Top Ten Tuesday used to be a weekly post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, but was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl. “It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.” This is definitely something I can understand and want to participate in.

The topic for today is supposed to be book events or festivals that I’d love to go to someday. However, I’m not really a huge fan of big gatherings. So I decided to revisit a past topic that I didn’t do the first time around and give that one a go instead.

This week, I’m going to talk about traits that I love to see in characters.

Loves books — I always find a character more endearing when they love books and reading.

Loves dogs — Even if a character is a pretty big jerk, if they love dogs and treat them really well, they get a lot of brownie points in my book. Besides, I firmly believe that dogs can tell a lot about people, so if dogs like them, there’s got to be *something* good about them!

Snarky or sarcastic — Maybe it’s my own inner snark, but I love a sarcastic, snarky character. Witty banter is irresistible to me.

Intelligence — Come on, who doesn’t love a smart character? Especially if they’re attractive or the kind of character who always gets underestimated. I read a lot of books with strong female characters, and I love when they’re the brains of the operation.

Grouchy but also a cinnamon roll — There’s something about a character who is such a grump but underneath all the layers turns out to be a total cinnamon roll. Extra points if they’re sensitive too.

Doesn’t conform — I love seeing characters who refuse to fit into the little boxes that they’re expected to stay in. Characters who break the mold and do things they aren’t supposed to, fall in love with the person they shouldn’t, or buck societal expectations are my faves.

Doesn’t have their life all together — All aboard the hot mess express! Is it weird that I like when characters are practically falling apart? Hear me out, I think the allure is because I get to see things come together for them, and celebrate with them.

Isn’t afraid to be who they are — A character who is unapologetic about who they are is amazing. It takes a lot of strength and self-acceptance to be who you are even when it isn’t easy, and I think that is a message that always carries over into our world, no matter what genre you read.

Generous — I always admire a character who is generous and kind. You know, the one who doesn’t have anything but will still share with someone who is equally poor. The characters who give me hope for humanity, even when I don’t see it too often in the real world.

Humor — This is a character that I like equally in books and in real life. If a character can make me laugh, I’m probably going to enjoy the book a lot more than I normally would.

What are some character traits that make a character irresistible to you?