An interesting question for your Wednesday morning. For the purpose of our discussion, I am specifically referring to fiction. Between the book stores and the libraries, there is more available to read than we could possibly hope to consume in multiple lifetimes. What tips the scale for you to make a book move into the select group of books that you have read?
I have a few different things that grab my interest. While there are different types of fiction that I read, the ones that I like best are the ones that have some sort of adventure to them. I am currently reading a book about the Opium Wars of the Nineteenth Century called Sea of Poppies. It was my other Vine selection last week, and I was drawn to it because of the travels on the sea and assortment of characters that it advertised. It is a book that "takes you somewhere". In this case that somewhere is different in both location and time. Another book I read earlier this year that fit this description was So Brave, Young, and Handsome. While it didn't go as far away in distance or time, it was still a change.
It's not always about escape. I also like books that have strong character development. A couple of books that I read earlier this year had good plots, but the characters were what made the books come alive. The witty, but often salty, social commentary A Fraction of the Whole was driven by the dysfunctional father and son relationship. The other character driven book was the dark character study Now You See Him. Some of the content of this one might be a bit much for some, but there was a strong psychological component to it.
A final category that I'd like to mention is the mystery/suspense/thriller genre. I haven't read as many of these, but I like books that range from Sherlock Holmes to more modern styles that track closer to Law & Order. The most recent book of this type that I've read is Takeover. These are the types of books that are hard to put down because they keep you wanting to know "what happens next?".
Those are the main types of fiction that I enjoy. What about you? What makes you choose a book to enter into the select category of books that you have read?
Until next time...
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I like to check out books by authors whose books I've enjoyed. I like historical fiction, and romance along with adventure. I like books that take me into the past, and sometimes far from home. I usually prefer Christian authors, because they don't include anything offensive in the text. However Victoria Holt and Phyllis J. Whitney have written some of my favorite novels. The classics are always good, and the Hoosier author Gene Stratton Porter is a special favorite. She wrote fiction about science and botany. Rachel Carson was a marine biologist who wrote fascinating books about the sea, and ecology. (She wrote like an atheist.) I could go on and on. I also love the Hoosier poet, James Whitcomb Riley, and several children's authors. I'm glad you enjoy reading. Mom
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