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I have a confession. I am a little bit obsessed with books. Ask anyone who knows me what I do, and the answer will consistently be, “She reads.”

A significant part of my every day includes books. I research them, I collect them, I journal about them, I dream about them, I covet them. And I read.

Sadly, life can get in the way of valuable reading time. There are so many books to read, and a limited time to read them. For that reason, I no longer finish books unless I feel a connection. I will give any book a chance, but if I’m not invested by page 50, I usually put the book down and move on. For me, every DNF (did not finish) is a victory; it gets me closer to my goal of reading all the good books.

Every reader is different. I am often frustrated when someone recommends a book and I end up not loving it. Not every good for me book will be a good for you book. My goal for this blog is to explain what I value and look for in a good book. If you value the same qualities, you may find my recommendations helpful in finding good fit books.

What kind of books am I looking for? What makes a book good for me? Although I don’t necessarily limit my reading by genre, I am not a huge fan of typical “genre fiction”. I look for writing styles that are clean and clear, characters that are developed and believable, plots that are authentically suspenseful and emotionally appealing. Sure, I occasionally love a purely plot-driven novel, but only if it’s something completely new to me. I can also overlook wordy or awkward writing if I have a unique personal connection to the story.

To get the blog started, I have gone back to ten of my all-time favorites. Have a look HERE and see if my criteria matches yours. If it does, then these books are for you!

 :) jeatherhane

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