I was looking through my Amazon orders the other day. One of my orders fell over – payment failed, apparently. Thanks so much, Amazon, for refusing to accept my VISA credit card after many years of loyal service! Although it wasn’t VISA that was declined – I had a few more weeks to go for that, so in anticipation I’d added a Mastercard to Amazon for future payments and made a test purchase (any excuse for another book). Except that the Halifax had cancelled the Mastercard without actually bothering to ask or inform me!
So I go into my local Halifax – only to be told that the card no longer existed on their system. At all. They cancelled it because I hadn’t replied to a message I never received. Of course, I could apply for a brand new card which would take around 30 minutes … 30 minutes? I went home and decided to get an American Express card instead which took me all of 5 minutes online.
Anyway, having made several test-purchases of books – these things just have to be done, don’t they? – I was paging through my orders and realising that these amazing books, with twists you won’t see coming, that are the best thing since sliced bread and probably all you need to survive the apocalypse are, literally, instantly forgettable. I’m looking at the covers and I don’t remember anything about them. Nothing at all. Some were probably awful and I’m glad I have forgotten just how bad/clichéd they were, but others I probably enjoyed reading at the time, but couldn’t remember 24 hours later.
So I ask again – what makes a good book? For me, it’s something memorable. It’s a story that stays in my mind long after I’ve finished reading, that maybe I think about late at night in bed. It’s a story that I know I will read again, even though I can still remember it now. And without wanting to blow my own trumpet (although somebody has to and God knows nobody else ever does …), there have been a fair few people who have told me they were thinking about my books for days/weeks/months after reading. Maybe they were just being nice. I do wish sometimes they’d pop onto those Facebook posts in groups full of hundreds-of-thousands of voracious crime & thriller readers that ask Can somebody recommend <something that is exactly what my books are>.
But what other books fall into this category? Leaving aside the hundreds of paperbacks on my shelves – the classics and the personal favourites, I’m looking at new books or books I read for the first time in the last 12 months that have stayed with me. Books that I might have recommended on Facebook (and I rarely post book reviews).
Project Hail Mary is the latest offering from Andy Weir. The Martian was of course amazing, but his follow up was seriously meh. However, Project Hail Mary, well – just read it. If you liked The Martian, it’s better. It has everything you need in science fiction and then some.
Before and After – I love that this book is listed in Weight Loss and Health categories! This is a quirky little post-apocalyptic tale told from the point of view of a very large lad called Ben. And when I say large, I mean housebound, almost bedridden and physically can't fit through doorways large. Ben's story pulls no punches and it's full of gentle self-mockery, but it never comes across as degrading or insulting. And Ben has to deal with the end of the world in his own unique way, with the help of his little dog Brown. I loved this story. I'm not sure how feasible some of the plot actually is (and I know nothing about the medical aspects). But none of that matters because we actually care about Ben as he overcomes his self-destructive streak in order to save the world.
And American Dirt. I picked this up after it made the literary news because of the accusations of cultural appropriation. Now, I’ve written about this before, when I actually mentioned this book before I read it. Woman writes about Mexicans while not being Latinx. Cue much oohing and ahhing and talk of silencing minority voices etc. I’m sorry – cultural appropriation is no different to censorship in my book. Do your research and show respect. Is all.
What are your memorable reads?
Comments
Thanks for a great post.