SFF: The 5 Books That Had You at "Hello"

Sunday Fun Five #49:

#40: The 5 Books You Want to Read Before 2015 Ends

#41: The 5 Characters from Books You're Grateful For

#42: The 5 Bookish Charities Santa Claus Approves Of

#43: The 5 New To You Authors' Books You Want to Read in 2016

#44: The 5 Literary Characters that Feel Like Your Old Friends

#45: The 5 Authors You Won't Shut Up About

#46: The 5 Series You Want to Finish Reading... Someday

#47: The 5 Books You Want a Physical Copy Of

#48: The 5 Paper Books You Treasure Most
#49: The 5 Books That Had You at "Hello"
For the 27th of March: #50: The 5 Résumé-Worthy Talents of the Average Book Blogger

A Countdown of

The 5 Books That Had You at "Hello"

Seldom do I sit down and start reading a book until I have to sleep/eat/do human things, but with these books, well... they were very hard for me to put down once I polished off the first chapter.

5. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Usually, longer books don't hold my attention too well with their beginnings because I know I'm in for a long read, but this one was different. Maybe it was the setting or the mythology, but something about it was just magical- it had me hooked.

4. Vicious (Vicious #1) by V.E. Schwab 
I had been anticipating reading this book for what seemed like ages until I was able to get it for a decent price. Generally, that means my expectations are too high to be met, but not with this book. Maybe because I'm a supervillain at heart?

3. The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter (The Fall of the Gas-lit Empire #1) by Rod Duncan
My favorite alternate history/steampunk crossdresser, Elizabeth Barnabus, had me salivating over her adventures from the start. I hadn't known what to expect going in to read this book, and that's likely why I liked it so much and why it was so addictive. It was very much my cup of coffee.

2. My Man Jeeves (Jeeves #1) by P.G. Wodehouse
This one is unusually well-paced for a classic, perhaps because it is 1) a comedy, 2) short stories, and 3) delightfully zany. It is also a relatively short read, so if it ends up it isn't your thing, you haven't wasted too much time. I was surprised how quickly I gobbled it up- usually, even with books I love, they take a while for me to read.

1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium Trilogy #1) by Stieg Larsson
This one could almost go into the category of macabre thrills like watching a car accident. You can't help but look/read on after a few chapters, wondering what might happen next. When something happens, you think, "No, that couldn't have happened- this has to get happier," a sentiment which continues throughout the book. This one is definitely not for the faint of heart- I felt it the level of content was "worse" than A Game of Thrones... and yet I still enjoyed it.

What are some books that you couldn't stop reading from the first chapter? What was it about them that had you hooked?