A number of years ago as a Christmas gift, my mother gave me folders full of family recipes. (And by family I mean chosen family as well as blood relatives.)
Some are typed. Some are rewritten (as in copied out by hand). Some are photocopies of the recipe cards which still live in recipe boxes.
It's a wonderful collection, just not very organized, so I decided in this age of modern technology and self-published that I would collect them all into a cookbook to share among family and friends.
I have just finished typing one stack which comes from the family of a dear friend who passed away almost five years ago. (I think it has been that long. My mother can correct my faulty memory.) Even in this relatively small collection of 19 recipes, there is impressive variety, even though most are dessert related.
Some, like the Turtle Cookies, inspire me to make them right away even though I am no good at baking cookies.
Others, like Elsie Rich's "Good Salad," make me blink in wonder as my stomach gurgles in protest.
I share them below for your fun and amusement. Enjoy!
Turtle Cookies
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c margarine or butter, softened
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
pecan halves
8 caramels, each cut into fourths
Cookies
Mix brown sugar, margarine, water and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt until dough holds together. (If it is too dry, stir in 1-2 tsp water.)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. For each cookie, group 3-5 pecal halves (split if necessary) on ungreased cookie sheet. Shape dough by teaspoonfuls around caramel quarters. Press firmly onto center of each group of nuts. Bake until set but not brown, about 12-15 minutes. Cool. Dip tops of cookies into chocolate glaze.
Chocolate glaze
1 c powdered sugar
1 Tbsp water
1 oz melted (cooled) unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp vanilla
Beat ingredients until smooth, adding 1 tsp of water at a time if necessary.
Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies.
Elsie Rich's "Good Salad"
6 oz pkg of raspberry Jell-O (or strawberry or cherry)
1 1/2 c water
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 c cottage cheese
1/2 c nuts
1/2 c chopped celery (Chef's note: "Not part of the original recipe.")
8 oz carton of Cool Whip
Dissolve Jell-O in part of the water which is boiling hot.
Add the rest of the water as ice water.
Add all other ingredients (except the Cool Whip).
Stir well.
Put in fridge until it starts to Jell. (Love the spelling.)
Fold in the Cool Whip.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
A bit of perspective
Kill one man and you are a murderer.
Kill millions and you are a conquerer.
Kill everyone and you are a god.
-- Jean Rostand
Kill millions and you are a conquerer.
Kill everyone and you are a god.
-- Jean Rostand
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Quote of the Day
Courtesy of the inimitable Julia Child, from a letter to Avis DeVoto on January 19, 1953:
"All this chef-hostess stuff is my particular interest ... but it does take practice and experience, so the stuff is really hot, but not over-done, etc. When we get into 'recipes for dishes,' we plan always to have 'make ahead' notes for everything, including veg. (I also think the young hostess should be advised never to say anything about what she serves, in the way of 'Oh, I don't know how to cook, and this may be awful,' or 'poor little me,' or 'this didn't turn out' ... etc. etc. It is so dreadful to have to reassure one's hostess the everything is delicious, whether or not it is. I make it a rule, no mater what happens, never to say one word, thought it kills me. Maybe the cat has fallen in the stew, or I have put the lettuce out the window and it has frozen, or the meat is not quite done ... Grits one's teeth and smile.)"
Source: Page 46 of As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto, Food Friendship and the Making of a Masterpiece, edited by Joan Reardon
I have only just started but am enjoying this collection immensely, even if I am having a bit of trouble deciding if I am eavesdropping on a private conversation between these two charming women or have been granted the opportunity to be a silent participant in same.
"All this chef-hostess stuff is my particular interest ... but it does take practice and experience, so the stuff is really hot, but not over-done, etc. When we get into 'recipes for dishes,' we plan always to have 'make ahead' notes for everything, including veg. (I also think the young hostess should be advised never to say anything about what she serves, in the way of 'Oh, I don't know how to cook, and this may be awful,' or 'poor little me,' or 'this didn't turn out' ... etc. etc. It is so dreadful to have to reassure one's hostess the everything is delicious, whether or not it is. I make it a rule, no mater what happens, never to say one word, thought it kills me. Maybe the cat has fallen in the stew, or I have put the lettuce out the window and it has frozen, or the meat is not quite done ... Grits one's teeth and smile.)"
