TOP TEN TUESDAY: 10 THINGS THAT MAKE ME PICK UP A BOOK

Man, I really came out of that recent blog layout and style change with the best possible intentions, didn't I? Now, I'm finally emerging from this massively soul-crushing reading slump, to realize that I haven't posted new content in almost a month. Good gracious!

Don't worry, though: I'm reporting to you live on vacation, where I'm basking in the dual warmth of having taken a blistering-hot shower (after two days of extensive hiking and long walks), as well as the afterglow of a really fantastic Oregon-produced marionberry cider, and I'm ready to get back to this whole blog-writing gig I've been hanging tough with for the past nearly-nine years.

And truly, nothing makes that easier than a really good writing prompt, and "Top Ten Tuesday," hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, is really here to deliver today. Ever wonder what ten things will make me want to pick up a book? Well, your suspense is about to pay off:

1. An appealing cover

Yeah, it's not an original concept, but as it turns out, the majority of people will openly admit to picking up reads based on how inviting and interesting their cover is (or at least reading the back cover, too). I'm definitely not an exception to that rule; in fact, one of the biggest bummers about my modest shelf space, is that I'm not able to properly display my favorites at home.

2. A favored author... specifically, Jennifer Egan, Neil Gaiman, Libba Bray, and V. E. Schwab

These tried, tested, and true names are ones that have proven their prowess to me across time and titles, and sometimes, even genres. My chances of picking up a book will increase wildly should I recognize they came from one of these trusted sources.

3. Shakespearean and Mythological adaptations

To be very honest, if this were high school Savannah answering this question, this would have read "Fairy Tale adaptations," instead. The thing is, I love seeing what people can do with familiar tropes and stories, commuting them to a new setting and environment, set of reality "rules," or even time period. (I've been following the rise of Hadestown for two years now, because the words "musical Orpheus and Eurydice retelling" nearly smacked me across the face way back in 2016.)

4. Pirates

I am not a complicated human: I've only ever lived in two different port towns, I was raised on seafaring stories, and if I ever moved to a landlocked state, I think I'd die of heartbreak. Ching Shih, Grace O'Malley, and Anne Bonny and Mary Read were all childhood names to me. I live for pirates.

5. Food nonfiction

Again, not a complicated human. Food is both delicious and necessary for survival, and has served as an endless source of inspiration and interest to me across my life thus far. Not only that, but it's a meaningful measurement of things like relationships and community, social traditions, and cultural significance, and like music and math, it touches the lives of everyone. Who wouldn't want to read about it?

6. Fellow reader social media recs

That's only the header for this paragraph because the phase #BookstagramMadeMeDoIt is honestly kind of ugly. But it's an ugly truth: I am infinitely more likely to purchase a book, if I've seen it artfully arranged in a cool flat lay, posed surrounded by masterfully chosen props, or held aloft in the arms of a fellow reader I admire. I've said it before, but there was absolutely nothing about Frederick Backman's Beartown that spoke to me... until I saw it hanging around people I think are cool. Now it's sitting on my TBR shelf.

7. It's going to be a TV show

As someone who doesn't love to binge television, it is actually kind of comical, the lengths I will go to to read a book, if I know it's becoming or has already been translated to a different form of media. I read the whole Lev Grossman Magicians series, because I wanted to watch the TV show; same goes for the upcoming Amazon Prime version of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet's Good Omens.

8. It's being offered at a discount

Hello, Book Outlet! How's it going, Goodwill? Basically, most of my purchases these days come from either serious price-slashers, or they've been found secondhand. I'll literally sort through editions at Powell's, and gauge whether things like wear-and-tear or slight water damage is worth getting a copy that's marginally cheaper.

9. It brings to mind where I would read it

Okay, I'm fully aware that this is going to sound absolutely nuts, but if I pick up a title, read a couple of pages and think, "I'd read this on a rainy day," or "This would make a really great late-summer vacation read," I am way more likely to carry it all the way to the cash register. I guess it's kind of like positive visualization: if the book is easily factored into a mood or setting I know I'll be experiencing later, then I know how it could potentially be a good fit into my life. Does that make sense?

10. Someone told me to

This is kind of like that whole Bookstagram thing, but a lot more opaque: according to Gretchen Rubin's Better than Before, I am absolutely an "Obliger," aka, someone who thrives on external validation and engagement in accomplishing my goals. I'm already going to be reading and racking up those Goodreads numbers, anyways; if you tell me you want me to read something, chances are, it's a lot closer to being on my shelves. (It's how my brother finally got me to commit to reading Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows.)

What's in YOUR Top Ten? Let me know, in the comments below!