37 Responses to “Nalini Singh Explains the Keeper”

1. Colleen Gleason Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 7:48 am

   1 Congrats on your upcoming release, Nalini!! I have your first two Psy books (though they’re still on my TBR), and I keep hearing how fabulous they are. I got my critique partner hooked on them too, and love the covers. Anyway, keepers for me. Two come to mind–actually, three. TROJAN GOLD and NIGHT TRAIN TO MEMPHIS by Elizabeth Peters, and ALINOR by Roberta Gellis. Why are they keepers? Well, the Gellis one simply because Ian di Vipont is the BEST hero ever (except next to Roarke, but he’s in so many books I can’t narrow it down to one)…and well-matched with his heroine. I love the time period too. And the Peters books…well, simply because every single time I read them, I get something more out of them. I pick up another subtle joke or innuendo. I love her style, and especially for NIGHT TRAIN, since I know what happens in the book (it’s a mystery/romance) it makes the beginning to much fun to read, knowing what’s really going on. The characters are great, the humor, the understated sexual tension….love them. I read them at least once per year, if not more often, and usually as a treat for myself. It’s a matter of comfort, I think. (Wow. That was long.)

2. MaryKate Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 8:32 am

   2 Hi Nalini! Fancy meeting you here! I just finished Mine To Possess. It was another A read for me. And yes, it will go on my keeper shelf next to the first three. Boy, Clay’s a crusty fella, isn’t he? All cranky and pissed off (huh, kind of like Max, Colleen, but in a whole different way). Anyway, I loved him. Congrats on a fourth A read! My keeper shelves are divided into three kinds of books: comfort reads (Nora Roberts Chesapeake Bay series, Lisa Kleypas books) and kickass reads (JR Ward’s first three BDB books, Nalini’s books, JD Robb’s books) and classics (The Windflower, Flowers From The Storm, Lord of Scoundrels). I actually have four sets of shelves that make up my keepers (about 100 books). But the element that draws me back to them is the storytelling. The writer has to draw me in emotionally. I have to invest in the h/h’s story and more importantly, I have to buy the HEA. Congrats again on your new release, Nalini. It’s another awesome addition to the Psy/Changeling series. Dorian’s book can’t come soon enough for me! (or Hawke’s story ;oP)

3. Wendy Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 8:49 am

   3 Hi, Nalini! Congrats on your coming release! Keepers for me are Kresley Cole, Gena Showalter, Simon R. Green, Jim Butcher, etc. I absolutely love their books - how they portrait the characters, the story itself draws me in and I love their storytelling ways. I have way more keepers but those are my top ones. I’m a huge fan of humor, even it’s subtle, I think that’s why these are keepers for me, because they have a way of making their characters be serious but also be funny at the worst moments, especially Dresden (Hi, I’m a Dresdenaholic) and I really like that.

4. Jambrea Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 9:00 am

   4 Congrats on your release! Keepers for me are books that I can re read and find something new. They usually have to have some kind of humor. Series are keepers for me because a lot of the time I want to go back and read the other books. Some of my keepers are JD Robb, JR Ward, Robert Jordan, JK Rowlings and Sherrilyn Kenyon. I’m sure there are a few more, I just can’t think of them right now.

5. Ann Aguirre Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 9:11 am

   5 I don’t want to be entered in the drawing, but I would like to talk about keepers. For me, it’s as simple as this: (1)the story draws me in from beginning to end, (2) I immediately want to re-read it, and (3)I’ll remember it long after I’m done. Books that meet this criteria are keepers. They can run a wide gamut style and content. I mean, Bettie Sharpe’s Like a Thief in the Night could not be further from Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer, but they’re both stories I could read over and over again, stories that stick with me. I like misfits, outsiders, outcasts. I like characters who don’t fit the mold.

6. Victoria Janssen Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 9:33 am

   6 For me, Keepers require a happy ending, but getting there should be difficult for the characters. I especially like stories of misfits or strangers in strange lands who find a home/family/both. I keep a lot of books for future reference or to lend out because I enjoyed them, but a Keeper to me also means a book I will reread more than once. (BTW, Nalini, I already have all your books and your new one is pre-ordered, so I guess I don’t need to be in the drawing!)

7. Katie Ann Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 9:57 am

   7 One of the big reasons I keep books is if they’re so good I know I’ll want to share it with my friends and sisters. I’ve been good about not keeping books I know I won’t ever read again, so I’ve got maybe 20 total, and about a third of that is the SEAL/Troubleshooters Suzanne Brockmann series. Then there a few Crusies and contemporaries (some of which I have forgotten what they are about, but I leave them there because I’m sure there was a reason I kept it in the first place). Then the rest are the outstanding historicals that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go, though several of those are loaned out right now.

8. deemer Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 10:53 am

   8 I don’t need to be entered into the drawing, but my keepers are quite embarrassing, actually. I love the JR Ward series, obviously the Harry Potters, Intensity by Dean Koontz, Baby Proof by Emily Griffen, all of Sophie Kinsella, Nalini Singh (especially loved Judd), Lynne Graham (thanks to Tumperkin), and . . . Judith Mcnaught. OKAY! I know her heroines are asinine, but I just love her heroes, even though they’re vaguely reminiscent of spoiled little four year old boys. I wish I knew of more authors to put on my keeper shelf. I’m desperate for some new books.