Source: Page 46 of As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto, Food Friendship and the Making of a Masterpiece, edited by Joan Reardon
I have only just started but am enjoying this collection immensely, even if I am having a bit of trouble deciding if I am eavesdropping on a private conversation between these two charming women or have been granted the opportunity to be a silent participant in same.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Which quote is the quote?
"If we have multiiple, highly skilled Special Operations forces identifying targets for precision-guided munitions, we will need fewer conventional ground forces. That's an important lesson learned from Afghanistan."
—
"If we have multiple, highly skilled Special Operations forces identifying targets for precision-guided munitions, we will need fewer conventional ground forces. That's an important lesson learned from Afghanistan."
—
—
"If we have multiple, highly skilled Special Operations forces identifying targets for precision-guided munitions, we will need fewer conventional ground forces. That's an important lesson learned from Afghanistan."
—
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Jealous much?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-gresko/national-novel-writing-mo_b_781313.html
Not everyone thinks that writing should be a torturous experience, although I understand that for some people it is. I would like to be so bold as to suggest that if it is really that terrible, then don't do it.
As observed in the comments at the end of the article, Mr. Gresko has missed the point. The point isn't great literature (although that is not ruled out as a possibility) but writing. NaNoWriMo (I do not have the same aversion to the abbreviation that a writer who chooses to use a particularly erudite word like "hooey" in his headline) participants don't sit down and *try* to write crap. They sit down and write. The result might be terrible. It might be good. It might even be brilliant in spots.
The point is that the only way to write is to sit down and do it. Writing is writing. Preparing to write is not writing. Thinking about writing is not writing. Researching what you are going to write about is not writing. Reading is not writing. Talking about writing is not writing. Writing is writing.
The goal is not to be bitter and complaining about how many years have gone by since the novel was started. The goal is to put together fifty thousand words of prose fiction in thirty days. I would even be willing to go so far as to say that the goal is to learn something in the process (even if the word count at the end of the month is less than fifty thousand) and a feeling of accomplishment when it is all over.
This is my second year taking the National Novel Writing Month challenge. I learned quite a bit last year (although I have not touched that heap of writing since), and I am learning more this year. One might even go so far as to say that I am building on last year's experience, and learning more about my writing means that I can improve it.
My suggestion to Mr. Gresko is that he stop wasting word count complaining about an activity enjoyed by thousands of people all over the world and get back to one of his unfinished novels.
That said, I am going to stop ironically expending word count on a blog post and get back to writing.
Not everyone thinks that writing should be a torturous experience, although I understand that for some people it is. I would like to be so bold as to suggest that if it is really that terrible, then don't do it.
As observed in the comments at the end of the article, Mr. Gresko has missed the point. The point isn't great literature (although that is not ruled out as a possibility) but writing. NaNoWriMo (I do not have the same aversion to the abbreviation that a writer who chooses to use a particularly erudite word like "hooey" in his headline) participants don't sit down and *try* to write crap. They sit down and write. The result might be terrible. It might be good. It might even be brilliant in spots.
The point is that the only way to write is to sit down and do it. Writing is writing. Preparing to write is not writing. Thinking about writing is not writing. Researching what you are going to write about is not writing. Reading is not writing. Talking about writing is not writing. Writing is writing.
The goal is not to be bitter and complaining about how many years have gone by since the novel was started. The goal is to put together fifty thousand words of prose fiction in thirty days. I would even be willing to go so far as to say that the goal is to learn something in the process (even if the word count at the end of the month is less than fifty thousand) and a feeling of accomplishment when it is all over.
This is my second year taking the National Novel Writing Month challenge. I learned quite a bit last year (although I have not touched that heap of writing since), and I am learning more this year. One might even go so far as to say that I am building on last year's experience, and learning more about my writing means that I can improve it.
