How would you define a good read?
For me, it is any story of any length and genre, where I have to read through to the finish.
Usually it is the character which grips me. Sometimes it’s an intriguing premise. The very best stories have both of those.
But I have been just as entertained and gripped by a well crafted 100 word story as I have been by the other end of the scale, a 100,000 word novel.
I like a wide variety of genres though my favourites are fantasy, fairytales especially, history (fiction and non-fiction) and crime.
Thankfully I have not abandoned many stories of any length because they haven’t engaged but in those cases where it did happen, I know it was because I wasn’t convinced by the characterisation, yet alone gripped by it.
Still in a way this is useful. I know what I like and dislike here so I can avoid making the same mistakes in my own work.
Life is too short to not have good reads in your reading pile!