What Makes a Book "Good"?

I read. A lot. An awful lot. But not as many books so far this year as in years past. You see, I've joined a couple of book clubs and have been forced to read several books that were not of my own choosing. Some of these books have taken far more of my time to read than others.

I usually sit down with a book and in the course of a few days have consumed the thing. However, when it is a book that I'm not particularly fond of, I tend to read sparingly and then set the book aside only to be haunted by it on my next pass through the living room. It mocks me.

The book will sit there looking 'intellectual' or 'scholarly' or some such thing. I want a book that is 'entertaining' and yet I don't mind it being 'instructional' as long as the first point of entertaining is still met.

I read an entire book that mercifully was short. I say mercifully because although I read the entire book, I have no idea what it was that I read. I know it was a series of essays that were concerned with convoluted ways of looking at time. Each new essay or chapter was a new way of seeing time, but they all stemmed from a particular point in time and then strayed off. When I noticed this, I became too concerned with this paradox to do anything more than shake my head in dismay. The book is considered to be well-written. Perhaps it is. In my case, it was not well read. National Bestsellership notwithstanding.

I like books that are delightful to read. They do not have to be fiction. Well written non-fiction is a joy to read, as well. I've read many non-fiction books and enjoyed them immensely. They were entertaining as well as instructional or scholarly.

I've recently read some award winning books that were spectacularly difficult to read. They were not enjoyable. The prose was stilted and difficult to follow. The story line was uninteresting. Or the books were simply not to my liking. I am not the sole judge and jury about what makes a good book. I am the only person who can say whether or not a book that I've read or tried to read is any good for me.

I have no idea what is the standard of measure that is being used to judge a book as meritorious or not. Sometimes it must just be the weight of the Author's name. Perhaps it is simply a 'hot topic' that makes a book a best seller or award winner. I know that some books make the list simply because someone starts talking about them.

I read The Secret before I knew that it was some hot topic book. It didn't make particular sense to me then. I've read some of the books and articles that the first book inspired. It is making it's own little cottage industry. The Da Vinci Code did the same thing. Although I must say, I liked The Da Vinci Code much more than The Secret.

I still don't understand why some book is a best seller and I can barely muddle through it and some books or authors I love never make it past the starting gate. I am going to keep reading the books that are part of the reading groups. But what I've noticed others doing and what I may start myself, is to read only part of the book and then sigh and act too busy and say, "I just didn't have time to read the rest, but I will later." That is so much nicer than saying, "This book was a piece of crap and I couldn’t force myself to finish it. I never will because I only have so much time on Earth and I have already wasted more of it than this book deserves." Now there is a book review.

I used to force myself to read any book I started. But I figured out that it was a stupid plan back when I was in high school. Just because I'm in a book club or two is no reason for me to renege on a perfectly good plan. Here on out, if I don't like a book, I will simply quit reading it. If the people who read the whole thing can make it sound appealing enough during the book discussion, I may pick it back up.

I have a list a mile long of books I want to read. I'm going to stop wasting my time wading through books I don't like.

So, what are you reading?