My suggestion to Mr. Gresko is that he stop wasting word count complaining about an activity enjoyed by thousands of people all over the world and get back to one of his unfinished novels.
That said, I am going to stop ironically expending word count on a blog post and get back to writing.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn
Since I read a lot of books in a similar vein with similar storylines, challenges, themes and characters, I am always looking for an author to surprise me and draw me in with a different twist or take on familiar elements.
Voices of Dragons is a little more serious and a little less whimsical than a lot of the teen urban fantasy type books I have read. It took some getting used to, but overall it was worth reading. A savvy metaphor for the contemporary state of the world.
The setting is completely contemporary and modern. The only thing that isn't "normal" is the fact that there are dragons in the world, which is a bit jarring. It takes some getting used to that there is only one thing "out of place," only one magical element -- as opposed to, say, having a character discover that there is an entire magical world.
The dragons are not so much considered magical as large, powerful, intelligent, virtually eternal creatures whose fire breathing capability enables them to have extremely destructive potential. They are relegated behind borders negotiated sixty years ago, after the dragons took issue with the disturbance caused by the testing and detonating of atomic bombs during World War II. Neither human nor dragon is allowed to cross the borders. There is no contact, no communication. It is forbidden and illegal. As a friend pointed out to me, it has a very Cold War feel to it.
One day, Kay accidentally crosses the border when she slips and falls into a river while cooling off after a hike. A dragon not only saves her life rather than letting her die or eating her himself but also asks her to come back again and visit. He wants to practice his English. He is curious. He wants to learn. And so does Kay.
As the fragile and unlikely friendship grows, the larger situation becomes more unstable. The military can't leave well enough alone and begins testing the border ... in order to test new weapons. As the situation escalates, Kay and her dragon friend must make some extremely difficult (and courageous) choices.
The lessons about choosing education, communication and cooperation over suspicion, hostility and provocation are well taught, as is the importance of doing something for the greater good and the longer term, rather than focusing on the moment and the individual.
Voices of Dragons is a little more serious and a little less whimsical than a lot of the teen urban fantasy type books I have read. It took some getting used to, but overall it was worth reading. A savvy metaphor for the contemporary state of the world.
The setting is completely contemporary and modern. The only thing that isn't "normal" is the fact that there are dragons in the world, which is a bit jarring. It takes some getting used to that there is only one thing "out of place," only one magical element -- as opposed to, say, having a character discover that there is an entire magical world.
The dragons are not so much considered magical as large, powerful, intelligent, virtually eternal creatures whose fire breathing capability enables them to have extremely destructive potential. They are relegated behind borders negotiated sixty years ago, after the dragons took issue with the disturbance caused by the testing and detonating of atomic bombs during World War II. Neither human nor dragon is allowed to cross the borders. There is no contact, no communication. It is forbidden and illegal. As a friend pointed out to me, it has a very Cold War feel to it.
One day, Kay accidentally crosses the border when she slips and falls into a river while cooling off after a hike. A dragon not only saves her life rather than letting her die or eating her himself but also asks her to come back again and visit. He wants to practice his English. He is curious. He wants to learn. And so does Kay.
As the fragile and unlikely friendship grows, the larger situation becomes more unstable. The military can't leave well enough alone and begins testing the border ... in order to test new weapons. As the situation escalates, Kay and her dragon friend must make some extremely difficult (and courageous) choices.
The lessons about choosing education, communication and cooperation over suspicion, hostility and provocation are well taught, as is the importance of doing something for the greater good and the longer term, rather than focusing on the moment and the individual.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Quote of the Day
Courtesy of Seanan McGuinn's _A Local Habitation_
"The hero's journey has suffered in modern times. Once we could've gotten a knight in shining armor riding to the rescue, pennants flying. These days you're lucky to get a battered changeling and her underage, half-trained assistant, and the princesses are confused technological wizards in towers of silicon and steel. Standards aren't what they used to be."
A few words in favor of ebooks
I almost made the heading "A few words in defense of ebooks," but that seemed a bit harsh. I don't think they need defending. They seem to be doing pretty well for themselves. Beyond the standard necessity for the first amendment, I don't think that they need too much in the way of protection.
