What makes books unputdownable? What is the last unputdownable book you read?
I’m not an adrenaline junkie but I get bored easily, very easily…..too easily. If a book is boring it is in danger of becoming a DNF.
Reading is PERSONAL.
NO TWO PERSONS read the same book. The following is what makes a book unputdownable for ME. What makes a book unputdownable for you?
Do you have unputdownable books on your bookshelves?
What Makes Books Unputdownable?
*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Intriguing, Likable, or Admirable Characters
I can’t say I love unlikable or despicable characters. Complicated, complex, a work in progress, goodhearted at the core, sacrificial… yes, please! Falling in love with a character or feeling a deep connection with a character keeps me invested and turning pages.
Example: The Girl With the Louding Voice
Unique Premise
A unique premise hooks me almost every time!
Examples: West With Giraffes (yes, tell me about giraffes traveling by truck across the U.S. in 1938 in the care of a gruff, seasoned zookeeper and a homeless teen); Project Hail Mary (I want to know how a middle school science teacher and an alien will fix the problem on the Sun and save Earth)
Balanced Character-driven and Plot-driven
See my post explaining character-driven and plot-driven fiction and that perfect balance! When an author can achieve that balance, she or he has my attention!
Examples: The Nature of Fragile Things, The Rose Code, All We Were Promised, I Must Betray You, The Winners, The Girl With the Louding Voice
Real-life Events or People
Create a story around a real-life event or write a fictionalized biography and you might lose me down the Google rabbit hole! I especially love an untold story! My (virtual) bookshelves are overflowing with examples, so here is a sampling:
Examples of Real-life Events: The Girl From Guernica (Spanish Civil War and Picasso’s famous painting); The Uncharted Flight of Oliva West (the 1927 Dole Air Race to Hawaii); The Rose Code (Bletchley Park); West With Giraffes (transport of two giraffes across the U.S. in 1938); The Last Lifeboat (survivors of the torpedoed SS Benares during WWII); The Winter Orphans (rescue of Jewish children during WWII); The Boys in the Boat (1936 Olympics)
Examples of Untold Stories: By Her Own Design (the woman who designed Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress); James (Huckleberry Finn reimagined from enslaved Jim’s POV); Becoming Madam Secretary (first female Secretary of State); My Dear Hamilton (Eliza Hamilton and her marriage to Alexander Hamilton); The First Ladies (the friendship and partnership of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary Bethune); Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (1400s China and the first female physician); When We Had Wings (female nurses “Angels of Bataan” during WWII); Invention of Wings (early abolitionists/women’s rights); The Woman They Could Not Silence (real life is stranger than fiction as a woman fights the mental health system in the 1860s)
…Someone stop me! So many books to recommend!
Books With a Strong Personal Connection
Books in which I make strong connections are unputdownable! It’s personal and I don’t expect that others will experience the same deep connection I feel with some books.
Example: A Place For Us (see my review to discover why I connected strongly with this story)
Intriguing, Unique/Quirky, Complex Characters, Overcoming Life’s Obstacles
I fall hard for unique and quirky! Give me characters who are overcoming obstacles and living their best lives despite the challenges.
Examples: A Man Called Ove (grief); Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (childhood trauma); The War That Saved My Life/The War I Finally Won (physical disability, middle grade lit); Love and Lavender (neurodivergent and physical disability); Sipsworth (aging); Symphony of Secrets (neurodiverse, person of color)
A Genre Mash-Up
At times the most unputdownable books are genre mash-ups. A bit of histfic, a sprinkling of sweet romance, a side of gentle thriller, an inspiring dose of women supporting women, and a dollop of mystery/intrigue.
Examples: The Girl From Guernica, The Nature of Fragile Things, The Radar Girls
Big Questions of Life and Thought-Provoking Themes
I love a thought-provoking book, fiction or nonfiction.
Examples: The Choice by Dr. Edith Eva Eger (forgiveness, moving forward from the past); The Dearly Beloved (faith and friendship); Gilead (legacy, last words); Small Things Like These (compassion, taking action)
The Next Installment in a Favorite Series
I love a good women’s fiction series, especially one with likable characters, a supportive community, and themes of women supporting women. Jumping into the next installment is easy because it’s like visiting old friends. I could live there and be friends with them. This probably falls into the category of a “comfort read” or “Uplit.”
Example: The Wartime Book Shop Series (review of the most recent installment)
Short Chapters
LOL! Really! Short Chapters are my kryptonite! I like to read to the end of a chapter before I put a book down, but when they are short, I’m always tempted to read just one more! (which can lead to me finishing a book in one sitting!)
Example: Symphony of Secrets had short chapters that made the reading fly by!
QOTD:
What makes a book unputdownable for you? Can you provide an example?
***I know I’ll be back to edit this post because I can guarantee another example will pop into my mind the minute I hit publish!
I’m linking up with Deb @ Deb’s World, Sue @ Women Living Well After 50, Donna @ Retirement Reflections, and Jo @ And Anyways… for the August installment of #WhatsOnYourBookShelfChallenge.
***Thanks for holding the door open for me ladies! I entangled with a virus this month and am working behind!”””
I’m also linking up today with the 2024 Book Blog Discussion Challenge hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight.
Happy Reading Book Buddies!
“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.” ~Rainer Maria Rilke
“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.” ~Denise J Hughes
“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.” ~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.” ~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text
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Hi, Carol – Thank you for joining us for #WOYBS. That is so true that no two people read the same book. Unputdownable for me is great writing and a captivating storyline that make you stay up past your bedtime vowing to read ‘just one more page’ and then ‘just one more’……
I think I missed the link up! 😢 I tried! Working a bit behind at the moment!
All of those tick my boxes too, Carol. Great post. 💖📚
You and I enjoy a lot of the same books. I’m drawn to historical fiction most of the time. I love being transported to a different time and place, and I always learn something.
Histfic for the love 💯😍📚
What a hard question. I agree with all you say I think. Sometimes there’s an indefinable something that you just can’t put your finger on!
I agree with the sentiment that it’s difficult sometimes to define what makes a book unputdownable!
[…] What Makes Books Unputdownable? [Discussion] #BookBlogger #Blogger #BookX #WOYBS #LetsDiscuss2024 […]
This is a thought provoking question, Carol! I recently realized that, like you, I am also easily bored. If a book doesn’t grab me quickly, I will probably put it down. At times I like to read older books, but as a general rule they are written at a slower pace or the word choices are more meaty and make for a slower reading experience. I want to read some of those, but struggle with the slower pace. And pacing in general is something that will keep me reading. The storyline needs to keep moving forward at a steady pace without too many sidelines. So many of the things you mentioned hold true for me as well!
So true about pacing! I should have mentioned it! Maybe the shorter chapters help pacing. Sometimes with classics, I read them in chunks interspersed with a faster paced read!
A good balance between characterization and plot I guess. BUT geesh, I HATE the word ‘UNPUTDOWNABLE’. It is used far too often, and most times erroneously.
Hi Carol, you’ve nailed it with your description of what makes a book unputdownable, I agree with everything you’ve said! It’s also personal as you say and to me the timing of what I’m reading and what’s been going on in my life can severely impact on what I enjoy and what I give up on!
Thanks for joining us for #WOYBS with your insightful posts!
Yes, timing is a factor!
I agree with all your points, Carol. I also enjoy a good mystery, whether it is cozy or a crime thriller. If I find myself trying to figure out whodunnit, or the motives, I am hooked. For me I have to be able to connect to the characters. If they are totally unlikable and not to the point where I want to read to see if they get what’s coming to them, then I will quickly DNF. Great post!
I agree with being able to connect with characters!