The Beauty of Great Books

I've read many books in my lifetime, but only a small number of them stand out as truly great books in my mind. I believe every person has their own criteria as to what makes a book good, and of course these will be influenced by what genres and writing styles they prefer. However, I think there are some basic guidelines that everyone should use to judge a book's value. First and foremost, good books must have good characters. What makes a good character, you ask? Well, such a character must be fully developed by the author. We must understand the character's thoughts, emotions, and motives, so that he/she becomes real to us. The believability of a character is most important in my opinion--if the author cannot convince us that the characters are real people who could plausibly exist, then the book instantly loses value. For example, science fiction books can easily fall victim to underdeveloped characters. Authors often spend so much time developing the futuristic or alternate world setting that they forget that without fully formed characters, their stories will never be great. Only when characters are believable, can we form a special attachment with them and perhaps empathize with them. Let me use one of my favorite book series as an example: Harry Potter (yes, I'm a nerd). It may be a children's book, but author J.K. Rowling devoted so much time to explaining the characters' backstories and to developing them through dialogue that I formed a special connection with them. I was about the same age as the young protagonists in the story, so that made it all the more exciting. By the end of the book, I was cheering Harry on--I wanted him to succeed and defeat the Dark Lord. I think that's a testament to how well the characters were developed. The next aspect of a great book is the story. It must capture your attention (and perhaps your imagination) and make you think. The setting can play a big part in this regard. If we go back to my Harry Potter example, the setting of the wizarding world, particularly Hogwarts (the school for magic), really drew me in and enchanted me (pun intended). I was willing to believe it was real--hell, I wanted to go there; I remember waiting for my letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when I turned 11 (unfortunately, it got lost in transit). When a book can get your attention and interest with the setting alone, I think that's pretty impressive. But setting aside, the story must be exciting, well-written, creative, and thoughtful. I find some long books tend to have sections where the action slows to a painfully slow pace, and while they may still be good books, it certainly lessens their greatness. Non-stop action is not required, but concise writing is the key here. A good book may not need to have an extraordinary theme, but it definitely helps. Even a book series like Harry Potter contains themes regarding the power of friendship and love. It even contains allusions to Hitler's Nazi regime, as the antagonist Voldemort tries to portray non-magical people as inferior to witches and wizards. When a book can both capture my imagination and teach me valuable lessons, I consider it great. I personally enjoy fantasy and science fiction books because they take me to another place, far away from the troubles in my life, and allow me to imagine. Books about utopian/dystopian societies (ex. The Giver by Lois Lowry) are especially interesting to me, because it really makes me think about the world we live in. Regardless of what genre you like, I think everyone can agree to the key ingredients of a good book. Well-developed characters, powerful settings, exciting plots, and intriguing themes are all essential elements. Combine them with effective writing and voila! You've got yourself a great book. Some might insist that only the "classics" are great books, but I beg to differ--everyone views books in a different way. That's the beauty of great books--it is up to the reader to decide which ones are great. As the old saying goes, "one man's trash is another man's treasure."