My next choice was "A few words in praise of ebooks," but I don't know that I am really being laudatory. More like pointing out the somewhat obvious or a handy benefit of the versatility of ebooks. (Not sure that versatility is the right word there.)
Anyway, my point. I have one, I promise. I sat down with one, and I am going to get to it.
The other day I wondered "aloud" on my Facebook page what I should read next, and I got a recommendation from a somewhat surprising source. It turned out to be a rather good recommendation actually.
In the past, I would have made a late run to the bookstore, but instead I downloaded the book to Gertrude the nook and started reading almost at once. (It is rather amazing how slight a connection is required to download an ebook.) But that benefit/hazard is already pretty well known. In fact, it is a major component of most ereader advertising campaigns.
The next day I managed to leave Gertrude at work buried under some papers. Oh no!! My reading material for the evening was missing! What to do? I considered driving back to the office, but really wasn't excited about that prospect. I had plenty of reading material. Surely I could find something else. But I didn't want to find something else. I wanted to find out what happened next!
Then I thought to myself, "Well, I could turn on the computer and read the rest of the book that way, even though I am not much good at reading backlit screens full of text for hours on end." I sighed heavily. Such tragedy. To be without immediate, preferred access to my drug of choice. Woe was me.
But wait!! There was an alternative! I have downloaded the nook application not only to my PC and laptop but also to Saraswati the Droid phone (just as any overly-gadgeted geek would do), and the Droid screen can easily be dimmed within the nook application to make reading easier. Although it was a bit odd to be turning "pages" every few sentences, the smaller screen was actually less of a strain on the retinas, so I was able to finish reading the book from the comfort of the magic chair.
Not ideal circumstances, but I managed to survive the hardship with minimal trauma. Had I been reading the book the "old fashioned" way, I would have been completely out of luck and would have either had to be patient or find something completely else to read or do with my evening. Technology saves the day!! Or at least staves off a few hours of boredom.
My next choice was "A few words in praise of ebooks," but I don't know that I am really being laudatory. More like pointing out the somewhat obvious or a handy benefit of the versatility of ebooks. (Not sure that versatility is the right word there.)
Anyway, my point. I have one, I promise. I sat down with one, and I am going to get to it.
The other day I wondered "aloud" on my Facebook page what I should read next, and I got a recommendation from a somewhat surprising source. It turned out to be a rather good recommendation actually.
In the past, I would have made a late run to the bookstore, but instead I downloaded the book to Gertrude the nook and started reading almost at once. (It is rather amazing how slight a connection is required to download an ebook.) But that benefit/hazard is already pretty well known. In fact, it is a major component of most ereader advertising campaigns.
The next day I managed to leave Gertrude at work buried under some papers. Oh no!! My reading material for the evening was missing! What to do? I considered driving back to the office, but really wasn't excited about that prospect. I had plenty of reading material. Surely I could find something else. But I didn't want to find something else. I wanted to find out what happened next!
Then I thought to myself, "Well, I could turn on the computer and read the rest of the book that way, even though I am not much good at reading backlit screens full of text for hours on end." I sighed heavily. Such tragedy. To be without immediate, preferred access to my drug of choice. Woe was me.
But wait!! There was an alternative! I have downloaded the nook application not only to my PC and laptop but also to Saraswati the Droid phone (just as any overly-gadgeted geek would do), and the Droid screen can easily be dimmed within the nook application to make reading easier. Although it was a bit odd to be turning "pages" every few sentences, the smaller screen was actually less of a strain on the retinas, so I was able to finish reading the book from the comfort of the magic chair.
Not ideal circumstances, but I managed to survive the hardship with minimal trauma. Had I been reading the book the "old fashioned" way, I would have been completely out of luck and would have either had to be patient or find something completely else to read or do with my evening. Technology saves the day!! Or at least staves off a few hours of boredom.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Butcher Bird - a ruminative draft
I am sure that I have mentioned being a big believer in and fan of reading the right book at the right time in the right state of mind, but I don't know who might be out there actually paying attention, so I am going to go ahead and mention it again.
