Since I’ve been doing a little reading lately (like my use of understatement there?), I’ve been thinking about what makes a book good.
A good book, to me, has some/all of these characteristics:
1. Great vocabulary. I’m a strong believer in the idea that there is only ONE word that is just right. Sure, the English language has synonyms, but they have various shades of meaning. An author who labors to get it right is much appreciated.
2. Well-crafted sentences. Writing is hard–the little I’ve done has confirmed this–but when it’s done well, it shouldn’t be noticed. It should seem like the book was birthed whole.
3. Makes me think. Neither confirms my current thinking nor tells me everything I’ve ever thought was stupid. Challenges me and brings to light ideas I’ve never thought to question.
4. Continues to make me think long after I’ve closed the cover for the last time. Most books I’ve almost completely forgotten within a month…I know it’s good if I haven’t.
5. A well-developed protagonist, one that’s true-to-life. That means they should have more than one flaw (*ahem* Stephenie Meyer), and can be inconsistent. Hey, we all are! It’d also be great if other characters were well-developed, but this one is essential.
6. Just something special. There should be something about the book that sets it out from the other hundred I’ve read this year. Not an easy task!
7. Not too much description. I’m growing in this area, but I still struggle when there are pages of description. I don’t realize how much I skim these descriptions until I’m listening to a book on tape and space out for minutes at a time (Gone with the Wind, I’m talking about you).
8. Symbolism. I’m sure there is so much I’m missing in the books I read, but I want to see it. Not overly obvious (that’s worse!), but it should be there if I have my eyes open.
What makes a good book for you?
Photo by Zitona
Amen to #7 (*ahem* John Steinbeck). For some writers, if I were their editor, I would slash and burn 3/4 of their work. It’s just not necessary to be verbose; in fact, it is detrimental to the work. That’s partly why Ernest Hemingway is my all-time favorite author–he told it like it is, but didn’t mince his words. That’s what makes a good book for me.
Additionally (and this is reflective of my preference in literature genres), I don’t like harsh reality when I read (perhaps a little naive, head-in-the-sand, but it’s true). Generally speaking, I read to escape (although I have been known to read for knowledge or inspiration, as in memoirs, Bible, etc.). I don’t like to be doused with in-your-face realities of the “real world”–I get enough of that with my life history, work, the news, and charities we support.
For example, if there is a part in a novel where an assault is taking place (I’m thinking specifically of texts like “Kite Runner”) I cannot read it. I will not read it (although, interestingly, that book was the exception to that rule…but I don’t think I could handle reading it again). And if it hits too close to home, I’m out. I will just read the last few pages to see how things turn out and put the book back.
Give me my fantasy/classic literature any day ;-)
This is a wonderful list. I completely agree with you about too much description, as well. Now you’ve got me curious. What were your favorite reads of 2009?
I need a story to grab my attention immediately and hold it through the first 100 pages, or I’ll quit. I don’t have hours to sit and read, so I need it to be interesting enough that once I set it down I will want to pick it back up the next day. I think that’s why I tend to gravitate more toward mysteries because they create a desire in me to see the mystery solved.
I also need to feel the emotions of the characters, or I just don’t care. I was recently starting a book, and the main character had a flashback to receiving a phone call that his young son had been killed. It was more of a statement and zero emotion. Um…I just can’t identify with that, so I stopped reading.
I like a good mystery and it needs to grab my interest right off…or, I too, put the book back. I also after I get into it…always read the last two or three pages…Why? I don’t know, I just do, and then forget about it until I get there. To think…I really didn’t start reading until I was 42.
This is a great list. I love #2. “It should seem like the book was birthed whole.” That’s a great way to put it.
And I love #4. I love a book that makes me feel like I know the characters. I want to talk about them during my reading and after I finish.
I like a some suspense and a surprise ending. I hate when endings are predictable. I think My Sister’s Keeper was a good book because the ending was not what I expected at all.
My 14 year old has read GWTW about 4 times.
Amanda: I was thinking Steinbeck on #7, too! I vowed off his writing after reading The Grapes of Wrath, but glad I broke it, because East of Eden was worth reading.
I don’t read as an escape, or not primarily so. I’m okay with harsh reality–as long as it’s not just meant to shock and awe. A greater awareness of the world around me is always a good thing.
Pam: I’ll be working that up for a future post, probably next week. There’ll be some hard choices!
Liz: I don’t NEED a story to grab me right away as I’ll push through, but it sure helps. I do agree that I want to feel along with the character…if a book moves me to tears, it’s done an excellent job (on the other hand, it’s way too easy for a movie to make me cry).
Joy: I read a lot of books that aren’t plot-driven, but if it is, I like to be surprised. Hunger Games is a good example of that.
I hope your daughter doesn’t read it because she relates to Scarlet! Can’t stand the character, but I love how her selfishness is never changed throughout the book though she goes through some tough times.
Very true.
Now regarding the comment on the My Sister’s Keeper book above.. I agree BUT if you read a lot of Jodi Picoult books, her endings become very predictable. Which gets annoying.
who are you and who gives a crap about your opinions. you are not a professional, you are not a scholar, you are not a novelest. You have no talent and you created this webpage to make yourself feel important and like you’re involved in the literary world.
Anonymous: If you want to know who I am, feel free to read “About the Historian” above. I’m not sure why my readers care about my opinions, but apparently they do and they like to give their own. While it’s true that I’m not a professional reader or a “novelest”, I feel like I have a good idea of what *I* like to read (which is all this post is asserting). I’m not involved in the literary world, other than as a reader.
Thanks for your opinion.