Random Thoughts on Reading

Great Book Love

 

I was recently asked what my goals as a writer are. The most common answers to that question are “to write a bestseller” or “to make enough money to quit my job.” But my goal has always been much simpler—and much grander: to write a book that people love. It doesn’t have to be many people. But I want to write a book that people melt into, that they get caught up in and can’t put down and then, when they’re finished, cry because it’s over and they want more.

 

In thinking about some of the most beloved and enduring books, the books I return to again and again, I wonder what it is about them that evokes such a strong, emotional attachment. What is it about Anne Shirley that makes people travel to Prince Edward Island just to see the place a fictional character might have lived, had she been real? What is it about Harry Potter that makes us invent a whole new sport and wear gold and scarlet striped scarves just so we can feel a part of his world? I study the texts, taking them apart word by word, trying to discover what the magic and it always eludes me. Most of these cherished favorites are as different from each other as cottage cheese and fish. What, then, makes a great book? Is it the language—the actual words used—the setting, the plot, the characters, or some magical combination of these elements? I’ve read many books that are good, very good, or even great that I wouldn’t describe as “beloved.” In fact, many of the most beloved books have received more popular acclaim than literary honors.

 

What do you think? What are some of your favorite books and why do you return to them again and again? What do you love about the story and why do you think its appeal has been so enduring?

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Comments  

# Terri 2012-03-08 06:15
The Haunting of Hill House gives me chills every time I read it - such a short book, by today's standards and yet, Jackson accomplishes so much with such a minimum of prose.
# Barbara Ann Wright 2012-03-07 06:53
It's about characters for me. The world can be drawn in very light brush strokes as long as I have fascinating characters. Terry Pratchett's discworld springs to mind.
# Revo Boulanger 2012-03-01 11:04
As a writer, I'm more from the school of "I know what my flag is. If I run it up the pole and you salute it...great. If not...meh".
Anywho, great books I've had to re-read:

Nelson DeMille's The Gold Coast and The Lion's Game; I love the humor and the dialog. The man writes like I think (scary, I know)

Steve King - 'Salems Lot and Danse Macarbre; I have no patience for conflicted, lovelorn, sparkly and oh-so-stylish vampires. If they can't scare the crap out of me, then they aren't doing their job. Danse is Kings terrific essay on what scares the hell out of people and why.

Shirley Jackson - Haunting of Hill House; You want effective and chilling prose? Ms.Jackson makes Anne Rice look like she should be writing for the yellow pages.

Lee Child - the Jack Reacher series; Tough, lean and mean, the man writes like Clint Eastwood mutters lines.

Harlan Ellison; The man has done it all and marches to a beat entirely his own. I love a rebel and Harlan is the biggest bad-ass undefinable entity out there