?

Assassin.
(noun) a murderer, especially one who kills a politically prominent person for fanatical or monetary reasons.

I think assassins are fascinating; lady assassins are some of my favorite things. I need to read a few YA books recently that have come out with assassin characters. Besides, assassins are just fun in worlds in general. You never know what's going to happen.

Thief.
(noun) a person who steals, especially secretly or without open force.

In the same way that I love assassins, I love thieves; Thief's Covenant is one of my favorite books. I love characters who are beneath the law but not amoral, and thieves are excellent at portraying that. They're also just fun characters.

Queen.
(noun) a woman considered the best or most important of her kind.

I love royalty. I love queens, especially power-hungry ones. (Combine them with the words above and I get deliriously happy - hence why I love Daenerys Targaryen!)

Jane Austen.
(noun) 1775–1817, English novelist.

I love Austen and I love Austen retellings; if her name is plastered on it, there's a good chance that I'll pick it up to see how good it is. And usually, it's not any good. But I still pick them up anyway.

Jane Eyre.
(noun) a novel (1847) by Charlotte Brontë.

I also love Jane Eyre; if a character loves her, I'll pick it up. If it's a retelling, I'll pick it up. If the character magically gets dropped into the world, I'll pick it up. I just really love Jane Eyre.

Steampunk.
(noun) a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy featuring advanced machines and other technology based on steam power of the 19th century and taking place in a recognizable historical period or a fantasy world.

While steampunk isn't enough to make me pick up a book and buy it, it's definitely enough to make me pick it up and look at it. I love the genre, so even though I don't love every book in it, it's interesting.

Beauty and the Beast.
(noun) the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind.
(noun) the crude animal nature common to humans and the lower animals.

I love retellings of Beauty and the Beast; if it's slathered over the front in some way to make me know that it's a retelling, I'll pick it up.

Do any of these make you want to pick up a book?