We notice when authors do their job. We fall in love with their characters (literally!). We daydream about the worlds they create. We also sometimes (okay, most of the time) wish life were really like the books we read. Now that that's been said, Book Crazies is a monthly feature for readers to share what drives them crazy. Bad dialogue? Poorly used metaphors? Annoying characters? The purpose is not, however, to cruelly bash books or their authors. Give examples and good reasons to back them up.
This is going to be a short post. As some of you know, I've got a huge deadline due tomorrow. It's a very exciting--and stressful--time for me. I'm handing in a complete book to my editor (1 of 2 being published), and I've been spending hours trying to perfect, perfect, perfect. I'm almost there.
So, onto today's topic. Book Crazies.
Just the other day I threw a book, a library book, into the fireplace (oooo now you think I'm evil), watching it catch fire, and
burn, burn, burn...in that ring of fire...that ring of fire. Okay, well I felt like doing that at one point, but of course, I didn't.My most recent read is A Great & Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. And yes, I know this is "Book Crazies," so I'm technically supposed to be complaining. I will. Give me a moment. Must...say...positive...things....first. Libba Bray is an awesome writer. Her words flow beautifully as if every sentence was written effortlessly. That takes skill, baby, skill! So, without wrecking my up-coming review of A Great & Terrible Beauty, I do want to say 1 thing that drove me a little Book Crazies.
The book was leading up to something GREAT. I felt it. I yearned for it. I needed it so I could feel satisfied after dedicating 400+ pages worth of my life. And, in my humble opinion, it didn't quite reach that mouth dropping, heart pounding moment where you wonder if the characters are going to make it out alive. The climax of the story fell slightly below par for me. It did affect my overall opinion about the book.
Has that happened to you? Have you gotten hundreds of pages into a book, looking forward to seeing how everything unfolds, and then close the book, totally disappointed? Do you have a recent Book Crazies moment? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Better yet, if you've read A Great & Terrible Beauty, do you disagree with my impression of the climax of the story?
