I don’t judge a book by its cover. When I read or hear about one that sounds interesting, I read the synopsis. If I find the book on Audible and am not familiar with the author or narrator, I play a sample to get an idea of the style of writing and narration. Because of my limited vision, I have difficulty reading Kindle samples. So, I hope for the best. I never return a book if I don’t like it because I still want to support the author.
Once I start a book, I can’t always guarantee I’ll finish it. If a book contains too much strong language or too many vivid descriptions of sex or violence, I no longer care about how it will end. If a book turns out to be too unbelievable, it’s not worth it for me.
I have a nasty habit of letting myself get too drawn into a story. Over and over, I tell myself it’s just a book and the characters’ tribulations are not my problem, but that doesn’t always work. Sometimes, a story keeps me awake at night, and I can’t let it go. If I have a bad feeling about how a book will end, I don’t finish it because I don’t want to know.
When I was younger, I enjoyed reading mystery, fantasy, science fiction, and even some horror stories. Now, I’m more selective about what I read. Isn’t it interesting how tastes change as we age?
***
The above was inspired by Stevie Turner’s Open Book Blog Hop question for this week. If you’d like to participate, click here.
***
Today’s the day. I’ll be performing at noon Mountain Standard Time at the Wyo Theater here in Sheridan, Wyoming, as part of our local senior center’s live music streaming series. The event will be held virtually on Facebook, but even if you don’t have an account, you should be able to watch my program live by clicking this link. Please share this information with all your friends. I hope you can come.
***
By the way, for those of you who use the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, The Red Dress is available for download from their site here. No matter how you read it, please be sure to review it wherever you can. That goes for all my books. Thank you for stopping by. Stay safe, happy, and healthy.
New! The Red Dress
Copyright July 2019 by DLD Books
When Eve went to her high school senior prom, she wore a red dress that her mother had made for her. That night, after dancing with the boy of her dreams, she caught him in the act with her best friend. Months later, Eve, a freshman in college, is bullied into giving the dress to her roommate. After her mother finds out, their relationship is never the same again.
Twenty-five years later, Eve, a bestselling author, is happily married with three children. Although her mother suffers from dementia, she still remembers, and Eve still harbors the guilt for giving the dress away. When she receives a Facebook friend request from her old college roommate and an invitation to her twenty-five-year high school class reunion, then meets her former best friend by chance, she must confront the past in order to face the future.
***
My Corner 
Thanks for linking up, Abbie. Like you, I need a story to be believable.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad I’m not the only one who likes believable fiction. Thank you, Stevie, for reading and commenting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Pattys World.
LikeLiked by 1 person
OOPS, I started to write a response and then lost it. I hope this does not mean that is how my day is going to be – losing it, and all?
I started to say, I want to go back and read some books I was reading early in my life – when I was in my late teens and early 20s. Some of them have left remarkable images in my mind, and I’d like to go back and read them to find what I would have missed when I was so young. I am thinking of a number of such books – and right now, I am reading a book that influenced me significantly as a freshman English Major in the 70s. I found _Language in Thought and Action_ by S. I. Hayakawa, on NLS and I am reading it right now. There are ideas in that book that are so memorable after all these years, and it’s great to read them again and get even more insight. Over the past few years, I have been reading books again, or reading books I never got to read for did not have time to fit them into my crazy schedule when I was teaching full-time. I just finished reading all of the “Confessions” by Augustine. And, I have been enjoying a lot of other books from antiquity that I never got to fully enjoy earlier in life – and one thing I would love to do again, is be a brand new student in Philosophy courses at the university – to read it all again from the earliest works to the present – can I get another lifetime to do that, please?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lynda, I hope you can get another life in order to reread all those books. Thank you for reading and commenting.
LikeLike
I just hope I am able to please my readers. That is usually my greatest fear when writing my book
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kendra, I think all authors want to please their readers. I know I do. Thank you for reading and commenting.
LikeLike
Abbie- my criteria for leaving a book half-read is very similar to yours. I too never return the book because I want to support the author but my main reason for leaving a book is twofold – lack of writing technique and poor story building. So, yes, I sympathise.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, Barbara, poor story building is another good reason not to finish a book. Thank you for reading and commenting.
LikeLike
I agree with your criteria here. The characters make the story, not the cover. If a book can get you to relate on an emotional level with the characters, that the sign of a good book. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Abbie. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome, Mark. Thank you for reading and commenting.
LikeLiked by 1 person