My general theory is that if you read 100 books, how good they are will range from meh to great in your basic bell curve shape. Some will fall on the “meh” end of the spectrum and some on the “great” end, but most will be in the good/not bad but forgettable range. That’s certainly been my experience.

In a happy surprise, the books I’ve read lately have been much better than average. When I sit back and try to figure out what sets these books apart from others, I think the difference is that each had a little something that seemed to set them apart from others. And, yeah, the craft part was impressive. For example, my last three reads went like this:

1. The Comeback Kiss by Lani Diane Rich - Premise: A reunion love story. Added twists: A hero who in some ways is decidedly unheroic. Serious subjects handled with intelligence and a respectful lightness. Strengths: Great writing with humor and charm. Impression: The same feeling I had the first time I read Jennifer Crusie in that I wanted to read Rich’s backlist and see what she has coming next.

2. Tall, Dark & Dead by Tate Hallaway - Premise: Witch and a vampire on the run and trying to be who they are while everyone is trying to destroy them. Added twists: A possessed and complex heroine. Very serious subjects delivered in a real and very readable way. Strengths: Great writing with humor and charm. Impression: If this is where paranormal is headed, I’m in.

3. The Spy With the Silver Lining by Wendy Rosnau - Premise: Strong woman with something missing. Added twists: Unusual heroine with a full and not so pretty history. Strengths: Great writing that tackles an it’s-the-end-of-the-world situation on a personal level. Impression: This kick-ass heroine is deeper than just a kick-ass heroine.

Seems to me the ingredients are, of course, great writing as well as a new and different take on the hero or heroine or both. All three of these had main characters who were a bit outside the norm but who were very human. No shallow treatment of issues or people here.

Just an observation. We’ll see how the books go in the next month.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 31st, 2006 at 8:09 am and is filed under About Authors, About Books, About Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.