What Sparks a Reader’s Interest?
How do readers select which books to read? For me, many of the books I’ve read have been recommended by friends. When I find an author I like, like Kelly Armstrong, I will read several of their books. I’ve read many of her series. I admit, the combo of a catchy title and interesting back cover material has roped me in, such as the case with Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio, which turned out to be a good pick. I’ve found books through BookBub (not plugging, just saying) because they send emails about deals in genres I read.
I wouldn’t say I’ve bought books because of the cover art alone, but if a cover has grabbed my attention and the plot sounds good, I’ll purchase it. The graphic novel The Night Librarian by Christopher Lincoln is one such book. Although it is a children’s book, I really enjoyed it. As an author, I will go on a binge and read a variety of books in the same genre of a book I’m writing. I’m looking for uniqueness in my book and how it compares to the competition. So if you’ve followed my blog and noticed a string of “witchy rom-coms,” it’s because I’m writing—you guessed it—a witchy rom-com.
The following books I’m reviewing came highly recommended by friends.
Put Wolf in the Title, it Gets My Attention
Lone Wolf (2006) by Linwood Barclay, is a Murder/Suspense Thriller (book 3 in the Zack Walker series). I love wolves. In this case, there aren’t any wolves in the book—a bear—somewhat. I didn’t know at the time that it was book 3 and hadn’t read 1 and 2, but it didn’t matter. I do plan to read the other books.
The main character, Zack Walker, isn’t a detective or superhero but a newspaper writer, husband, and father. Trouble seems to find him even if he’s not looking. The story begins when he gets a call from the police in the tiny forest town where his dad lives. They tell Zack they think his dad was mauled by a bear, and he needs to drive over to ID the corpse.
Zack’s week goes downhill from there. He has to go see a corpse and be prepared that it’s his dad. A crazed bear is supposedly running around. And to top it off, his dad’s neighbors are whack jobs to the nth degree with a pair of dogs (who they let run loose at times) that are out for blood—and fish guts, but that’s another story.
Being a newspaper writer, digging up stories and looking at different angles is second nature for Zack. After another body shows up in town, Zack connects the dots between the two murders and realizes the whole town is in serious danger. Time is running out to stop the wheels that are in motion, but Zack and an ex-military friend are hell bent to try.
The characters are so vivid and quirky, I was able to picture them easily. The author infused a lot of humor into a very serious situation—and there were many laugh-out-loud moments. I really enjoyed the book, especially the ending. Justified.
Fairies Aren’t Always as Cute as Tinkerbell
A Court of Thorns and Roses (2020) by Sarah J. Maas is the first book in the fairy Romantasy series A Court of Thorns and Roses. Several friends told me that Sarah J. Maas is their favorite author, and they loved the series. The books are not short. The first one is over 400 pages, and they get longer.
Remember my comment from the previous paragraph “I love wolves?” In the first chapter, nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf—or so she thinks it is. Anyway, that didn’t get the book started on the right foot for me. I hung in there and finished the book.
[Note and soapbox rant to authors.] DO NOT USE WOLVES FOR YOUR BLOODTHIRSTY ANIMAL. IT HAS BEEN OVERDONE FOR CENTURIES. Every stinkin’ fairytale. Come on already. Wolves avoid humans. When was the last article you read “wolf kills HUMAN?” However, bears, moose, mountain lions and any other big cat, alligators, crocs, snakes, sharks…you get the picture. Besides, if you’re writing FANTASY, you can make up an animal and let all the real ones off the hook. [Getting down from soapbox.]
Back to the review. Not to divulge too much of the plot, the wolf wasn’t an animal. Because Feyre killed it, she’s in serious trouble with a Fae King named Tamlin. The world Feyre lives in is divided mostly between humans and fairies (Fae), but the humans aren’t in control, although they have separate towns from the Fae.
Feyre’s punishment for her deed is she’s forced to leave her home and live in Tamlin’s court with Fae. The creatures have many abilities humans don’t and can glamour humans to see only what they want them to see. She has a learning curve to survive in her new home, but she’s tough and resourceful. Other deadly creatures with special abilities of their own are out to get her, so she’s basically on a hell ride.
All she wants is to go home, which is against some rule—there’s a twist I’m not telling. In the midst of a Fae war, Tamlin finally sends her home. However, she now likes him and wants to return and fight on his side against the evil Fae.
I didn’t love the book as much as my friends did; however, it did keep me turning 400 pages. My character connection was missing, but from the success of the series, a lot of people do connect to Feyre and Tamlin. If Fae and fantasy is your genre, you may like it, too.
So how do you select books to read? It would be awesome if you actually found some from my blog, but I won’t count on that in the comments.
