I feel like I’m working with the whole chicken/egg dilemma today. My original thesis was, ‘does a book need to be good to be important’. And then I thought, well, what makes a book ‘good’? And the more I thought about it, the more intertwined the ideas became. So how do I broach this topic? Do I want to broach this topic?
Let’s start with an example. I recently read “Origin” by Dan Brown and “The Immortalists” by Chloe Benjamin. I did not consider these books to be particularly well written. I thought there were plot inconsistencies and gaps that brought me out of the story. I thought some of the dialogue was tedious and repetitive. I thought the characters were a little too stereotypical, yet behaved in illogical ways. I did not think these books could be defined as good.
But…
Both of these books left me thinking about them after I had read them. I wrote a post about the main plot line of “The Immortalists” because it was so thought provoking. I have discussed these books with people and journaled about them. I have spent more time talking about these books than books that I labeled ‘good’. I think I’m going to remember these books. So, doesn’t that make them good?
Now think about this: can you think a book is good yet not like it? Can you like a book but think it’s not good? Or are like and good too intertwined?
I know there are books that I thought were well written but I did not like. (Handmaids Tale) And if I thought about it I’m sure I could find a book that I thoroughly enjoyed yet no one would ever call it a good book (my novel). But how many people differentiate?
So. here’s todays thought points:
- What makes a book good
- What makes a book important
- Do you think of these things when you are reading
Yes. I am asking you to write my blog for me this morning because I am in a quandary. What do we look for in a book, and why.
Discuss:
Waking up on the Wrong Side of 50 