I think this is such a great idea -- I'm going to "raise my reading standards"!!! This should help me breeze through my TBR list :-) Since it seems I already am willing to abandon books, adopting a set of rules for myself to follow with regard to choosing and abandoning books should be a simple process...and help keep the nagging guilt at bay.
So here's my personal criteria for continuing to read a book:
It has to grab me within the first 25 pages! Life is too short to spend precious minutes slogging through a book with the hopes it will improve.
(The only exception I found was The Goldfinch --
that book wore me out by 1/4 of the way through it...
but I was too curious about why it received such high praise.
I didn't really begin to enjoy the book until
the final chapter, when all the pieces fell together.
Yet, if I had to do that one over again --
I'd choose to abandon it.)
So how does a book "grab me"????
* If it's fiction, it must surprise me with almost every turn of the page -- predictable books are OUT.
* It must move me with its beautiful sentences -- both fiction and nonfiction. There is nothing better than having a sentence take my breath away -- stopping to read and reread it, and marveling at the author's use of word choice and sentence structure -- ahhhhhh -- the joy of lovely language!
* The characters must be interesting and complex -- and I have to care about them.
* In fiction, it's got to have a complex plot -- multiple layers with lots to chew on!!
*In non-fiction, the author needs to convince me from the get-go that he is an expert on the subject -- I might not agree with him -- but I must respect him!!! (or her)
*whether fiction or nonfiction, the book must somehow enrich my life. If I'm going to spend time with the author's imagination and ideas, I want my own thinking to be challenged and enlightened.
*and finally, I insist that I am thoroughly entertained on every page.
Pretty tough criteria!!!! But my time is precious -- and I have many books to read before I sleep!!
This is very helpful, Janice. So glad you found a criteria that will keep us from getting bogged down in continuing with something that's not worthwhile. The biography of Elvis will be a slow read, but it is grabbing me. I'm finding all sorts of stuff on the web that enhances the characters in Elvis' life. So I'm past page 30, and willing to stick with it right now.
ReplyDeleteI just decided that I needed to be just as picky about the books I read as I am about the tv I view and the movies I see :-) I think this will help!!! I'm glad the Elvis book has grabbed you -- talk about a complex character!!!! Happy reading!
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