So many books! They’re everywhere.
For me, it’s all about the story.
I don’t care what you’re talking about: books, movies, people. I love a good story.
I’m more liberal than most people about what makes a good story. I don’t really care if there are plot holes or if the story has been done before. I just care about how well the story is told. Ordinary can be interesting in the same way that extraordinary can be boring.
A lot of people complained that Avatar was a cliched story, but I loved it. Even if it’s a story I’ve heard before, I liked the way it was told, and it had enough new and interesting elements to keep it fresh. People complained that Twilight had poor writing, but if it did, I didn’t notice when I read it. I was too drawn in my the story to worry about the fact that Bella and Edward have an unhealthy relationship dynamic. The story was interesting and fun.
I like literature. I like reading about psychological theories. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy things at the other end of the spectrum, and everything in between. As long as there’s an interesting story, I don’t mind if it’s cliche. I enjoy stories I’ve read before, and I enjoy reading them in different forms, from different perspectives. But then, I’m also the person who can read the same book over and over again and still have emotional reactions to it as if I were reading it for the first time. (Where the Red Fern Grows makes me sob every. single. time.)
Stories connect me to the past. Growing up, I loved Cinderella and Snow White, and remembering those stories gives me warm memories of my parents and grandparents. I love sharing stories (discussing books and movie plots) with other people. We all see the same story in different ways, and it’s interesting to hear other people’s perspectives on a story.
I know people who love sitcoms and comedy memoirs, but it can be hard for me to get into those things because I feel like too often, they focus on the punchline rather than the story. There are always exceptions, of course, but my favorite stories are the ones that make me feel deeply, that make me cry or touch my heart. I love characters who feel so real to me that they become part of my life even after I’ve closed the book. Harry Potter, The Fault In Our Stars, Watership Down, Me Before You, and Watchers are just a few of the books that made me feel this way.
What’s your favorite type of story? Do you have a book whose characters feel like part of your life?
Doree Weller 