By this point you probably know that I’m a writer. But did
you know I’m also an avid reader? I try to keep track of everything I read on
Goodreads but each month I miss a few.
I’m not afraid to start a book and 10, 20, even 50 pages
later, put it down.
I thought I’d share with you today the qualities I find in
the books that keep me reading all the way until the end.
{Warning…I’m about to do a ton of name dropping—or make that
title dropping in this post.}
Fascinating Characters
Immediately Mudbound
and The Poisonwood Bible come to
mind. Such expert delineation of multiple voices in these works.
I also got quickly attached to the characters in Belong to Me. Introduce me to a curious,
engaging, or witty character, likeable or maybe not so likeable, to start and
I’m hooked.
Plot That’s Going Somewhere
Stories like Defending
Jacob and Sister had me turning
pages faster than my fingers could move. A strong plot has an exceptional pull
that’s nearly impossible to resist.
Rich Concept
Uh…The Giver,
anyone? I have no idea what took me so long to read this wonder of a book, but
the moment I finished the last page I felt like I stumbled upon a majestic
treasure. I felt thrilled the rest of the world had the opportunity to be in on
it and in a strange way sad. The Gollum in me wanted to stroke the book and
say, “Mine, all mine.”
I also enjoyed The
Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. The conceit for this book was right up my
alley. A sheer delight of a book (liked it so much I recommended it as my
choice for one of my book clubs).
Make Me Feel
Give me at least one character I can empathize with, someone
I want to root for and I’m all yours. Front cover to the last words of the
acknowledgements.
I adored Swede in Peace
Like a River and felt a strong sense of empathy for Victoria in The Language of Flowers. The authors of
these books succeeded and then some in making their stories come alive.
Emotional Depth
Go deep or go home. I’m not much of a fluff reader. I just
don’t have the patience for it. When I’m reading a book, I also want to
experience it. I crave for it to instigate reflection. Marley & Me and The Art
of Racing the Rain tugged and tugged hard. Not just because the main
characters were hooked to leashes throughout the pages, but because these
stories tapped into the great feelings of being a pet owner, a mom, and a human
being.
Seamless Flow + Word Choice
Jamming two in one. I know, guilty as charged. But there’s
something to be said for a novel when you forget you’re reading—when you’re so
swept up in the story world you’ve metaphorically crawled inside the book to
nest for as long as it takes to finish it. An almost musical, carefully worded
flow can accomplish this. Word choice matters. This is why The Book Thief won my heart and Night
by Elie Wiesel. And I still remember powerful lines from Water for Elephants.
A magnificent novel finds a way to take each of the above
and knead it into a miraculous ball of dough that balloons into the
unforgettable.
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