Interesting
What makes a book interesting?
Individual tastes vary. What’s interesting to me might not be interesting to
you. The mystery genre has a wide variety of subgenres because every reader has
their own likes and dislikes. My taste runs to light-hearted, non-gory, cozy
mysteries. (Though I do like a good courtroom drama, too.) Everyone’s different
so it’s a blessing that in today’s market, we have quite a selection to choose
from.
Cozies are heavy on character
development. The murder is not gruesome, the sleuth is an amateur and there’s
not a lot of violence or sex or swearing. And usually, no children or animals
are hurt in the making of the book. J I read for fun and enjoyment—no heavy duty details or moral
issues to be dealt with. I hesitate to say cozies are formulaic, but to a
certain degree that’s exactly what they are. But I love, love, love this
subgenre.
Having said all that, I participate in
a few reading challenges each year. The Alphabet Challenge (read a book
starting with every letter of the alphabet), The Cruisin’ Thru The Cozies
Challenge (where you fill in different categories) and the Reporter’s Challenge
(which I host every year on GoodReads). In order to complete these challenges,
sometimes I’m ‘forced’ to read a mystery book that’s not a cozy so I can fill
in all the categories. I have found many delightful books that I wouldn’t
normally pick up if it weren’t for the challenges.
Here’s the things I like about a book
that make it interesting to me:
T1) The beginning grabs my
interest from the get-go.
I enjoy being hooked from the start…
with a good pace… never letting my interest flag.
One book I read this year was Vanished In The Dunes by Allan Retzky.
Now I never would have selected this novel if it weren’t for the fact that I
needed to read a book starting with a ‘V’ for the Alphabet Challenge. It was
gripping and suspenseful and interesting!
T2) The setting is fun.
If it’s a place—I adore a small town
setting and a small town on the beach is even better. Or on an island. Or on a
cruise. Or anywhere in Europe. Or historical.
If it’s an event—the author gives me
something that I’m interested in experiencing
(or have experienced). Such as the story takes place during a ghost tour, or
during a writing conference, or during a vacation.
Historical mysteries are great fun,
too. Murder Knocks Twice by Susanna
Calkins grabbed my attention in several ways. First, it’s an interesting time
period—1920’s during prohibition. Second, it’s set in a speakeasy which caught
my interest. Third, it’s set in my hometown of Chicago and I was aware of the
places and people she included in the story.
3) The writing is
flawless.
Some books are so well-written, the
words just flow. I’ve noticed the difference—wish I could articulate what that
difference is J)
(Ex: The Hat Shop Mysteries by Jenn
McKinlay, The Ballroom Dance Mysteries by Ella Barrick)
4) I’m not even
interested in whodunit because I almost
always finger the killer. (It’s a curse—my daughters won’t watch TV mysteries
with me unless I promise to keep quiet).