This week's BTT topic:
Think about your favorite authors, your favorite books . . . what is it about them that makes you love them above all the other authors you’ve read? The stories? The characters? The way they appear to relish the taste of words on the tongue? The way they’re unafraid to show the nitty-gritty of life? How they sweep you off to a new, distant place? What is it about those books and authors that makes them resonate with you in ways that other, perfectly good books and authors do not?
This is a difficult question for me. For one thing, I don't really have a single author or book or genre or formula that I can point to and say "that's my favorite – that's what I'm looking for." In fact, if you look at my LibraryThing profile, you'll see that I've got more than a hundred authors listed as my "favorites," and I've probably left a few out. And they represent many different periods, and categories or styles of writing.
Think about your favorite authors, your favorite books . . . what is it about them that makes you love them above all the other authors you’ve read? The stories? The characters? The way they appear to relish the taste of words on the tongue? . . . . How they sweep you off to a new, distant place?
Well, yes, I love all those things and always hope to find that kind of satisfaction in every new book I pick up. Who doesn't? But I look for different things from different books or writers at different times. I don't expect every book I read to move me in exactly the same way. That's one of the main reasons why my list of "favorite books" is always so annoyingly long (see "My Top Ten List of 59 Favorite Books").
But books that are "unafraid to show the nitty-gritty of life"? I usually avoid those. My life has quite enough nitty-gritty all on its own.
I suppose I generally try not to think too deeply about what makes me enjoy a certain book or author. That seems a little too much like being in analysis. A bit like reading as therapy. And while I understand that reading can be very therapeutic, I prefer to think of it as pure pleasure.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
9 comments:
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As you know from my blog post, no single author is my favourite, I like to read all kinds of books. It is fodder for my mind!
ReplyDeleteBTW, read the Malory Towers or St. Clare series from Enid Blyton. And you can pick out any book from the five find outers and their dog. Or famous five. You don't have to star from the beginning. But with Malory Towers and St. Clare, you have too.
Ah, a fellow reader, who enjoys the reading!
ReplyDeleteThe more I read responses, the more I realize my answer was inadequate! It's very hard to pigeonhole why I like certain things, even though it's sometimes fun. Overall though, I'd rather just read. =)
ReplyDeleteAMEN to reading for pleasure!
ReplyDeleteI agree about the nitty-gritty. Life is gritty enough without having to read about grit, too!
ReplyDeleteI've left the favorite books part of my profile blank. I wouldn't have enough room!
ReplyDeleteDitto on the nitty-gritty thing! I tend to think too much about why I like what I do, which can get depressing, lol. So I try to focus on the pleasure aspect. =)
ReplyDeleteI look for different thing from different authors too. I just think all authors have their own special skill in what they do the best. And yes, it hard to pin point all the favorite authors - and if we listed them, it be all night. If I didn't listed some of the authors that wasn't in the list, I hope they know they are appericated
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog - have a good day!
Interesting, mine was a memory lane trip again!
ReplyDelete