Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

All of these things are green lights for me when deciding whether to try a book. The more of them that pop up, the better the chances are of me loving that story!

1. Moderately descriptive writing.

I want to be able to clearly imagine what the characters and settings look like, but I don’t want read Tolkien-like works that describe everything in minute detail over many pages. Yes, some stories need to have long, flowery descriptions in them, but they are generally not my cup of tea.

2. Complex characters

They do not need to be people I’d ever want to spend time with, in real life, but they should have plenty of interesting and surprising layers to their personalities that are slowly peeled back as the storyline progresses.

Character development is one of those things that can pull book down to a low rating or catapult it to a five-star read depending on how well it’s done!

3. Diversity

Diverse reads are automatically pushed to the top of my TBR.

4. Little to no romance

Kudos to all of the romance readers out there! While I do sometimes enjoy books that have a dash of romance sometimes, I prefer characters who pursue other goals in life most of the time.

5. Lots of platonic relationships

This is something I’d be thrilled to see a lot more of in stories in general. Show me the relationships between relatives, coworkers, friends, enemies, acquaintances, neighbors, and more. I love seeing how character relate to each other in these moments. The more complicated things are between everyone, the better.

I also find it much more interesting to read romances that develop from longterm friendships because that’s how I ended up falling in love with my spouse.

6. Short stories or novellas

While I do enjoy longer works as well, my sweet spot is something that can be read in an afternoon.

7. Historical accuracy

Whether it’s historical fiction, a biography, or a nonfiction work about the past, I want it to be as historically accurate as possible.

8. Puns

The cozy mystery genre excels at coming up with all sorts of puns for their titles. I wish this trend would spread to other genres more often. I love it.

9. Scientific accuracy

Hard science fiction is difficult to write but so much fun to read. I love stopping a chapter or two into these sorts of books to research anything from cordyceps to what astronauts are actually trained to do to see where the line truly is between fiction and fact.

Sometimes there is a lot of fiction added when you’re talking about a TV show like The Last of Us, but it still taught me all sorts of interesting things about how some species of cordyceps infect certain species of ants. In other cases, stories like Andy Weir’s The Martian are surprisingly accurate in the majority of their scenes!

10.Playful use of tropes.

It’s always cool to see authors acknowledge the tropes in their genres and then play around with them in unusual ways or even gently poke fun of them.

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Here are ten things that are currently getting in the way of me reading more.

1. The Outdoors

This is the time of year when I want to spend as many hours out in the nice weather as possible.

2. A Reading Slump

Spring is a common time of year for me to have a reading slump. I generally feel more interested in books again once the weather heats up and it’s less fun to be outdoors all day.

3. Seasonal Allergies

4. Trouble Sleeping

My seasonal allergies are in full swing, and that can mean some sniffly nights if the pollen counts are really high or if I accidentally forget to take my medication for it.

5. A Little Bored with Many New Releases

This is something I’m saying with all of the kindness in the world and with the knowledge that it is a me problem just as much – and maybe even more – than it is a publishing or author problem. You see, I’ve been reading speculative fiction for so many years that it’s pretty hard to surprise me these days. Maybe taking a break from this genre will help me be more excited about it in the future?

6. Documentaries

Lately, I’ve been much more interested in nonfiction than I have been in fiction. There are so many amazing documentaries out there!

7. Mental Health

I’ve been struggling with some anxiety and sadness this year. When I do want to read, I’m more interested in cheerful stories than I ever was before.

8. Films and TV Shows

There are so many interesting things out there to watch.

9. My Own Writing

On a more positive note, I’ve been trying to spend more time writing my own stories. Sometimes it can be hard to find a balance there, but I have high hopes.

10. Long Walks

One of the things that helps lift my mood is taking a long walk. The neighborhood I live in has a lot of advantages, but it can be a little rough around the edges. Since I am a woman, I don’t feel comfortable listening to audiobooks while I walk in that area. I’d rather know exactly what’s going on around me at all times even though it’s pretty safe here most of the time.