The process works one of two ways. Sometimes I know what I am looking for, and I find the book. Sometimes I don't know what I am looking for, and the book finds me.
After I read Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey, I immediately wanted more and procured a copy of Butcher Bird. I started it almost right away but then somehow got distracted by other shiny things. Probably comics -- Sirens of Gotham City, a four-issue Sam & Twitch series, Haunt, and Marvel: 1602. Somewhere in there I finally finished reading Shadowglass, which kind of made me think that I should read something a little more wholesome. So I read the Fablehaven series next. Once I finished that marathon, I cast about for the next read, unsure of whether I wanted a more "serious" or "literary" (the quotes being included to indicate the vaguery of those notions when applied to fiction) novel or to return to the realm of non-fiction (Appetite for Life is the latest addition to the "in progress" list) or if wanted to stay in a realm of magic and fantasy, potentially dark and urban respectively.
In the end, I picked up Butcher Bird again, and the narrative power was akin to the proverbial train wreck one cannot stop watching. I'm still trying to decide if that comparison is suitably complimentary. There were indeed parts -- descriptions mostly, as opposed to actions -- I wanted to look away from and not read, but I didn't want to miss a single gorgeously warped and twisted thing, so I managed a happy medium of reading by not allowing my mind too much freedom to conjure graphic, detailed imagery.
Spyder Lee is just a guy running a tattoo parlor (are they still called parlors?) with his friend Lulu who does the piercing. Then one night, out behind his hole-in-the-wall bar of choice, he is attacked by a demon and saved by a mysterious woman known as Shrike, and his whole world changes. He wakes up the next morning cursed with the vision of realization that the world has more layers than most people ever see or even realize are possible.
With realization comes responsibility. There are demonic creatures claiming his best friend and business partner piece by piece, and intervening on her behalf puts Spyder in their ledger of people from whom they can collect unpleasant, if not impossible, things. The two friends join Shrike on a quest. Well, Spyder joins, and he brings LuLu along for her own protection and with the hope of finding a way to release her metaphysical bindings. The quest leads them, and a few other misfits who join them along the way, quite literally into Hell.
There is magic. There is mystery. There is treachery. And loyalty is found in unlikely places. One of my favorite parts, because it is so well rendered, is the, for lack of a better way to put it, humanity of Lucifer. Sure he's a con man and a trickster looking out for himself, but time and again it is clear that he only works with what humanity gives him, although I suppose for most people it is easier to simply write him (or any other "enemy") off as evil rather than recognizing the same potential which lies in each of us. Man created God. Not the other way around. Even so, He/She (in whatever form or religion you choose to believe) is real ... as real as faith and hope and love. A more accurate way to put it might be that each created the other, and in that creation, man discovered God. I like that. God created this spark of life or separated the light and the darkness, sent the universe on its merry way and then sat back and waited for someone to realize what had happened. Upon that realization, the stories began.
Religious riffs aside, it's not uncommon for book endings disappoint me. After all of the action and drama and conflict and torment and the moment of truth when everything is explained, endings tend to be kind of a letdown. Some things aren't explained. Or the author is at a loss of what to do with his characters once the primary conflict is resolved. Sometimes there are plot holes or too many loose ends.
Not so with Butcher Bird. The ending is ... real. It makes sense for the characters and the story. It winds down rather than lets down. It's not happily ever after, but there is closure as well as possibility for the future (and I am not talking about a sequel). After all, good endings should have the potential to be beginnings of something new.
The process works one of two ways. Sometimes I know what I am looking for, and I find the book. Sometimes I don't know what I am looking for, and the book finds me.
After I read Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey, I immediately wanted more and procured a copy of Butcher Bird. I started it almost right away but then somehow got distracted by other shiny things. Probably comics -- Sirens of Gotham City, a four-issue Sam & Twitch series, Haunt, and Marvel: 1602. Somewhere in there I finally finished reading Shadowglass, which kind of made me think that I should read something a little more wholesome. So I read the Fablehaven series next. Once I finished that marathon, I cast about for the next read, unsure of whether I wanted a more "serious" or "literary" (the quotes being included to indicate the vaguery of those notions when applied to fiction) novel or to return to the realm of non-fiction (Appetite for Life is the latest addition to the "in progress" list) or if wanted to stay in a realm of magic and fantasy, potentially dark and urban respectively.
