Blog Tour Recap: What Makes a Book a Favorite?

This is a guest post I originally wrote for Jelly Books for my Hidden World Blog Tour. But for those of you who missed the post, I wanted to share it here. Enjoy!

 

I thought I’d use this guest post to open up the floor to a discussion on what exactly makes a books our “favorite.” Why do we fall in love with a novel? Is it the story? The characters? The themes?

I love to look for themes in novels. I particularly enjoy the subtle ones: the themes which are hidden in just a line of dialogue, or in one paragraph of description. These subtle lessons are rarely noticed, which makes them all the more fun to catch and, in my opinion, even more powerful.

I grew up analyzing the classics. It was always a hunt to find the motif and analyze the metaphors, and I’m still on the hunt whenever I read a new book. But a real classic—a solid one that can stand the test of time— is also just a good story. You can analyze the themes and motifs and metaphors until the cows come home, but at the end of the day, you just enjoyed reading it. That’s a real book.

The Hobbit, for instance, will undoubtedly stand the test of time. It’s a children’s book, yes, but addresses issues which plague even adults. It’s a coming of age about facing your fears and accepting the differences that make us each unique.

So that was my goal in writing my first novel, Lichgates: create a thrilling story that had deeper meanings, should a reader want to look for them. If not, it was still an engaging tale. I would love to hear feedback from those who have read it, or from those of you who will in the future. What did you think the motif of water meant? How about the clover motif? Did you have a favorite theme?

Books, to me, are puzzles. I love to figure them out and toy with their meaning, all the while finding those which I can keep close by for a pick-me-up when life gets tough.

So let’s open it up for discussion. What’s your favorite book? Do you hunt for themes or deeper meanings within them? I’d love to get your take. Happy reading!