Reading Style

[Dajinxed1]

I don't post much on the books we read because I'm not a critical reader. I either like a story or don't. If I really like them then I will collect them. But that's about it.

I like the bubblegum books and the sexy books and the prod donkey (kick ass) books. Pretty much the books I don't like are the ones with really bad writing. Where there is no flow or plot holes big enough to drive a tanker ship through.

I read the threads and I see that a word usage throws someone out of a story? I have never experienced that. I see that a section of the story offends so much the story isn't worth finishing? I haven't experienced that either.

It is rare that I don't finish a book. This usually only happens if it never catches my interest in the first place yet I see others on here who really like the start of a book then drop it half way through? You can do that? Really? Wow.

Others pick apart all the bits of a book until I'm not entirely sure we read the same thing. To me that's odd. Not bad just different.

So here's the purpose of this post, how do you read? I absorb pretty much anything and I like it or not. You?

[T.S.]

For me, reading is liking getting into a really, really hot bath, like the jacuzzi they have at gyms. My foot goes in first. Ouch! Damn! What the hell?! Why am I doing this? Other foot. Do I really want to do this? Slowly, below the knees, hoping no one walks by and sees what a wuss I'm being. I sit, the water is hot, and I am still ready to say "This sucks, I'm outta here."

When I pick up a book, I need to be drawn in fast. I am a firm believer in the opening hook. That hot tub has to look clean and inviting, with many promises of enjoyment. Slowly, I get used to the soapy bubbles (characters) and the water(story) as I am shown a new world where I can learn a bit about myself while being carried away like a vastly over-extended metaphor.

Problem is, most hot tubs stink.

But that opening is vital. Here is the opening to my book: ( Shadyia: The Silver Thorn )

Madam Amrita climbed the stairwell of the east tower, the scrape of her burgundy dress and the click of her of steps echoing up the narrow passage. She paused and considered removing her shoes. Don’t be foolish, she thought. He cannot possibly hear you. Reaching a trap door at the top, she pushed against the wind as quietly as tarred iron and aged timber allowed. Keeping low, the Madam approached the place where Sybaris maintained her vigil, a single wooden clip holding back her dark blond hair and an emerald-green dress kept tight against her waste by a belt of gold silk.

Right away, I want my reader to ask "What man? Why is this Madam Amrita worried about him? Wait! Madam? As in...Madam??

The first paragraph ends with:

Amrita took a second to marvel at the illusion; the dress looked suitable for a dance in Summer Hall or light lunch in the garden, but Amrita knew it concealed a blade strapped to Sybaris’s lower leg, blinding powder in an unseen pocket and a vial of toxin nestled between her breasts. The Madam turned her eyes to a crossbow leaning against the low wall, locked and loaded with a steel-tipped bolt, and dearly hoped Sybaris would have no cause to use it. Kneeling beside her Mistress of Guardians, Amrita peered down between arrow slits, searching for the man who had caused such a stir in her palace. She spotted him relaxing against a tree at the edge of Kingsleaf, his gaze neither leaving the Dawn Gate nor his fist the hilt of a curved dagger.

See? I ramp up the tension. Dangerous women in a green dress needs a crossbow? Wait! Did I just read 'her palace'?? How does a Madam own a palace?

TLDR: Keep me invested early until I get used to the book. Don't discourage me.

[Kamil]

Dajinxed1 wrote: "I don't post much on the books we read because I'm not a critical reader. I either like a story or don't. If I really like them then I will collect them. But that's about it.

I like the bubble..."

I wan't to be immersed in the book's world, in the character's minds and in the plot; I will tollerate mostly anything but if the world i'm exploring is crumbling from the inside, then I'll run to the nearest escape pod; basically I'll close the book and put it away

[Desme]

I'm a really capricious reader. If I'm getting bored or annoyed I will drop the book. Or even if the story is good but I can't connect with it. Or if I'm simply not in the mood for that story. Or if the book doesn't match the idea I got from the blurb. It could be a great book, but I'll be frustrated and wtop reading it.

It's a shame, really, because I'm sure I missed some great books, but I just can't bring myself to read a book I don't connect emotionally with. I could see that a book is wonderfully written, has great character developpement and is in theory everything I like in a book, and yet drop it the minute I realise I don't really care how it ends. On the contrary, I can intellectually judge that a book is flawed and a bit wobbly, and read it in one evening (whether I love the story or hate it).

In the end I'm not sure what makes me finish a book or not, but I know there's very little chance I'll pick up again a book I dropped while I could re-read and re-re-read a book I loved.

[Philippa]

I tend to judge a book by a combination of how well written it is, how engaging the characters are, and how true to itself the plot remains. Any one of those things will mitigate the others for me, so if the book is really well written but the characters are extremely off putting, then I will stick with it longer than I would otherwise. Likewise, if it's poorly written and the characters/plot isn't engaging, then I'm going to put it down.

The worst for me is when it's well-written and I like the characters and then the plot goes completely sideways. This will sound overly dramatic - but that feels sort of like betrayal to me as the reader. I get annoyed by that.

If any of those elements is really, truly egregious, then it doesn't matter how good the others are, I can't get into the book. If something is really, truly horribly written: mixed metaphors, annoying affects in language such as over-the-top pop culture references, unidentified speakers, etc., then it could have the best character or plot finale in the world and I'm not finishing it. Probably I wouldn't even pick it up.

[xenu01]

If a book has been around long enough and received enough accolades to be considered a classic, I feel more obliged to slog through even if I don't like the writing (which is rare, because often books are extremely long-lived for a reason- but it does happen).

Books I read for fun and not for elucidation? If I'm not having fun, I drop it. Life is too short to obediently read books that aren't worth your time. Also, my fiction-reading time is short and precious, and I want it to be filled with joy.

Edit: I should add that this doesn't apply to books which I read with my husband, who is a devout completist and refuses to let me drop a book even if it annoys the heck out of me. See: Night Circus.

[Julie]

My reading style has changed over time. I used to be the type of reader who would finish a book no matter what. Now, if I'm bored by the story or if I find the characters are behaving in ways that I don't think fit with their personality and personal stories, then I might drop the book. Also, if the book is rather lengthy and my interest isn't hooked from the start then I'm more likely to drop it. If it's a short book and somewhat interesting then I'll probably finish it.

[AlbertaJenn]

Dajinxed1 wrote: "I don't post much on the books we read because I'm not a critical reader. I either like a story or don't. If I really like them then I will collect them. But that's about it.

I like the bubble..."

I tend to be like that. I don't spend a lot of time analysing a book. I just "go with the flow", if I like it or not. I find doing comprehensive reviews difficult and taking a lot of energy. I read, rate, and move on. Although I do like to come on here and read what others think.

Sometimes I feel greedy, taking in everyone else's reviews, but not putting any out myself.

[Madelyn]

I think I would say more in an in-person discussion. I'm not into posting my critique of a book, and when I'm done, I'm done.

Now, if there's a big, shocking ending (anyone here watch Doctor Who?), and a sequel coming, then I might post something along the lines of: "What the F*** was that?"

Or maybe not. Only if I have something more specific to say.

[Mirandia]

If I open the book and begin reading and love it then I will get totally immersed into the book and the world inside it, and I will want to talk to anyone that will listen about it. Therefore, if I meet someone else that has and will discuss it I can talk for a really long time. Otherwise, if I get a book and I read it but it does not pull at me in a wonderful way, I will finish it but it will be a "yes, I liked it" or "No, I did not care for it" and that is just the end of it.