In the end, I picked up Butcher Bird again, and the narrative power was akin to the proverbial train wreck one cannot stop watching. I'm still trying to decide if that comparison is suitably complimentary. There were indeed parts -- descriptions mostly, as opposed to actions -- I wanted to look away from and not read, but I didn't want to miss a single gorgeously warped and twisted thing, so I managed a happy medium of reading by not allowing my mind too much freedom to conjure graphic, detailed imagery.
Spyder Lee is just a guy running a tattoo parlor (are they still called parlors?) with his friend Lulu who does the piercing. Then one night, out behind his hole-in-the-wall bar of choice, he is attacked by a demon and saved by a mysterious woman known as Shrike, and his whole world changes. He wakes up the next morning cursed with the vision of realization that the world has more layers than most people ever see or even realize are possible.
With realization comes responsibility. There are demonic creatures claiming his best friend and business partner piece by piece, and intervening on her behalf puts Spyder in their ledger of people from whom they can collect unpleasant, if not impossible, things. The two friends join Shrike on a quest. Well, Spyder joins, and he brings LuLu along for her own protection and with the hope of finding a way to release her metaphysical bindings. The quest leads them, and a few other misfits who join them along the way, quite literally into Hell.
There is magic. There is mystery. There is treachery. And loyalty is found in unlikely places. One of my favorite parts, because it is so well rendered, is the, for lack of a better way to put it, humanity of Lucifer. Sure he's a con man and a trickster looking out for himself, but time and again it is clear that he only works with what humanity gives him, although I suppose for most people it is easier to simply write him (or any other "enemy") off as evil rather than recognizing the same potential which lies in each of us. Man created God. Not the other way around. Even so, He/She (in whatever form or religion you choose to believe) is real ... as real as faith and hope and love. A more accurate way to put it might be that each created the other, and in that creation, man discovered God. I like that. God created this spark of life or separated the light and the darkness, sent the universe on its merry way and then sat back and waited for someone to realize what had happened. Upon that realization, the stories began.
Religious riffs aside, it's not uncommon for book endings disappoint me. After all of the action and drama and conflict and torment and the moment of truth when everything is explained, endings tend to be kind of a letdown. Some things aren't explained. Or the author is at a loss of what to do with his characters once the primary conflict is resolved. Sometimes there are plot holes or too many loose ends.
Not so with Butcher Bird. The ending is ... real. It makes sense for the characters and the story. It winds down rather than lets down. It's not happily ever after, but there is closure as well as possibility for the future (and I am not talking about a sequel). After all, good endings should have the potential to be beginnings of something new.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
What makes you pick up a book ... and what makes you keep reading?
The infamous "they" says not to judge a book by its cover, but you have to start somewhere, right?
Before you start calling anyone Ishmael or can nod knowingly that it was in fact the best and worst of times, there has to be a reason that you picked up the book in the first place. Perhaps it is an intriguing title, a favorite author, or a glowing review that catches your eye, and most likely once it does, rather than start reading right away, you flip the book over or turn to the jacket flap for more information, more reasons to keep going.
Just as it is unrealistic for someone to say, "Check out the intelligence of that girl," based on a glance across a crowded room, a potential reader can't spot a strong hero up on a shelf.
Personally I am as much of a sucker for the feel of a book as I am the sight. I test the weight in my hand. I fan the pages to get a feel for how they will turn. I finger the pages to decide if the quality of the paper appeals to me. I run my hand over the cover. (I tend to prefer soft, matte covers to those which are shiny and embossed.) But I still have to be enticed close enough to the book to pick it up in the first place.
Sure there are recommendations from friends and reviewers. ("She's got a *great* personality!") Maybe these friends know your tastes well, and maybe you are familiar with the reviewers, but it is still you who must make the final decision of whether to start reading.
