Aussie Books

Book Blogger Hop #1
The Australian Bookshelf | July 1, 2011 at 6:37 pm | Categories: Friday blog hop | URL: http://wp.me/p1cyae-ci
This is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer at Crazy For Books
This week's question is:

"What keeps you reading beyond the first few pages of a book, and what makes you
want to stop reading a book and put it back on the shelf?"

I guess there's no set rule for keeping me engaged in a story. There's probably three main reading experiences that I encounter:
1) Love it from the very first page
2) It's a little slow to start and then becomes enjoyable
3) Slow to start and never really eventuates in rapid page turning


Sometimes a slow build is necessary for character development and to give a foundation to a story, but to get me past page 50 the author has to show me it is worth it. I suppose the characters are the main factor for me. I need to be drawn in and understand them for me to really enjoy a book and continue reading it. In saying that there are times when the characters aren't well developed but the plot has me hooked nevertheless.
It's rare that I have been unable to finish a book, I usually give it the benefit of the doubt that it will step up my interest at some stage. Overall, if the plot is mundane, the characters are superficial and I find myself skimming paragraphs in search of something interesting- then those are the things that will stop me from continuing with the read.
What keeps you reading a book?? Feel free to leave your answers in the comments section or to leave your link if you are signed up to the meme.

By the way, I have given my blog yet again another makeover. I am pretty happy with the design now, despite WordPress's limitations in customizing the page! I think the new look is simple and comforting- I know the autumn leaves are not really representative of the now Australian winter but it has a cosy feel to is anyway.

Let me know what you think

Have a great weekend!

Jayne

I left my comment. For a book to keep my butt on a seat the first few pages need to be interesting, the characters whetting my curiosity to what they are about and the plot looking as if it was heading for something perhaps adventurous, puzzling, mystifying, perplexing and lots of other 'ings' so that I want to continue on to see what happens next. If its good, I will return to reading it again and again and again....