The Broke and The Bookish are asking us this week what are the Top Ten Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy/Pick Up A Book. I don't think any particular word or topic will make me automatically buy a book, but there are some that will make me at least pick it up. I am drawn to these topics for different reasons. They are genres that I've found many loved stories, or they call to me and my personal history. In no particular order, here are the top ten topics I'm drawn too.
1. Dystopian - This comes from reading -and loving- The Handmaid's Tale and 1984. They are classic dystopian to me. It's why I picked up The Hunger Games.
2. Immigrant/Immigration - My parents immigrated to this country (separately, they met here). Reading other immigration stories, I feel, gives me an insight into what they and my many relatives went through. It's why I picked up The Book of Ifs and Buts (plus I really liked the title).
3. Caribbean: Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica, St. Lucia, etc. - Anything from the country my family is from, and the surrounding areas, will at least get me to pick up the book.
4. Multi-Racial/Bi-Racial - Again, this has to do with my family. It's the reason I wanted to read Prismatic.
5. Myths - I enjoy myth retellings/interpretations. This will get me to look at the book, even if I don't buy it.
6. Zombies - This is a recent thing. I don't buy a ton, because I can only read so much of one genre, but after World War Z and The Walking Dead I seem to be picking up Zombie fiction more and more.
7. Short Stories - I love short stories collections, whether from one single author, like Stephen King's Everything's Eventual or from many authors, like Forty Stories. Single author collections are great because sometimes you don't need a whole novel to tell a tale. Multi-author anthologies are also great because it's an easy way to get a taste of authors you've never read before.
Wow, it's been a while since I couldn't come up with ten. I'm not an overly picky book shopper. I buy loads of books. Hmm...
What words/topics appeal to you?
Very interesting list. It is always nice to read stories that you can relate to. And of course, ZOMBIES :) Excellent list!
ReplyDeleteYay Zombies! (Or, Oh No! depending on your perspective.)
DeleteI haven't read to many retellings of myths, but the ones I have read I've enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed most of the novels from the Canongate Myth Series. All by different authors. It's quite interesting.
DeleteWe share a love of dystopian books! Thanks for stopping by! Great list!
ReplyDeleteDystopians are awesome (as long as they're original).
DeleteI also love books that feature multi or bi-racial characters. Although I haven't come across that many.
ReplyDeleteI haven't either, but Prismatic is okay, if you like Dystopians too.
DeleteI love all of those except 1 and 6 - wish I'd thought to include short stories on my list.
ReplyDeleteI'm always picking up Short Story collections. I have to suppress the urge to buy all the ones I find.
DeleteNice to know about the Trinidadian-Canadian writer, author of The Book of Ifs and Buts...
ReplyDeleteI keep meaning to read more by him, I even own one of his novels, it just keeps getting put off.
DeleteThe Book of Ifs and Buts was fantastic though.