Which has more weight? An endorsing quote or a summarizing blurb? Is a few sentences enough to pique your interest, or does the entire back cover need to be filled? If it is the latest book in the series featuring familiar and beloved characters, do you even want a hint as to the next adventure, or are you willing to take a leap of faith and be surprised?
I recently read the Fablehaven series in quick succession, and after the second book, I found myself avoiding any mention of the events to come in subsequent books. I wanted to immerse myself in the story, watching as the plot unfolded and the characters grew.
Once your initial criteria are met, and the book has been in your hands for a moment or two, what happens? Do you stand or sit in the store (assuming that you are not shopping online, of course, which presents an entirely different scenario) and read the first paragraph? First page? First chapter? How long does it take to convince you that you want to get to knows the characters and find out what happens to them?
A common recommendation to writers is to start the story in the middle of the action. Grab the reader's attention and hold on for dear life. Somewhere out there is a quote to the effect of telling the author to "grab the reader by the throat and sink your thumbs into his windpipe." Or maybe it is the jugular vein. Either action ought to get someone's attention and hold it at least until the person passes out. If a writer can hold a reader's attention even after the reader has relinquished consciousness, so much the better.
There are probably as many recommendations to begin a story at the beginning. Once upon a time and all that.
I like it when things are already hoppin', as long as the author doesn't leave me in the dark for too long about the basic backstory of how the characters got to where they were when I joined the fray.
The author's style and vocabulary are major factors for me, too.
I can be hooked by a sentence, a paragraph, or a page, but I try to get through at least a chapter before passing initial judgement.
Then the real work begins for the author. Once he or she has your attention, the job becomes keeping that attention all the way to the final page (and beyond if there is a sequel or two or six).
For me, it is all about the characters. Yes, characters need to have something to do, but if I don't make some sort of connection with or have some sort of strong positive reaction to the characters, I don't make it through to the end, no matter how intriguing the plot. On the flip side of the character coin, if I have too strong of a negative reaction to a character -- even if the character is supposed to be the despised villain -- I'll stop. (Jean-Claude in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, series is one example. I get that vampires are evil. I'm all over it. But he doesn't even have the stones to be truly, sexily evil. He's just one more manipulative jerk pressuring a woman into a relationship she doesn't want. It's not sexy. It's not attractive. And once Anita caved, I was pretty much done. I think I made it through one more book after that. I think I stopped after book four. The series is now up to something like twenty. It's too bad. I really liked Anita.) That scenario is a little less common, especially if I am really pulling for the hero. On the edge between the two sides is when a character I like does something which is completely and unbelievably out of character (and I am not talking about outright deception but rather something to fit a formula or as a plot device) or which derails the plot (which is not the same as a plot twist or surprise). Usually it happens when romantic/sexual relationships between characters end up being conveniently inevitable without really adding depth to either the story or helping the individual characters grow. (That subject could be a whole separate rant all its own.)
Balance between plot and character is key to the successful telling of any story, and tilting too far in either direction throws off that balance, but I still look for characters first -- people or creatures who inspire an emotional reaction or connection so that I want to find out what happens to them and how they cope with and adapt to their circumstances. A compelling or intricate plot will not keep me reading if I do not have a vested interest in the characters, but interest in a fascinating character will keep me reading through a less than riveting plot. I get entirely too wrapped up in the lives of imaginary people and thoroughly enjoy doing it.
Now you know (some of the reasons) why I read and what makes me keep reading. What starts and keeps you reading? Plot? Characters? Language? Bragging rights?
Before you start calling anyone Ishmael or can nod knowingly that it was in fact the best and worst of times, there has to be a reason that you picked up the book in the first place. Perhaps it is an intriguing title, a favorite author, or a glowing review that catches your eye, and most likely once it does, rather than start reading right away, you flip the book over or turn to the jacket flap for more information, more reasons to keep going.
Just as it is unrealistic for someone to say, "Check out the intelligence of that girl," based on a glance across a crowded room, a potential reader can't spot a strong hero up on a shelf.
