| Book bloggers unable to attend the BEA Bloggers Conference or Book Expo America (BEA) in Chicago, but would like to ‘meet’ other book bloggers and publishers to discuss books and book blogging can participate in this virtual event. |
What makes or breaks a book? How do we rate the books, or determine if it is good literature or a good story?
What do I want?
The Five Senses + Worldbuilding. I want to feel the cooling sea breeze as I lay on a hot, sandy beach. I want to smell fresh, earthy petrichor after a monsoon downpour. I lazily hit the snooze button on the noisy alarm clock as I make my way to the window and open the curtains. I hear the sounds of swords clanging against shields. I marvel at the softness of his sister's baby blanket.
I am transported to the confining cabin of a ship hurtling through space. I am running through the streets of an urban jungle. I am sampling the banquet in a manor house.
Transform your book into a pensieve. Build me a world worth leaving the real world for.
Know the Characters. It is not necessary for me and a character to have something in common. I just want to care about them - whether they live or die or deserving of my book boyfriend/best friend.
A good character may not be described completely, i.e. blonde, brunette, dark, white. Let me know them through their actions and their journey, through the eyes of the those around them - even a startled raccoon or a night owl.
Food Porn. Give me the local delicacies. Paint me a banquet buffet. Order me ten boxes of pizza. The book is bound to be epic if there's a gastronomic feast. Guaranteed.
To Romance or Not to Romance. I honestly look for romance in the books I read, I live vicariously thru them after all. XD However, there are times when romance does not really contribute to the whole character development or for the plot to move forward. Or there are times that a romance at this point in the story is not the right time.
It is all in the timing and how the characters grow as individuals. Should or should not?
Exhibit A: Typical YA Heroine.
Exhibit B: Brooding YA Hero
Missing/Dead/Absentee Parent Syndrome. That's why all of those speshul snowflakes get in so much trouble.
Insta-love. 'Nuff said.
And my personal favorite: Stacy lives an ordinary life going through a typical, boring everyday routine... until she meets Jack of the gorgeous eyes, thick, dark hair, and a devil-may-care smile. Life will never be the same again.
WONDERFUL post! I 100% agree! A couple of the reasons why I will DNF a book that is otherwise well written is when there is no world building or a pointless love triangle pops up.
ReplyDeleteFeel free to check out my post for day 2 here.
Love this list! Especially the parent missing thing - then again I do sometimes relate to the over-worked/ not really around parent....
ReplyDeletehttp://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/armchair-book-expo-day-2-wants.html
Love triangles/squares/pentagons are a definite turn off for me. I just wrote ib another post that these relationships rarely add anything to an individual's character arc. It's unnecessary drama and if it goes on too long, I sort of understand readers felling like they've been toyed with. Great post!
ReplyDeleteMy Armchair Book Expo post
Awesome list of pet peeves! I'm with you on the likes as well. I did forget about the food porn in my post, which I didn't know was a thing until I saw a fellow blogger mention it in one of her posts. Why the dead parent? I get tired of those too, there's only so many ways to get them out of the picture. My Day#2 Armchair BEA
ReplyDeleteLove your pet peeves. I'd rather a book talk about the regional food than have another character list off all the name brand clothing they're wearing or get caught up in the cuts of their fashion.
ReplyDeleteArmchair Book Expo day 2: What do readers want? and Collaboration
Yeahhh, I definitely feel you with wanting romance in all your books but not liking it when it just doesn't fit. It might make books more enjoyable but when it has no point it just takes up page space where there could be plot.
ReplyDeleteLove this post! Thanks for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteArmchair BEA Cafinated Reads Day 2
Brooding YA hero and love triangles are two of my least favorite tropes. Sure, I've read a few good love triangles over the years. There are always exceptions, but most of them never seem to add anything to the story.
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