Nowadays it is so easy
to get free or inexpensive ebooks, it's almost insane. I currently get emails
from BookBub and SweetFreeBooks... Daily emails, each one offering anywhere
from two to six free or low cost books. And these are just two of many ebook sites.
Like a food buffet, I
was excited about the many choices available, and at first, downloaded anything
that sounded interesting. But in grabbing these literary bargains, I found for
the most part that as I continued to accumulate title after title, I lost track
of what I had. And like those overloaded restuarant buffet plates that often go uneaten,
my Kindle is loaded with books that remain unread.
In trying to put myself on a download diet, and consume more mindfully, I now check titles on Goodreads.com in search of decent reviews and ratings before I download new books. Oftentimes, however, my opinions don't align with the ratings given by readers on this site—they tend to very generous. Because I spend a lot of my time writing, I've become somewhat persnickety with what I'll spend time reading. Time painstakingly invested in writing has also led me to become good at pinpointing what I like and don't like about a book. When delving into a new novel, typically I look for these elements:
- A story that feels true/believable or at least suspends my belief.
- No blatant editing, grammatical or typographical issues.
- Writing that maintains a good flow.
- A story that makes me come away from it moved, changed or having learned something.
I read many genres of books, including love/romance stories, but as of
late, I have gravitated towards New Adult stories. This is a genre typically written with protagonists in the 18-25 age bracket, as my book Saving Toby is. In my reading, I have come across some really solid writing, some interesting and
well-developed characters and some truly compelling and riveting scenes.
However, the books, almost across the board, fell short of the '5-Star' elements I look
for.
First, I was surprised
when I found that most of the popular 5-star reads in the New Adult genre are heavily steeped in erotica... Wow, there is a voracious appetite for steamy content!
But, book after book, I
was bothered by a blatant lack of well-orchestrated story telling. I'm talking
the basic elements of plot, climax and resolution.
Many of these highly
enjoyed books (some boasting thousands of reviews) were successful in pulling
the reader in and getting us interested in the characters, but always,
somewhere, fell flat in the construction. When a story has faulty construction, it has
a direct effect on the believability factor. I might find these reads
enjoyable, but they usually hit my review list with a 3-star rating. (I Liked
It)
Apparently when it comes
to New Adult genre, readers tend to be more generous with their stars. If the
characters are compelling, and the sex hot, they seem to overlook many flaws
and dole out stars freely.
This makes me scratch my
head. Weren't they disappointed when that disturbing question/problem was never
answered? Or the couple resolved their differences too quickly? Or the end dragged on ... forever?
Okay, I'll stop my
bellyaching now and try to take something away from this.
Two important writing/marketing
lessons that I have learned from this:
1. Literary merit or
not, people will enjoy what they enjoy.
2. Sexy bad boys are
the key to a high ratings. (lol)
What are your
requirements of a 5-star read?
I welcome reader
comments on this.
Image
from http://german.fansshare.com/
A book that I cannot put down no matter how hard I try.
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