What do authors love to read?

Sara Niles

Author of The Torn Trilogy

There many types of books, science fiction, crime drama, philosophy, fiction and nonfiction, but the one thing they all hold in common with best sellers is the writing. Good writing spans all genres of books, from the terse and concentrated style of writers like Ernest Hemingway to the elaborate long winded style of Thomas Wolf or the florid style of Danielle Steele. 

Some writers capitalize on the brilliance of their own intricate storytelling with twists and turns in every chapter, a rising crescendo of suspense and a satisfying conclusion that makes the reader happy to be where they are in real life, that is safe and alive, after an escape in to thrilling fantasy rife with danger.

Agatha Christie is one of, if not the most prolific author with over one hundred books and short stories published, not counting the plays and many other works. The best-selling book And Then There Were None (formerly Ten Little Indians), is one of the best-selling books of all time. So what is appealing about Christie as an author? The answer is simple; she was able to marry the skill of great storytelling with good writing.

Stephen King, John Grisham as well as a long list of other best-selling authors hold the talent to write well and tell a good story in common, which of course, explains their continuous ability to create best- selling books. If you have ever searched high and low for a good book to read, you may have come to appreciate the skill required to write one. 

Although taste in books is an individual thing, I love to read almost any style of writing if the writing is good and the story is believable and compelling and I delight in finding a new treasure. While doing my usual Saturday morning garage sale foraging, I discovered one such treasure in the form of Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent, a book written in the late 1980’s when it first became a runaway bestselling book which was made into a movie in 1990.

So what was my reaction after reading Presumed Innocent?

“I just completed Presumed Innocent (1987) by Scott Turow (Hardcopy edition) and was impressed significantly-not simply by the skillfully written story but by the skill of his writing. The entire book flows with literary gems, even normal reflection is laden with deep insight, literary metaphors and beautifully worded phraseology” (Excerpt from my book review of Presumed Innocent)

Now I feel compelled to read Turow’s latest works in the hopes that the author consistently produced in the style of his first masterpiece.