What makes a book good and worth the read?

[schwarzrose22]

[PARAD0X]

SUSPENSE!!!!!!!!!! i can't stress that enough. u gotta keep em interested and on the edge of there seat but don't hold the suspense for to long otherwise they'll just quit reading and be like "screw you don't tell me then".........people love suspense and then to be satisfied with a twist

[proudwilderness787]

I agree with the other person who answered this. SUSPENSE.
Rick Riordan does that amazingly. Really, you need to give out tiny hints at a time from each character until one clue helps all the others make sense.

[Mel]

Questions to assess worth:

1. Are the characters and events interesting and vividly described so you get a sense of participating in a real experience and are motivated to continue reading?
2. Does the book lead you to greater self-understanding and awareness of life's essential elements (people's qualities, beliefs, choices, challenges, etc )

[Thorin Oakenshield]

It depends on the reader. To retaliate the other answers, I know my mother simply can read a book that is completely banal and holds nearly no plot. Why? It is not the suspense, nor the lack of such. She enjoys wordage and artistic creativity more than anything. To agree with the other answers, I find suspense to be the key to any good novel. However, that is my own taste. My own taste is not always the same as others. Others might simply find suspense annoying and predictable.

[Jasmin♥]

Suspense is good, but the most important things to me are interesting characters and an engaging plot. If I'm not invested in the characters and plot, I won't care about the outcome and it will end up being a waste of my time.

[J]

You begin at the beginning...and the book's word-pictures and story/plot move you forward and upward, in constructive ways.

Example: C. S. Lewis' "The Great Divorce" begins with you, like main character, in this world, and then develops character in some clear adventures and encounters. Great character development in 120 pages, and your own awareness/in-telling (intelligence) about self and society develops also.

The words are like cups of light, in good writing, and the mind of the author is there for your mind-meld as well.

If you'd like the author as a friend, that's half of what makes a book good. The other half is what he/she writes. "What's not to like?" in other words.

Suggestions: West with the Night
Expecting Adam

[Jenny]

FANTASY AND CHARACTER! There is an awesome new fantasy novel out that will be a series...Treasures of Darkness Treasures of Light - Through the Dark Wood is the 1st book. LOVED IT! It has romance ( a hint - though I think there will be more next book in the series) You can download the Free Kindle App and run it on any mobile device or PC through Amazon.

AND.... It is on FREE promo today on Amazon for Christmas... Check it out

You cant go wrong with free... also you can do what I did and "give it as a gift" to all your Facebook and Twitter friends LOL

Book - http://amzn.com/B00AE31PBG
Kindle App http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/re...1000493771

Description
Seventeen year old orphan Zam Windwater lives the life of a humble shepherd until a mysterious messenger brings news that Zam is in terrible danger. Now he must leave his home and shepherd’s life to take up the adventurer’s mantle on a perilous quest, the full purpose of which remains a mystery to be discovered.
Zam encounters a motley assortment of creatures, warriors, and supernatural beings as he travels the forbidding path through the “Dark Wood” of Darlandis.
Evil seeks to end his life before his call can be fulfilled. Dragons, Grimmals, Shadow Vermin, and Seritheen pursue, as Zam moves beyond his fear into the battles he must face in hopes of freeing a friend, finding a love, and discovering a life larger than he ever dreamed possible.