What makes a good book?

Mr. Mitchell (and whoever else decides to read this blog), I am going to be very honest, I did not read at all these last 4 weeks. Whether it was reader's block or just lack of time, I was not able to get past 5 pages without losing any focus I even had to begin with. Obviously, this is a problem since we have to write readers' blogs so I was naturally concerned as to what I would do. I considered finding the summary to some old books I've read and talking about those or speed reading a book in the span of 3 hours. However, neither of those choices seemed to make much sense nor be very efficient. Whilst frantically scrolling through my Goodreads I suddenly thought of an idea. Instead of turning to find summaries of books I've read in the past, why didn't I write about my favorite aspect of each one? Ok, maybe not each one, I thought, since that would take hours, but what about the ones I liked the most? And with a little adjusting of my initial idea, that's how I got to where I am now. This is my blog post about what makes a good book with examples from some of my favorites that I've read in the past. 

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Plot

    It's quite obvious that you can't have a good book without a good plot. After all, that's the basis of the story, the whole reason you're writing it in fact. However the definition of what a "good plot" is can be a lot of things. To me, one of the best examples of what this means is illustrated in The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games have been my favorite books for as long I can remember and to be honest, I don't think that will change any time soon. Maybe it's because they bring me back to a very great time in my life or just because of how many times I've read the series, but it is my opinion that The Hunger Games are one of the greatest YA dystopian novels out there. The series has many, many great aspects and honestly, I could write a whole blog post about each one of them and why I think they're so great, however for the sake of getting to other books and time, I will stick to the main one, the plot. For me, a huge thing when I read books (especially book series) is that there be little to no plot holes. There are very few things that make me hate books as much as the author starting something and leaving it unfinished/unanswered. Suzanne Collins does a spectacular job with this as almost every little detail of the book ties onto something later on. I'm sure there maybe one or two minor plot holes, but personally, I can not think of any things left half-finished in the novel and that is one of the things I appreciate the most. Making this a little less general though, obviously, the storyline of The Hunger Games is the main reason as to why it is an example of a good plot. I've read before that there is actually another story made before this one that Collins supposedly copied, but copied from someone else or not, it is undeniable that it is a fantastic story idea. This might not count as something that "makes a good book" since obviously not every book is going to have the same storyline as The Hunger Games, but it's definitely what makes this one so amazing. It is such a creative and captivating book, that despite having re-read it so much, I am still entertained each time I read it, which is why I truly recommend it to anyone despite your thoughts on the genre as a whole. The last thing I want to mention about the way the plot of The Hunger Games is written is how everything in the series has meaning. Another thing I really dislike in books is when they have a lot of scenes that are just not relevant to the plot whatsoever. It takes away from the actual book and makes it boring and hard to read. To someone who has not read the whole series, it may seem like The Hunger Games have several semi-insignificant scenes, however, once you are finished, it is actually pretty surprising to go back and think about how almost everything Collins writes ends up being so important to the story. I can think of maybe a total of 3 scenes in the entire series that weren't completely necessary but that's literally it. And still, despite that, they are still fun and entertaining scenes to read. I may be a bit biased, but I truly believe this is one of the best young adult series ever written and a great example of a book with a strong plot.

2. The Blue Line by Ingrid Betancourt: Emotion/Detail

Before anyone checks this book out this is a small disclaimer that it is a very, very heavy read. Normally I am not a big fan of Historical Fiction, but this book set in Argentina's 1970's Cold War is something I'm willing to make an exception for. Not only is it beautifully written but it is also an extremely eye-opening and even painful read.  Many books can have great plots, characters, and clarity, however without emotion, they are simply nothing more than books. When a book can really make you feel something it suddenly becomes more than a book. It becomes an experience, a memory, something that stays with you for a long time. Readers such as myself, tend to remember how a book made us feel as opposed to if a certain character showed development or not. The Blue Line is a great example of this. Despite having read it 2-3 years ago when asked my favorite book this one always pops into the back of my mind as I remember the emotions I experienced whilst reading it. Although this book specifically pertains to sadder emotions, that does not mean all books need to be sad to be impactful. There are many ways to make books make you feel something without having to make them sad, however, The Blue Line specifically, is certainly a book that by just thinking of it takes me back to the miserable emotions I felt whilst reading it. I think one of the things that makes this book especially gut-wrenching is the fact that you know this actually happened to real-life people. Similar to reading about the holocaust, it's almost a nauseating feeling as you imagine all the people that actually had to suffer through these things. Although I understand how these topics are certainly not for everyone due to how detailed and hard to read they can be, it is undeniable that if you can read them, they will stay with you for a long time. Positive feelings or not, it's certainly a sign that a book is good if some words on a page can cause such effect in a person. 

3. The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante: Relationships

Lastly, I want to talk about the importance of relationships in books. Relationships are a very broad term, meaning anything from partners, to friends, to family, all of which are equally important in the making of a good book. Complexity, development, and realisticness are all things I personally value when reading about relationships and The Grief Keeper does a great way of incorporating every one of these. As an LGTBQ+, YA, Sci-fi novel, The Grief Keeper most certainly met, if not exceeded, all my expectations. There are so many great and important topics in this book like immigration, mental health, and a good, not too far out, sci-fi aspect. However, that is not what I liked most about the book. The relationships in this book are not only complex but also constantly developing and entertaining to read. Another thing I liked about this book is how it is not centered around coming out like so many other LGBTQ novels. Instead of focusing solely on the fact that they are both girls and what that means in society, it's mostly centered around the developing and elaborate aspects of the relationship between main character Marisol and the girl she is sacrificing herself for, Rey. Despite the very strange conditions of the book and having such a unique take on Sci-fi, Villasante does a fantastic job of developing the relationships in this book, not only with Marisol and Rey but also with Marisol and her little sister, Gabi. A strong sister dynamic can go a long way and in this book, it is really one of the main things that stand out to someone after reading it. These two things already make great relationships on their own but Villasante adds past heartbreak into the mix making it all the more interesting to read. Lilliana, the girl Marisol fell in love with back in Ecuador is a confusing and crucial character to the story and really helps build Marisol's character as well. Applying to more general book writing, The Grief Keeper truly shows how having multiple relationships of different types in a book can really improve the overall structure and excellence of it.

-Fabi