What do you like in books?
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Hey folks,
So I was wondering - what draws you to a book? What do you like about it? Mind you, I’m not asking which books you like (although that can factor in, of course, if you have a ‘type’) but what are some of the things you really like whenever you find them in a novel?
For me it’s all about character arcs. I’m much more into the people depicted in a book than their plot- and, to be more specific, into the characters’ progression. Especially when the author sneaks that in.
For instance the book I’m reading now (I won’t name it since I don’t want to spoil it) is dark fantasy. The protagonist came from nowhere; his mother was a prostitute who died when he was very young, and he was kicked out of the brothel into the woods to die. He was brought into a band of outlaws and things just went from there; he had a very rough life in which he stole, killed, was a complete and rather notorious self-serving cynic obsessive for revenge. He really wasn’t a good person.
Then things kept happening. He threw in with a Jean of Arc kind of character and her army. He started hanging out with nobles, got caught up in political intrigue and the business of spying. We learned more about the realm’s religion and history, that of other surrounding civilizations. There were battles and fight scenes, courtly schemes and hey, some nifty magic. Cool, cool. I kept reading.
Then at some point during the middle of the second book (there are three out, not sure if it ends there since I haven’t finished it) I realized I had been duped. It was right under my nose, and there was no one turning point that this happened that I could identify as when it all changed, but somehow the protagonist had become the books’ absolute moral compass.
He was changed, yes, but when exactly the transformation had occurred I can’t say; it had been done masterfully, and that prompts me to read further. It just felt so smooth and part of his natural progression I failed to see it coming.
I love this shit.
What shit do you love?
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This. I like books like this. I ended up reading all the Vlad books and it felt exactly the same. I would looove to know what you’re reading if you don’t mind DM’g.
I love historical fiction, as another genre. There is something cool to me about people inventing the might-haves. And then talking with my history genius son about the takes.
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@Tori said in What do you like in books?:
I love historical fiction, as another genre. There is something cool to me about people inventing the might-haves. And then talking with my history genius son about the takes.
This is what I want out of fantasy novels. I want speculative anthropology. I’ve waded through some books that were otherwise frustrating simply because the world was interesting and internally consistent. Looking at you Prince of Nothing.
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Voice. If the narrator/POV character sounds like they’re interesting, they will keep me hooked long enough to give the book a fair shot, and honestly probably an unfair shot too if I like the author’s voice enough.
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@GF Do you find that you prefer books written from a POV (or more than one) compared to neutral narration?
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@Arkandel Generally, yes. I consider the author a character too, since it’s the author’s voice telling the story. Since that’s the character I’ll be spending most of the book with, I’d better be able to enjoy that time or else it’s gonna be a real slog.
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@Arkandel said in What do you like in books?:
What shit do you love?
Dark comedy.
My favorite author is Kurt Vonnegut, and my favorite is a toss-up between Galapagos and Slapstick, both of which present the end of modern civilization as a product of mankind’s remarkable ability to fuck ourselves.
I also re-read The Increasingly Inaccurately Named Hitchhiker’s Trilogy at least once a year and steal Douglas Adams’s jokes.
On Dragon Wings · https://pern.gaslightswitch.com · pern.gaslightswitch.com port 4201
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I definitely like humor (looking at you Discworld), but I also just love a world that feels real. That feels bigger than the characters I’m following around and like the author really gave a ton of thought to the setting in general before they started writing. I’m doing a bad job explaining it, but that there’s more to things, a depth to the world than the little bit we get to see. I always thought Tim Powers did that really well.
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Some more things I like!
- Even though I greatly value detailed fantasy settings, magic systems, etc I don’t need to be exposed to enormous infodumps. Authors who trickle it in (possibly as the characters learn it) let me get interested in it, rather than get lost.
- Power levels in general. Having characters earn their knowledge, skill or expertise is a trope I love. Seeing characters fail at first, struggle and then overcome obstacles - academic, martial, arcane, etc - makes it all come together later on for me.
- Fun dynamics. Whether in friendships, antagonism or romance spiffy dialogue that makes me want to highlight and save some quips makes me want to keep reading.
- At least one likable protagonist. I don’t want them to be perfect nor absolute trash human beings… just give me someone to root for!
- This is kind of a meta note but… I like feeling I won’t get George Martin’ed. If the author has finished earlier works then that counts for a lot. I don’t want to start a series and wait forever for it to finish (and everything seems to be a series these days). Even better if I start a book, find that I like it, and I realize it’s part of a finished trilogy or something - woohoo, there’s another 1000+ pages of this!
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I’m easy. I love almost any book that makes me laugh, cry, or gasp.
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I have a hard time answering this question. My tastes are pretty wide - I’ll read mystery, romance, SF or fantasy, literary, crime, whatever, as long as it’s “good”.
But what is “good”?
And that’s tough for me to give a good, clear guideline on. Writing style is part of it - I love some good, lyrical text or something quirky and entertaining like Pratchett - but I’ve fallen head over heels for some very plainly written books, if they have a premise, plot, or character that I hook into. Mostly, a book just has to…keep me reading. Show me something that I want to know more about. That can be a plot or a premise, a setting, or characters. Ideally, it’s more than one from that list, but I’ve absolutely read and enjoyed books that were just…all worldbuilding with characters and plot being thin excuses to go to the next place and see the next culture/environment. Likewise, a character that I love has kept me reading even if the plot or setting is same old, same old (romances are usually this - I don’t expect innovative plots or settings in the typical romance, but I HAVE to like at least one of the main characters).
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@Pyrephox said in What do you like in books?:
… but I’ve absolutely read and enjoyed books that were just…all worldbuilding with characters and plot being thin excuses to go to the next place and see the next culture/environment.
I also need to have some of both interesting worldbuilding and compelling characters. I’ve tried to get into the Malazan books 6 times over the years and each time it just fails to keep my interest. The worldbuilding there is incredibly thought provoking, but it’s just so clear that the author doesn’t give a fuck about the characters aside from serving as vehicles for expositing the world.
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ETA: Damn it, this ended up as a peeve. Nuking it!
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@shit-piss-love said in What do you like in books?:
I’ve tried to get into the Malazan books 6 times over the years and each time it just fails to keep my interest. The worldbuilding there is incredibly thought provoking, but it’s just so clear that the author doesn’t give a fuck about the characters aside from serving as vehicles for expositing the world.
Fucking THANK you.
I’ve heard so many good things about that series by so many people that I really, really wanted to get into it. Three times I’ve started it, I read Gardens of the Moon and… and I couldn’t get through it. I think you hit the nail on the head there - its characters are vessels, delivery mechanisms for the setting, and I didn’t care for it.
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I read lots of things, mostly fantasy and SF, but also poetry, literary fiction, trashy pop romances, history, non-fiction. I love a smart style and a voice that brings out an interesting character. The last couple years, I’ve been able to read nothing but comfort reads. I’ve given a lot of thought to what makes these comforting to me, and I think it’s some message of “No matter what the rest of the world says, you have a place here. This is your home.” A couple favorite series that I’ve found recently have been Victoria Goddard’s Greenwing & Dart, and Martha Wells’ Books of the Raksura. And then there’s Everina Maxewell’s Winter’s Orbit, a book I’ve read 5 times since last October, and I almost never reread anything. For comfort reads, I also recommend reading cook books. Just slowly wander through the stories, ingredients, and instructions, and really enjoy the pictures.
