What Makes and What Breaks a Good Book
These qualities determine how I feel about every read and encourage me to reflect on what to look for in future books.
Every passionate reader knows that generally, it doesn’t take long to decide how to feel about a book. For me, there is always one decisive moment during each read, when I know to what extent I like it or not. This moment is usually determined by an emotion, a realisation, or a thought the book causes, and more often than not, that’s when I know exactly why the book is good or not for my taste.
My nose for good books has probably developed with time, but I have now reached a point where most of my reads are three-star ratings or higher. When choosing what to add to my TBR, I look for particular characteristics, which is a habit I’ve acquired in the past couple of years, that has changed the quality of my reading experiences overall.
Besides choosing my books based solely on the genres and types of plot I prefer, I now look for a certain kind of language, characters, tone, and style. After years of heavy-duty reading — and many disappointments — these are the best and worst features a book can have, that can completely change how I feel about it.
