Picky Reader Reviews

I've added a new section to reflect on the books I've read or listened to. One of the best ways to get insight into writing is to read. Most successful authors will tell taut the importance of reading to the craft of writing. In his book about writing, On Writing, Stephen King talks about always having a book on hand to read.

So I read. I enjoy reading even though I am a slow reader. A good book has a way of drawing me into its ficticious world so much that I am sad when it ends. I care about the characters and what happens to them. It is that feeling that I want to inspire in those that read my works.

As much as I enjoy reading, I find that a lot of books don't interest me. If the characters or plot is too cliched or don't appeal to me I will leave the book on the shelf. There are just so many books out there that something about a book has to stand out. I find that it is often the short summary on the backs of the books that either turn me on, leave me luck warm, or turn me off.

It's hard as a writer to know that people picking up my works will also give them the same window of opportunity to grab their interest, about 30 seconds. I'm trying to find out what makes a book a must read for me in the hopes that I can figure out how to make my books a must read.

While the back cover will inspire me to shell out cash for a book it's the actual content that will keep me reading. Usually if I get passed the first 50-100 pages I will finish the book. That being said it is the quality of the story-telling and writing that will either make me want to buy the next in the series or something else by the author. A book doesn't have to be perfect. You'll notice that I have quibbles with even the books I loved reading.

There are very few books I will re-read. In fact, there are only three series that I have re-read repeatedly (Coldfire trilogy by C.S. Friedman, Rome series by Colleen McCullough, Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward). There are few series that I consume like candy, gobbling every word the author has slaved over for months in a matter of days or weeks.

I'm trying a structure for these mini reviews. If you want the author's information or a full summary there are links within the page to follow. I won't try to sum up the novel in more than my one sentence summary because the author, or the publisher, has already spent ample time crafting a summary.

My hope is that in writing out my thoughts on other people's works I will be better able to identify what made them successful, at least in my eyes. It's a data gathering exercise to help me improve my own writing. And only my opinion. If you've read these books and have reflections you'd like to share please post a comment. A book that appeals to me might not appeal to you and a book I hated might be your favorite. The more opinions the better.