Personally I am as much of a sucker for the feel of a book as I am the sight. I test the weight in my hand. I fan the pages to get a feel for how they will turn. I finger the pages to decide if the quality of the paper appeals to me. I run my hand over the cover. (I tend to prefer soft, matte covers to those which are shiny and embossed.) But I still have to be enticed close enough to the book to pick it up in the first place.
Sure there are recommendations from friends and reviewers. ("She's got a *great* personality!") Maybe these friends know your tastes well, and maybe you are familiar with the reviewers, but it is still you who must make the final decision of whether to start reading.
Which has more weight? An endorsing quote or a summarizing blurb? Is a few sentences enough to pique your interest, or does the entire back cover need to be filled? If it is the latest book in the series featuring familiar and beloved characters, do you even want a hint as to the next adventure, or are you willing to take a leap of faith and be surprised?
I recently read the Fablehaven series in quick succession, and after the second book, I found myself avoiding any mention of the events to come in subsequent books. I wanted to immerse myself in the story, watching as the plot unfolded and the characters grew.
Once your initial criteria are met, and the book has been in your hands for a moment or two, what happens? Do you stand or sit in the store (assuming that you are not shopping online, of course, which presents an entirely different scenario) and read the first paragraph? First page? First chapter? How long does it take to convince you that you want to get to knows the characters and find out what happens to them?
A common recommendation to writers is to start the story in the middle of the action. Grab the reader's attention and hold on for dear life. Somewhere out there is a quote to the effect of telling the author to "grab the reader by the throat and sink your thumbs into his windpipe." Or maybe it is the jugular vein. Either action ought to get someone's attention and hold it at least until the person passes out. If a writer can hold a reader's attention even after the reader has relinquished consciousness, so much the better.
There are probably as many recommendations to begin a story at the beginning. Once upon a time and all that.
I like it when things are already hoppin', as long as the author doesn't leave me in the dark for too long about the basic backstory of how the characters got to where they were when I joined the fray.
The author's style and vocabulary are major factors for me, too.
I can be hooked by a sentence, a paragraph, or a page, but I try to get through at least a chapter before passing initial judgement.
Then the real work begins for the author. Once he or she has your attention, the job becomes keeping that attention all the way to the final page (and beyond if there is a sequel or two or six).
For me, it is all about the characters. Yes, characters need to have something to do, but if I don't make some sort of connection with or have some sort of strong positive reaction to the characters, I don't make it through to the end, no matter how intriguing the plot. On the flip side of the character coin, if I have too strong of a negative reaction to a character -- even if the character is supposed to be the despised villain -- I'll stop. (Jean-Claude in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, series is one example. I get that vampires are evil. I'm all over it. But he doesn't even have the stones to be truly, sexily evil. He's just one more manipulative jerk pressuring a woman into a relationship she doesn't want. It's not sexy. It's not attractive. And once Anita caved, I was pretty much done. I think I made it through one more book after that. I think I stopped after book four. The series is now up to something like twenty. It's too bad. I really liked Anita.) That scenario is a little less common, especially if I am really pulling for the hero. On the edge between the two sides is when a character I like does something which is completely and unbelievably out of character (and I am not talking about outright deception but rather something to fit a formula or as a plot device) or which derails the plot (which is not the same as a plot twist or surprise). Usually it happens when romantic/sexual relationships between characters end up being conveniently inevitable without really adding depth to either the story or helping the individual characters grow. (That subject could be a whole separate rant all its own.)
Balance between plot and character is key to the successful telling of any story, and tilting too far in either direction throws off that balance, but I still look for characters first -- people or creatures who inspire an emotional reaction or connection so that I want to find out what happens to them and how they cope with and adapt to their circumstances. A compelling or intricate plot will not keep me reading if I do not have a vested interest in the characters, but interest in a fascinating character will keep me reading through a less than riveting plot. I get entirely too wrapped up in the lives of imaginary people and thoroughly enjoy doing it.
Now you know (some of the reasons) why I read and what makes me keep reading. What starts and keeps you reading? Plot? Characters? Language? Bragging rights?
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