5.18.2009

What is it about a book?

What is it about a book that makes one (two, three or four) the one you can read over and over and over again without ever getting sick of it; and another one only worthy of one read?



Everyone has a different opinion of what book it gets to be. For my husband it's Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, my daughter, Twilight, the entire series, by Stephanie Meyer, my son, Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney and for me it's The List by Steve Martini. Of course then there's also The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans, Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie, Mirror Image by Sandra Brown, The Senator's Wife by Karen Robards . . . anyway, I'm getting distracted.


For my DH Lonesome Dove is the great American novel. Larry McMurtry takes him back in time to a down and dirty western civilization. He likes that he doesn't romanticize the old west. He enjoys the characters, feels that they are real to the time. This book is 945 pages long and yet he reads through it in no time at all and says the story never drags.


For my daughter, it's Twilight by Stephanie Meyers. For her it's the entire series, but for my purposes here we're going to stick to the first book. It's intriguing, Stephanie Meyers brings the characters to life for her and just like any good paranormal story has her believing in the unbelievable. Bella is close to her age (which makes it easier for her to connect to) and it's a love story. Sort of.



For my son, it's Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. I would love to wax poetic here, but they make him laugh and that's enough for him. He's eight, what can I say? :-)



I have a list of books that I can read over and over and over. For my purposes here today, I'm going to go with The List by Steve Martini. The List is a suspenseful work of fiction about a work of fiction. The story has mystery, intrigue, romance, suspense and action. It leads you in one direction and then completely throws you off and starts you off in another. I ran across this book by mistake and I'm so happy I did.
So what book is it for you? What book makes you wish it went on and on? What book is it that you can read 1,000 times and never be sick of it?
Happy Reading.

10 comments:

  1. hmm...that's a tough one. Do I have to pick just one? hehe I would have to say, right now, it's Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon. It's a 730 page book that I absolutely love. But I love her entire series.
    The ML Acheron/Ash is the epitome of ML. At least in my mind and she makes me feel what he feels. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. For our purposes here, yeah just one, but I understand, I have a list the length of my arm. :D

    I haven't read Sherrilyn Kenyon, but I've heard good things. It's a series you say? What's the name of the first book?

    ReplyDelete
  3. the only books i can remember reading more than once are the narnia series, LOTR, the island of blue dolphins and dandelion wine. and all of them because i was young when i read them and wanted to see why it was i liked them so much. now-a-days i don't read books more than once - i hardly have enough time to read the books i've got once !!! (and the pile keeps growing)
    as for your other question - 'What book makes you wish it went on and on?' i'd have to answer the dragon prince series by melanie rawn. i LOVED that series and was so upset when it ended. i was even more upset when i realized she'd never again visit that world and write more stories. i'd been hoping for a prequel ... something ... anything :(

    ReplyDelete
  4. looks like i'll be adding 'the list' to my pile

    ReplyDelete
  5. The List is a good addition. I read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe in elementary school and I remember really liking it, but I never picked it up again. Maybe I should add it to my pile. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. One book? Series is easy, In Death/Eve Dallas. Book? Just one? *whimper* *thinks hard* I have no clue. There are just too many. If I have a copy of it in my house, I think the book is worth rereading over and over. Yeah, yeah. Wimp out. I know. Deal with it. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh and a book I wanted to go on and on -- The WINDFLOWER by Sharon and Tom Curtis. That's one book I have read 15 times (seriously and even more than Acheron) AND I didn't want it to end. My favorite character wasn't the main character and I wanted his story so badly.
    I have even thought of writing it. Just because I love him so much! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. yes - do it !!! you might never get to put the story out there but it would be so cathartic !!!

    ReplyDelete