Thursday, June 01, 2006

THE MEMPHIS READS QUESTION--6/01/06

There's a strange, new word on the dust jackets of many bestselling books:

UNPUTDOWNABLE.

Such a book is so arresting and entertaining that you cannot stop reading it.

For example, Larry McMurtry's Telegraph Days is described as a "big, brilliant, unputdownable saga of the West."

Regardless of whether you think that this contrived word is catchy or annoying, what makes a book an irresistible page-turner? What books (or authors) have you not been able to stop reading and why?

Photo Credit: Clip Art, Microsoft Publisher 2003.

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Comments:
For me, I need to care about the
characters. I am curious as to what
they will do next and what will
happen to them.
 
Character development and suspense are the keys for me. I tend to be bored by stories that don't contain at least some element of suspense. I've continued to read many tired narratives because I wanted to find how things turned out in the end--the last Falco mystery by Lindsey Davis is a recent example.

Sometimes I know what is going to happen and am still hooked. WICKED by Gregory Maguire is a good example. I knew perfectly well that by the end of the story Dorothy Gale was going to "drown" Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West). I was fascinated by Maguire's re-telling of the OZ story because of its suspense and rich characterizations--Elphaba is ultimately doomed because she is a loner who refuses to work with others.
 
For me the language makes a books unturndownable. If the author writes in a language that I like and can follow I'll keep reading until I can't stay awake any longer. Authors who jump to mind are Peter Taylor, William Faulkner and Katherine Anne Porter.
 
I enjoy well developed characters and a detailed setting. I like biographies, so if I can get into a story via the characters then my interest is usually held.
 
Please continue to share your opinions about the first question: what makes a book "unputdownable"?

NEW QUESTION: What characteristics of a book, genre, or author's style do you generally find unappealing?
 
the interaction between two smart and funny lovers...nick and nora charles are good examples...if you've only seen the movies, try to find a copy of the book by dashiell hammett
 
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