Book Hooks

I have been reading other's blogs about what things draw us to the fiction books we read. I like this idea, so I decided to write my own list of "book hooks":

1. Libraries/librarians - If there is a character in a book who is a librarian, I look further.

2. The beach - I love going to the beach, so I like reading about the beach (any beach!).

3. A murder/crime scene - I am fascinated by psychotic minds, so books about killers and what motivates them are quite interesting to me.

4. Books - If the main character is a reader, I (of course) can identify strongly with him/her.

5. Redemption - Books with a redemptive theme catch my eye. This does not always have to be someone's conversion (for example, Christian salvation), but if the character/situation is "redeemed" in the end, I am most satisfied.

6. Writers - Writers, just like librarians and readers, make good characters (maybe this is because I am all three of these).

7. American Civil War - I have been intrigued by this time period since I was in grade school. Gone With the Wind used to be my favorite movie.

8. World War II - This time period is my second favorite. I'm not sure why.

9. Scrapbooking - I have not found many books that include scrapbooking in the plot (although I did enjoy the Sisters, Ink series by Rebeca Seitz).

10. Christian characters - I like this ONLY if the characters are real people with real problems, not some stereotype whose life is always "perfect".

This is only a partial list, but I'll share some more at another time. In the meantime, what are your "book hooks"? What is it about a book's plot/characters that make you want to pick it up and read? And, now that you know mine, what books do you recommend for me to read? I'd love to hear from you!

Other blogger's book hooks:

Word Lily likes coffee, knitting....
Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness) likes journalists, feminism....
Ms. Bookish likes detectives, museums....
Stella Matutina likes family, ghosts....
Book Nut likes photography, France....
Magistramater likes homesteading , Scotland....

(Thanks to Semicolon for this idea and the list of other bloggers)