A Book's Tipping Point

Few comments give an author a greater thrill than "I couldn't put it down!" We love to imagine readers glued to our books, unable to eat or sleep until they find out what happens to the hero. We don't even mind if there's a bit of complaint beneath the words, as with one reader who informed me that she got nothing done all day long once she started HER HIGHNESS... (Yay, says I.)

For most books, I find that a tipping point exists. I read along because I love to read, but there's a spot where I MUST read, want to find out the end, want to know it and see if I approve. That point can come anywhere in the book. At times, I read along until the middle, even past it, enjoying the story but not really concerned. I can set the book down and walk away, no problem. But then there comes a point where I can't set it down, where I keep reading till the end. That's good.

For other books, the tipping point is negative. I read until I realize that I don't care about any of the characters enough to get involved. In such cases I might read on, depending on circumstance. If I'm in the airport and it's the only book I've got and the flight is delayed, I'll finish it. Otherwise, I will probably find something I like better.

Best of all are the books where the tipping point comes early, sometimes as early as the first chapter. I'm involved right away. I care about what happens, about the people. I can't put the darned book down. That doesn't mean a bloody corpse on page one. It just means that I care about something in the book from the beginning. A person. An event. An idea. I must know!

It's not good for my housekeeping to-do list, but still.