What Makes it a Keeper?
November 24, 2008 at 2:51 pm 6 comments
I read books and listen to audiobooks a lot, roughly 20 each month, sometimes more. I can’t afford to buy all the books I read. (I try to keep my book spending down to under $40 per month, and lately,I’ve mostly been buying ebooks.) Whenever possible, I check books out from the library.
Only one RL friend of mine also reads romance. She’s having surgery after the holidays, and today, I went to the bookstore to pick up a couple of historical romances for her. I give her books from time to time, and because she has a lack of space at home, she prefers to borrow books rather than keep them. So, when I get her books, I’m really getting them for me. :-)
I usually don’t like to recommend books unless I’ve already read them. Since I don’t like to waste my time on a dud, I figure neither would anyone else.
Recently, I read a few romances from the library that I just LOVED, so of course, these are the ones I want to get for her. They are books I enjoyed so much, that it feels that it’s not enough to have read and returned them to the library. I want to own them and keep them on my shelf.
That got me thinking. What is the difference between just a good book, and a “keeper”? These are what I’ve decided are my “keeper” qualities:
- While I was reading it, I thought about the book when I was doing other things
- I thought about the book long after I finished it
- I became obsessive about reading the authors’ backlists
- I got excited thinking about who else would enjoy this book
Here are the current books (at least, the romances) on my keeper list, that I’m hunting for/have found:
- Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
- Mine till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas
- Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas —Yes, I’m obsessed with Lisa Kleypas at the moment.
- Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens
- How to Marry a Marquis by Julia Quinn
Which books are currently on keeper list? What makes them a keeper for you?
Entry filed under: Random book stuff. Tags: keepers, Random book stuff.
1.
Sybil | November 24, 2008 at 5:01 pm
You forgot Devil in Winter! That is the bestest Kleypas and Seduce Me at Sunrise follows closely.
Well sez me
2.
Renee | November 24, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Sybil: You are so right! It is my favorite of the Wallflower series (I just read it last week.) I saw it at the bookstore today, and decided to save up for all 4 (Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring) to give my friend.
3.
Bridget Locke | November 24, 2008 at 9:52 pm
I can’t even list all of my keepers, but most of them are ones that mean a lot to me. They were the books that got me through hard times.
ON that topic, I’d say Years (as you know) by LaVyrle Spencer, the Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs, most of Lisa Kleypas & Julia Quinn’s books, and a gazillion more. LOL!
I’m hopeless.
4.
Renee | November 24, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Bridget: Yes, I definitely have the Mercy Thompson series on my keeper shelf! In fact, I think I’m going to reread the whole series to prepare for the new one coming out in Feb. I actually got JQ’s Lost Duke of Wyndham today. Of course, I’ll have to “pre-read” it before I pass it to my friend!
5.
Carolyn Jean | November 26, 2008 at 4:07 pm
I love your keeper checklist! Esp thinking about the book while you’re doing other things. I had that SO strongly with The Spymaster’s Lady. Oh, so good. Also, Sugar Daddy. And the converse, too – other things would remind me of that book.
I currently possess Devil in WInter. I can’t WAIT to read it!!
6.
Renee | November 26, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Carolyn Jean: I have Joanna Bourne on my booklist, and am looking forward to checking her out. JL Langley’s The Tin Star is another one where I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters.
Devil in Winter is awesome. So much ground work is laid for the characters of Evie and St Vincent in the previous books, that the story comes together beautifully.