Reading brings me a lot of pleasure, and while I was very loyal to non-fiction genre, I’m slowly learning the pleasure of reading fiction, with two caveats.
1. The writing has to be natural, subtle, and witty. And I can’t stand loud novels.
In other words, books that read like verbal diarrhea on paper, where narrator has high energy, speaking a million words per mile, but lacks substance. Or books that are filled with sentences overstuffed with words, lacking efficiency and courtesy, to the reader.
I download and delete at least a handful of novel samples or pick up and put down at least half dozen novels before I find the one to purchase.
2. I need to be invested in the character and the story, so much that the thought of picking up another book, or pushing another book on my kindle doesn’t cross my mind.
If I start reading something else, chances of me getting back to it is very low.
I’ve tried many times to pick up novels half finished, but I get so frustrated at myself for not remembering. Yet, I cannot get myself to re-start the book. It doesn’t make any sense. In fact, my stubbornness to re-start the book is irrational. Yet, this is how I read, or not read.
Below are authors that presented stories that were page-turners for me. Surprisingly, I can’t get into Kevin Wilson’s other novels, which makes me wonder how invested I was to the Fang Family.
Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Rachel Khong’s Goodbye Vitamin
Kevin Wilson’s The Family Fang
upbeat dabbler 