I read a lot of books.
We all do.
And I like a lot of books. I'm picky, certainly. But I try and read those that I think I'll enjoy. I try and find those books that'll be a genuine pleasure to read. Oftentimes, I'm successful.
And sometimes, I even love them.
But those won't always be my favorites.
I can love a book. I can love it to pieces. I can say it has fantastic writing, strong characters, remarkable world-building. I can zip through it in a day and recommend it without a moment's hesitation.
But those books that I treasure above all others, the ones I cling to long after they're done, the ones I'd read a million times over, the ones I wish the entire world would read and adore--those need more than fantastic writing, strong characters, remarkable world-building.
They need to make me think.
Make me feel.
Linger in my mind far beyond the turning of the very last page.
For me, that is what constitutes a favorite. A book I hold close to my heart. A book I love with everything I have. My favorites are the ones that move me.
But that won't be the same for everyone.
Just as readers have varying tastes, so will the makings of their favorite novels. Perhaps a reader doesn't like those heavy, thought-provoking novels; perhaps they prefer a crazy, action-filled read, or a breathtaking romance. Perhaps their favorites will be wild mysteries, or gory thrillers. Perhaps a deeply-researched sci fi, or a chilling dystopian.
It varies.
And I love seeing all the marvelous variations.
What makes something a favorite read of yours?
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
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6 comments:
Characters that aren't idiots is always a good start for me :D
I completely agree - not ALL the books that I read and really enjoy end up being called 'favourites'. If I had to narrow it down, I'm sure listing them wouldn't be too impossible despite all the books that I adore. Like you said, it takes something more for a book to become an all time favourite. For me, I'm not entirely sure I can define what that something is. But I like your answer. ;)
This is so true, Lexie! I'm much the same. Sometimes I can't pinpoint why I love a book but it's not a favourite, or why THIS book is somehow obsessively, madly, passionately my new favourite book, but I think it does all tie in to how a book makes me feel.
I think for me it when the book still sticks with me, even years and years after I last read it, and I still remember even the littlest things about it because it had such an impact, and I still get the same surge of feelings when I remember it or talk about it.
See: me any time someone mentions the Gemma Doyle trilogy.
Michelle actually said pretty much what I was going to! Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, was one book that I read and re-read and read some more as a teenager. I couldn't stop reading it. It's been years since I've read it, but I remember everything about why I loved it. LHA's style, Melinda's voice, the weird lists. It was beautiful, and to this day, it's one of my favorites.
When I can look back on a book I really loved and think "I still love it just as much as that first read," that makes it a favorite, really.
A book that I can read and re-read without growing tired of it and that really does something to you (a good thing, obviously). And I can only think of one series now: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I've been re-reading that book since I was eight or something, and that book was what brought me into the world of words and imagination. ^_^
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