What is the one thing that makes you enjoy/not enjoy a book?

[Frugal Mule]

For me, above anything else the most important thing is the atmosphere of the book. To be completely enveloped in it's atmosphere is just pure escapism. If it's sterile and cold for too long it becomes a chore.

[Kreader]

There are a few things that help me enjoy a book. I think everyone has listed them. If I can empathise with either the main character or a secondary character, a fast or medium pace, sometimes the style of writing or the approach at the beginning of the book, a smooth flowing story and in some cases being able to escape in the world the writer has created.

 

What I dislike is books that places a lot of emphasis on millitary fighting and positions, too much raw violence and naked romance. I can read a book that has romance and even a little sex which may be found in a romance section in a book store or library but it has to have some other storyline going on with it as well.

[Ooshie]

The kind of book I like really depends on the mood I'm in, so there isn't really any one thing about the content itself that would make me like/dislike a book.

 

But the two things that can really spoil a book for me are poor proofreading (spelling, punctuation etc) or continuity errors. Some books look like they haven't been proofread or edited at all!

[poppyshake]

When Jane Austen wrote 'Pride & Prejudice' the theme of boy meets girl, girl hates boy, girl gets to know boy, girl falls in love with boy was probably fairly new and original.

 

Since then the plotline has been stolen shamelessly and without any of Jane's wit. I can't stand 'chick lit' books where the heroine meets her new boss/colleague/whatever and hates him on sight (she'll be a bit feisty and he'll be insulting) .. you just know where it's going to go and how it's going to end and I'd rather gouge my eyes out and feed them to the cats than read any further.

 

I don't like flowery pretentious writing much either but I'd much rather that than be treated like an idiot.

[Kenny]

I don't really like it when books go into a lot of detail so that a paragraph becomes very long. I usaully skip a bit of said parts.

[sirinrob]

The kind of book I like really depends on the mood I'm in, so there isn't really any one thing about the content itself that would make me like/dislike a book.

 

But the two things that can really spoil a book for me are poor proofreading (spelling, punctuation etc) or continuity errors. Some books look like they haven't been proofread or edited at all!

 

Have to agree on the lack of proofreading/ editing. I may be inexperienced as a writer, but I do proofread my own work. Continuity errors are a bane of a writer's life, but with due care they can be eliminated.

 

Some books I've read or more correctly tried to read were so poorly edited, they were in the recycle bin without being finished. Fortunately that's rare as I'm picky on what i read

[MountainGirl]

I really enjoy a book, when its so good its hard to put down. I love missing the characters when I'm finished reading it, and feel sad that I no longer will have them with me everyday.

 

I love to be able to picture characters in my head, but don't over do it.

 

I cannot stand when authors write a good book, but ruin it for me by repeating information over and over again, as if someone hasn't been reading the book the whole time and just jumped into it in the middle, its like-- just to remind everyone of the obvious that you've been reading, let me write a whole page about what you already know.

 

Also when they go off on some subject that really isn't that important.. and could have been summed up in about three sentences.

[Susie]

I really enjoy a book, when its so good its hard to put down. I love missing the characters when I'm finished reading it, and feel sad that I no longer will have them with me everyday.

 

I feel the same way mountain girl. After finishing The Help or The Forgotten Garden, I missed those charactors.

 

It's hard for me to get interested in a book that throws too many charactors at me in the beginning. I get confused on who's who.

[emelee]

I can

[willoyd]

Oh, what a difficult question. I suppose there are some things though:

 

I am quite happy without an exciting or fast paced story - but not without a real sense of character and/or place (preferably both!). These are musts!

 

I want to be asking questions - a book that doesn't provoke in that way leaves me cold. But it doesn't have to be a mystery (although I do enjoy one).

 

I want to be treated like an adult. (There are some children's books, which I enjoy, which are far more 'adult' than many adult books). Dan Brown and some other so-called thriller writers are amongst the worst offenders there. One aspect of this is 'showing not telling', a technique I try to emphasise in my writing lessons (Y5 primary school!).

 

Several people have mentioned the physical feel/state of a book. Totally agree - I've got to be comfortable reading the book. Too many paperbacks especially nowadays are printed with an atrociously small print size and grotty print/paper quality. I put those straight back down, however tempting the content - it's got to be comfortable and pleasurable to read. I'm quite fussy with my choice of classics especially as there's usually a choice. (I've recently enjoyed reading the Random House imprint, Vintage Classics, for those very reasons). Oddly, I have some old Everyman editions which, whilst with a very small print size, are very readable. I think it's the print quality - too many paperbacks are smudgy.

Edited May 8, 2010 by willoyd

[iamnotreal]

Several people have mentioned the physical feel/state of a book. Totally agree - I've got to be comfortable reading the book. Too many paperbacks especially nowadays are printed with an atrociously small print size and grotty print/paper quality. I put those straight back down, however tempting the content - it's got to be comfortable and pleasurable to read. I'm quite fussy with my choice of classics especially as there's usually a choice. (I've recently enjoyed reading the Random House imprint, Vintage Classics, for those very reasons). Oddly, I have some old Everyman editions which, whilst with a very small print size, are very readable. I think it's the print quality - too many paperbacks are smudgy.

 

I'm with you on this one! I like the Vintage Classics ones too - aside from being the easiest to read, they always have great covers!

 

An example would be The Picture of Dorian Gray. I tried to read it before (Worsdworth Classics edition) and it did nothing but get on my nerves. I got a different edition (Penguin Classics - the ones with the black band) and I love it! It's funny how much the print size can impact how enjoyable a book is.

[willoyd]

I'm with you on this one! I like the Vintage Classics ones too - aside from being the easiest to read, they always have great covers!.... I tried to read it before (Worsdworth Classics edition) and it did nothing but get on my nerves. I got a different edition (Penguin Classics - the ones with the black band) and I love it! It's funny how much the print size can impact how enjoyable a book is.

 

Know what you mean about the Wordsworths! Also agree about the Vintage covers - part of the attraction for me too.

 

You mentioning Penguins reminds me of another important issue, at least with foreign language books - the translation! I really enjoyed the Penguin edition of War and Peace because of the Volokhonsky-Pevear translation. Equally, I'm soon going to have a go a LesMis, and have been recommended the Vintage version (Julie Rose).

[BookJumper]

... be warned however that the Vintage LesMis is a veritable brick of a book I picked a copy up today in a shop and had to put it back down immediately as my poor wrist protested!

[sadya]

Difficult to say, since like with music, my taste in books is broad so to speak. I like different kinds of books, both fiction and non-fiction.

 

Style of writing draws me in, an excellent story or interesting topic of the book.

[Christie]

The book has to drawn me in from the very first page! I also have a thing about incredibly long chapters! Which is proberly one of the reasons I haven't read Harry Potter yet.

[vinay87]

Dialogue. If people speak unnaturally, then the book is just too hard to understand/enjoy. And rereadability. A book doesn't need to be Harry Potter simple to be rereadable. I enjoy reading passages out of Les Mis and A Journey to the centre of the earth whenever I feel like it.

[willoyd]

... be warned however that the Vintage LesMis is a veritable brick of a book I picked a copy up today in a shop and had to put it back down immediately as my poor wrist protested!

 

I should have said that I already have a copy, so am aware of the impressive size. Your poor wrist! Certainly not one that I can easily tuck in my bag for the journey to school.