Wot Plot

I don't understand plot.

I don't understand writing generally - why it works, why it doesn't - but plot is the biggest mystery. There are books that are all about plot, and books that have next to no plot. Generally I don't like a huge amount of stuff to happen in a 'tearing around the world stopping the Vatican or discovering the secrets of your leprous granny' type way, because the writing usually sucks around it:

And then this happened.

And this happened suddenly afterwards.

Suddenly some more s