top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Titles or Covers that Enticed Me to Buy/Read the Book

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.


Good morning friends! How was your last week for everyone? Here in Canada, we had a long weekend so Iโ€™m happy that this is a short work week. Meant I could also focus more on reading and blogging which is always great.

This weekโ€™s TTT was a fun no-brainer to amass titles. These are books that I felt this connection for right away, whether it was the title or the cover. Yes, they always say Donโ€™t judge a book by its coverโ€ฆ.but we all know that we do it subconsciously anyway. Sometimes it totally works in our favour as there are so many gorgeous cover art, but of course, it helps that the story inside is just as gorgeous in its storytelling.

Without further ado, here are just several titles I have bought on a whim and/or wanted to read right away from its cover and title alone.

1. Dream A Little Dream by Kerstin Gier

The title and cover just screamed Alice in Wonderland to me with its whimsical dream-like connotation and the key-shaped hole the girl disappeared in. I mean, who doesnโ€™t want to see where this girl will lead us?

2. The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

I love the fake dating trope and the title says it all. I didnโ€™t even know how it was going to be executed to know that I wanted to read this right away. I went out to the store and got myself a copy later that day. Plus, it helps that the colour palette of the cover was very pleasing to my eye.

3. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

Okay, to be honest, the very first moment I saw this I was in the bookstore with a friend. She was very dubious about such a book. I mean, are they witches that tell the truth? What next? Witches that wield fire and water? (She actually hit that on the nail). But I couldnโ€™t shake this book out of my mind so I returned a week later and got myself a copy after all.

4. To All the Boys Iโ€™ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Firstly, the title was unique. How many boys were we going to meet and potentially fall for? But also, this was at a time where I didnโ€™t see many protagonists who looked like me in YA literature. I loved seeing an Asian girl on the cover. Plus, I really liked the aesthetic of her bedroom.

5. Crash / Bang / Gasp by Lisa McMann

This series piqued my interest from the beginning, not only because I read previous books by the author, but because of these covers! Like, look at these gorgeous beauties! The minimal aesthetic is everything, but also the detail in the eyes relating to the title. Why wouldnโ€™t I want to pick this up right away?

6. Frostfire by Amanda Hocking

I didnโ€™t even know initially this was a sequel series to previous series the author wrote in the same world, but I loved the cover so much! The winter scene contrasted with the girl in the middle so nicely and I knew I needed to borrow a copy of this immediately.

7. Control by Lydia Kang

The cover was gorgeous even though the title didnโ€™t initially entice me. It made me think of an experiment, and being from a science background, I knew I had to see what this was all about.

8. Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas

Similar to the title above, I felt the cover looked like it had a science-y feel to it and that definitely intrigued me. And the title gave me royalty drama vibes that had me curious right off the bat.

9. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Okay, who wouldnโ€™t be curious from that title? I normally think insta-love is cringey and unrealistic. But throw in the stats word and Iโ€™m hooked! Just say I was always primed for the statistical career path, but I knew I had to figure out if whatever couple featured in this story would be able to get together from โ€œlove at first sightโ€.

10. Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Last but not least, knowing me, why would I not automatically love everything about this cover and title?? Iโ€™m not normally a zombies fan – they can be so gruesome and gory which is not my style – but I had a good feeling that this would be character driven instead of solely plot driven like in an apocalyptic zombie thriller. So I bought it right away and havenโ€™t looked back since.


What did you all think about my choices? Would you pick up any of these books based on their title and cover alone?

Since I havenโ€™t linked to any of my reviews of these books to this post, what is your honest answer? (But if you are curious about their synopses, you can find their reviews on this blog by using the search bar).

Until next time!

top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Iโ€™d Want with Me While Stranded on Deserted Island

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.


Happy Tuesday, everyone. I hope everyoneโ€™s weeks has started off well. Iโ€™ve had a busy weekend that was a nice change as I got to see some friends, some for the very first time in person instead of on a screen. However, this is the exact opposite of this weekโ€™s TTT topic. What would you bring with you if you were stranded on a deserted island? Maybe no one wants to think about being back in isolation again, but at least books have always been some good companions for me through the toughest times.

So, what factors would influence you in choosing books to take with you on a deserted island? (If, of course, you knew beforehand youโ€™re about to be stranded and could chooseโ€ฆthough I suppose no one would want to voluntarily choose to be stranded).

As for me? I think youโ€™ll see one or two particular trends come up in my selections. Can you guess what that is?

