What Makes You Fall in Love With a Book?

I really love talking to book lovers. There is something that comes alive in them when they are talking about a book that they really love. I mean, you can't even talk to them when they have that book in their hands, and they become withdrawn from society for that period of time. Being immersed in that storyline, plot, character, or setting, they get something out of reading that I have never understood.


I should explain that I am not a reader. I know... It's ironic that I blog like a demon, and I'm writing a book, yet I don't enjoy reading novels. It's not that I don't enjoy reading; I do, it's just that I'm not a big reader. I wish I could get into the classics, like Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, or even the contemporaries like a Stephen King, but I simply don't enjoy the reading.

But this isn't about me... I want to know what makes you compelled to love a book, an author, or a style of writing. What makes you lose yourself in a book, and fall in love with a character who only exists on paper, and in the hearts of its readers?

The funny thing about good writers, I think, is that they can create these settings and characters that can tell such a fantastic story that most people end up believing, or wishing it were true. They have the uncanny ability to drop you into a setting and story line, and the grace to introduce you to their characters in such a way that you actually feel that you can relate to them in many ways. It's almost that you have something in common with them, and it makes you more drawn to them and their conquests.

That amazes me...

I don't think that I will ever be able to do that, although I would like to one day. It seems that my writing routine has brought me here for a steady part of about four months now, and just when I feel like I need to take a break from writing, I don't. -It seems to be a love-hate relationship with me. It's very difficult to write something that will be identifiable all the time, to a fraction of the people out there who read my writing. In fact, I am always flattered by the people who tell me that they really love my writing, and continually read what I've posted, or ask me how my book is coming along and if they can read some of it. It's these handful of people who seem to keep me focused and persevere through the down side of writing.

And that's what I may not understand about readers. They love to read, whereas I do not. I want a quick solution from point A to Z and I don't want you telling me erroneous details that have nothing to do with the plot. -If I think that you are long-winded and being a Charles Dickens being paid by the word, I will shoot you. But I guess that I am the minority there, because everyone I know who loves reading, wants to read these details.

So that brings me back to my question...

What do you love about reading, and what makes a good book for you? I would be very interested in your thoughts, so please feel free to comment, or add a comment either on this site, or on the link box that is attached to the facebook page. If you want to tell me something privately, email me at cbastie@bastie.ca and tell me your thoughts.

And, as always, thank you for reading my blog. I understand that you probably have other places that you could be, or other things that you could be doing.

So I thank you for spending it with me by choice.