Entertain and Surprise Me!

Certain genres have gained or lost popularity over the years, certain trends have brought a particular kind of book forward at one time or another, but in the process, I can often feel like I’ve been there, read that.

While most of us will always enjoy certain types of books—for me, it will be Regency and Victorian Romance, Paranormal Romance, and Cozy Mysteries of all kinds—after a while, we have certain expectations for those books, and very few new ones tend to stand out from the crowd. The sudden surge of newer sub-genres have brought some interest, but even these book waves require certain factors to stand out.

For example, the LITRPG genre, in which the main character Oinds themselves either through death or some sort of VR tech, living inside a video game or video game-like world, has become a recent trend in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre. The idea of a character getting a second chance at life in a game/world that measures success through levels and skills appeals to game-loving types.

However, after a couple of years reading these books, one becomes more picky. It’s no longer enough for the main character to Oight a bunch of monsters, level up and defeat the big bad. Instead, they must do something else too, establish a guild, build and defend a town, or something equally creative to balance the Oighting. Some readers aren’t as critical and can easily look at and appreciate the continuance of a simple plot.

However, some of the most successful and reader-favorite books are not the most technically well-written, so why would a book that is more simply written stand out in a crowd of more eloquently prosed novels?

In a nutshell, an amazing book today which makes most readers rave about it or reread it should be like my husband, so interesting, I married him to keep him from getting away!

What makes a book so interesting?

As a reader of almost three decades, and a reviewer of almost a third of those years, I admit to becoming a bit more critical and jaded about new books

First, such a book needs to be clever. The characters can be obviously Olawed, but they can never be wishy-washy. For example, love triangles are common in Romance books, but not if one of the characters is playing with the other two instead of simply needing to decide. Cheating is never romantic. Taking the time to build a relationship with the Hero or Heroine is both clever and sexy.

By: Sarah McEachron

Plots also need a twist that makes sense. Mysteries need realistic but have smart solutions, Sci-Fi tech and Fantasy magic need to be believable. Historical novels need to Oit the time period and Suspense/Thrillers need to walk the emotion edge of tension, without repulsion. Action books need interesting Oighting styles, intelligent battle plans, and reasonable danger.

All of them need aspects that may not have been explored in quite the same way before.

Second, the book needs to be entertaining. For example, pretty much every genre can have a touch of humor somewhere. Even the darkest Fantasy and the most suspenseful Thrillers can add a bit of dark humor that will make the reader smirk at the “gotcha” moment. For lighter stories, such as Historical and Contemporary Romances, humor makes the characters more interesting. It gives a character depth to have a clear sense of humor or a keen sense of the absurd, and adds to the believability that would make the signiOicant other fall in love. A handsome face or beautiful eyes can only go so far if conversation is Olat.

Third, a book needs to make a reader blush or bite. No matter the genre, a romantic relationship adds to the addict-ability. This doesn’t mean the story needs Oive steam sex or gruesome bits. It means that at some point in any relationship, the characters make one go Awww, or WOW, or Eeeeh, basically make that heart thump or jump. If there are no sparks, no sizzle, no moment of ‘these characters are made for each other’ (especially true in Romance) then it’s a crush, which means no long-term interest.

Book Boyfriends come from a reader falling so much for a character, they wish they were real. The kind of magnetism these characters possess bring readers, myself included, back to the series again and again, no matter what genre we are reading. And, like my husband sometimes, it’s because the character’s too darn sweet, but sometimes it’s because they are the boss taking charge and getting things done.

Finally, the book needs to surprise the reader! Many authors develop a formula for their books that fans like. For example, a Contemporary series about a small town where each book follows a different brother or girl or mystery or murder. Perhaps a Mystery author gets into a groove where the detective solves all the mysteries through clues and interviews, and a keen eye then presents their Oindings to all the suspects, like Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. These formulas are fun and satisfying. In everyday life, they even bring a smile to the reader’s face. But, if readers are going to rave about it, the book needs to be the Oirst Date Night after having a baby. Something longed for and exciting, even if it’s short! The reader knows what they are getting with a formula and generally wants exactly that, but if the books in a series are going to rate high, they need to either create a new plot idea or have some sort of extra twist to make it stand out, despite the pattern and formula.

For example, one of my favorite series involves a group of friends in the 1920s. They are 'Bright Young Things' who solve mysteries by mostly interviewing suspects, and then using intuition to trick the criminal into confessing. There are no clear lines of clues, and half the time I have no idea where the author is going with the mystery until it’s all revealed. However, the emotions and friendships between the characters are so engrossing, I ignore all the Olaws in the logic, the simple writing, and the formula, and read the pre- ordered books as soon as they hit my Kindle at midnight!

Finding a book that is clever, funny, blush worthy, and surprising is a lot like kissing a lot of frogs in search of an enchanted prince. Thankfully reviewers help speed up the process for readers by going through the latest releases and giving readers a heads up about what they might discover inside the pages.

But, like a fairy tale, sorting the good books from the amazing ones is worth it, in the end. Readers shouldn’t expect to get the prince on the Oirst try, but once the good ones are found, all those frogs will be worth it!