1. Night World (series) by L.J. Smith

2. Bloodline (series) by Richelle Mead

3. The Host by Stephenie Meyer

4. Cinder (series) by Marissa Meyer

5. If Iโ€™m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

6. The Dark Artifices series by Cassandra Clare

7. The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare

8. Stalking Jack the Ripper (series) by Kerri Maniscalco

9. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

10. The Mediator (series) by Meg Cabot


If you guessed page length, then youโ€™re absolutely correct. I mean, fantasy wouldโ€™ve been a great guess otherwise but I would be rather bored if I ran out of things to read so LENGTH is key.

As for the one anomaly out of the 10 selections above? Can you isolate it? Well, letโ€™s just say I would want something lighter that makes my heart smile to bring my thoughts away from the sadness that is being stranded on a deserted island. Not a beautiful tropical vacation paradise.

What would you want to read if you were stranded somewhere alone?

top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I (Would) Read in 1 Sitting

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.


Good morning everyone! Itโ€™s been hectic in my house still with the arrival of my new dog, but everyoneโ€™s doing well so far and most things have remained intact this last week. Thankfully todayโ€™s TTT is something easy to think about and always a pleasure to advertise some of my favourite books.

Do you typically read a certain genre in one sitting? Or the only criteria is that youโ€™re really enjoying it? Iโ€™m such a mood reader that itโ€™s all over the place for me, and not always predictable, but I find that these 10 books captured my heart along the way.

Letโ€™s begin!

1. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (genre: science fiction)

  • This book is so long (probably the longest Iโ€™ve read in my life), but the characters just come to life, especially after the first 200 pages that I couldnโ€™t help but race to the end to see what happens to everyone I care about.

2. The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell (genre: historical fantasy)

  • Magic, time travel, mystery and more! It was such a good combination of subterfuge and falling for the person you shouldnโ€™t care for, and plenty of intrigue set in 1920s Manhattan that made it such a unique experience to keep reading.

3. The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman (genre: historical fantasy)

  • A darker fantasy for sure, but filled with stories about a kickass woman who fought demons disguised as men better than any man could, plus a HUGE side of romance I could cheer for was a recipe that wouldnโ€™t let me go.

4. Love, Life and the List by Kasie West (genre: contemporary)

  • One of my favourite contemporaries with a trope I love and find super rare (best friends to lovers), this was the perfect amount of romantic tension and self-discovery that led me reading at all sorts of odd hours I should really not have been in order to see their story through. And it did NOT disappoint!

5. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (genre: historical mystery)

  • I love a good mystery, but one that is set in historical London featuring one of the most notorious serial killers just had my attention from page one. Fast-paced and filled with twists I did not foresee, this heroine I loved kept me entertained as the mystery came to its conclusive end.

6. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (genre: historical fantasy)

  • While any Shadowhunter book could have fit into this spot to be honest, I have a soft spot for the first historical prequel series although I absolutely hate love triangles. I still have such fond memories of actually reading this in one go because I loved the setting and the characters of the triangle so much (even through my intense dislike for the unnecessary love triangle itself).

7. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (genre: fantasy)

  • Unique and darkly enriched with an entertaining magical world within Yaleโ€™s campus, the strategic unfolding of the main story arc and central mystery kept me flipping faster and faster so I could understand what happened to our protagonist and how they were going to fix whatever magical killer had been unleashed among them.

8. A Good Girlโ€™s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (genre: mystery)

  • I did, in fact, pull an all-nighter to finish reading this one because the mystery was great and I honestly could not predict who the killer was for the longest time. I loved the protagonist and her quest to clear someoneโ€™s name, at the expense of her own safety, and my heart was pounding with hers the whole way through!

9. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins (genre: contemporary)

  • Featuring a couple I fell in love with from the start, I longed to see how they would/could make a relationship work between them amidst all the obstacles that seemed to be in their way. Itโ€™s a simple concept but executed in the best possible way that still leaves a good feeling in me after all this time.

10. If Iโ€™m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (genre: contemporary)

  • A recent read for me (review coming soon!), I loved the concept of a mean girl trying to become better without changing herself into someone sheโ€™s genuinely not, and falling for the guy that doesnโ€™t fit anywhere in her plans – especially when he thinks of her as his enemy!

And thatโ€™s a wrap! Are you all over the place with genre? Do you typically read shorter books in one sitting? Or does none of this matter as long as you fell in love with the story?