Thursday, July 26, 2012

Updates and Poll results are in for "What do you look for most in a book?"

Addendum: Just wanted to let you all know some exciting news!!! Kendare Blake, author of Anna Dressed In Blood has agreed to give away a copy of her new book, Girl of Nightmares and do an interview! It's tentatively scheduled for Sept 4th! Stay tuned!!!

What do you look for most in a book?

The top answer was:
3 dimensional characters 66%

I totally agree with this. If I think about what I enjoy most more than anything else in the book, is very interesting and thoughtful characters that have explainable personalities and actions. There's nothing I dislike more than a character that is just there to be "filler." Like the token "mean girl" or the "bad boy" that everyone is drooling over.

Second place was:
Great unexpected twists 54%

This is another very important aspect for me in a book. I love being surprised-- by characters, plot, and decisions. This keeps a book from getting boring and keeping the reader sucked in and engaged.

Third place:
World Building 37%
I think this can elevate or sink a book very quickly. If I don't believe the world I'm reading about, I quickly get frustrated and stop reading. Since I'm in medicine, dystopians have a hard time winning me over-- but when they do... they usually get me for good!

Fourth place:
A great villain 29%
This isn't a necessity for me, but a terrific villain can really add brownie points for me. I like to see that an author has made this person very real and believable, and I can empathize and understand why this person made the wrong decisions he/she did.

Fifth place:
A great love story 25%
I'm a girl, so I am a sucker for well done romances. But I absolutely hate cheesiness. If it's cheesy at all, I get very frustrated very quickly. So this can really work against a novel.

Last place
Beautiful prose and other 12%
The prose also isn't a necessity-- the book DOES have to be well written, however. I think of Lauren Oliver when I think of beautiful prose. Don't get me wrong, it's a huge plus, especially when I sigh after each phrase. Shiver by Maggie S also comes to mind.

Thanks, and don't forget to enter the next poll! Hunger games versus Twilight!

One more day to enter the Pretty Amy bookmark/bracelet giveaway!
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1 comment:

  1. Interesting to see results! My tastes fall right in line with them! :D

    ReplyDelete