9. Jaded_Bee Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 12:17 pm

   9 Keepers for me have to have two complex lead characters. They should be able to stand alone as great chacters but are made better when they are together. My favorites all have some sort of paranormal aspect in them, such as Nora Roberts’ Key series, either one of Laurell K. Hamilton’s series, or your psy-changeling series. My all time favorite book is Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause. I love books that you can read over and over and never get tired of, especially ones that you can read repeatedly and always find something new or something you hadn’t noticed before that you instantly love. Most of my favorites have heroine’s that I can identify with, I like being able to know exactly what a character is talking about or feeling. They should have funnt parts in them too. That’s about it.

10. Nalini Singh Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 12:52 pm

    10 Hey everyone! Thanks for the congrats - I’m really excited about this book. Colleen - that’s so true about finding something new each time. Keepers always seem to have a freshness about them, no matter how many times we’ve read them. MaryKate - Yippee! I’m so glad you loved MtP Wendy - I like subtle humor too. Especially when the book’s serious and the humor’s just kind of snuck in. Jambrea - I’m a huge JD Robb fan, too! I could read those books forever. Ann - I’m looking forward to grabbing your book when it comes out! Love me some sci-fi Victoria - I think for me, most keepers are rereads. But I have to admit - I won’t lend out my keepers most of the time. I’m so possessive *grin* (re the contest - Do you have my categories as well? If not, you can enter and if you win, I’ll send you one of those). Katie Ann - Have you ever had a keeper that you know you won’t reread again? Deemer - I’m a Judith McNaught fan too. What kind of books do you like reading - I’m sure we can come up with some more keeper recommendations for you! Jaded Bee - I’m with you on the equally matched characters. It really gives a book spark.

11. Helen Gonzalez Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 12:54 pm

    11 Hi Nalini, Keepers are hard to describe, like you said mine are because I love everything about them and sometimes its something special in the book, a scene or a response to what is happening that makes me feel connected in some way to what is going on in my own life that seem similar. Keepers for me…hmm…well defininetly yours, Nalini Slave to Sensation has to be one of my most favorite any time I get to re-read about Sascha and Lucas always feels like the first time for me…and being able to read your short of the “Cannibal Princess” only made me love the characters even more. As for some others I would have to say Kenyon’s Darkhunters, Liu’s Dirk & Steele, and Feehan’s Dark series. I’ve got way more but that will do for now. Anyways I’m heading over to your blog soon, so have a good one! LoL, Helen Gonzalez aka helenhikaru Myspace.

12. Kat Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 12:55 pm

    12 Hi Nalini, I think you hit the nail on the head. Emotional resonance is the necessary ingredient. It has to be a book that I keep thinking about, over and over, even long after I’ve read it. The Psy-Changelings are all keepers for me. So are Kenyon’s Dark Hunters, Ward’s BDB, Leigh’s Breeds, Kleypas’s Wallflowers, Quinn’s Bridgertons, and Roberts’s Quinn brothers (to name only a few). They can be sweet (Bridgertons) or heartbreaking (BDB), but I need to feel connected to the characters. They have to, in essence, be real to me. Kat

13. fiveandfour Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 2:14 pm

    13 There are several things that can make a book a keeper for me: *Over-all plot and storyline. I quite enjoy a story that takes me in delightfully unexpected places or has developments I never saw coming. It can be such a joy the first time through thanks to the joy of discovery; on subsequent re-reads there can be a lot of joy in noting just how that writer pulled it off. *A sub-set of this is intricate plotting. I love a story where it feels everything just had to happen the way it did because the plot of the story couldn’t be any better any other way. It twisted and turned and folded back in on itself and I bought every minute of it from the first word to the last. *Authorial voice. It seems like there should be as many authorial voices as there are writers - and maybe there are - but it feels as though voices actually fall into certain categories or types. Most of the time it seems like authorial voice is pretty middle-of-the-road. And that’s ok, because I understand that plain speaking obviously has the ability to communicate the most clearly with the widest possible audience. But I appreciate it when I find a writer who conveys ideas in unique and creative ways, or in ways that, for example, don’t talk down to me and assume I can keep up. And if an author has a lyrical turn of phrase, that’s like a shiny hook headed straight for my mouth. *Use of humor. I love laughing and it can be terrific both when I know it’s part of the package of what I’m sitting down to read (e.g. PG Wodehouse) and when it’s an unexpected part of a scene or situation. *Interesting/fun/unique/creative yet relatable and believable characterization. Nothing puts me off faster than a character I’m supposed to like but can’t. There’s got to be something about the characters that are driving me through a story that I find intriguiging and believable. I don’t have to relate to them in a personal way, as in, “hey, that’s just like me!” - in fact, it’s actually preferable to me that I don’t relate to them too closely because part of what I love about a good story is seeing how someone else might handle the challenges put before him or her. This makes it feel like I’m possibly making a new friend, or at least getting a view on life and dealing with all that life has to offer, that I never would have considered on my own. *Good internal logic. I can’t stand it when characters do things that make no damn sense. I need to be sold that, given what I’ve been told about this character and how this character interacts with his/her world, said character would absolutely respond to situation a with action b. *Stories told in a way that are unique and wonderful. Have you ever read Les Liaison Dangereuses (as opposed to watching one of the movies)? I highly recommend it for story-telling in a way that seems like it should be impossible to pull off then exceeds all expectations. *Stories that tackle some of life’s “big themes”: love, death, existential despair, religion, friendship, philosophy, social justice, etc. *Stories that use symbolism and metaphor in an organic (and perhaps sophisticated) way as well as other devices such as subtle foreshadowing and deliberate echoes. *Just can’t stop thinking about them. And then there are the books that hit you in a way that feels as though it was written just for you. It speaks to you in such a way that you can’t wait to recommend it to others even while you think it’s possible you might be the only person besides the author who will ever really “get it”. I can’t really pinpoint just how certain books get under your skin, take up residence, and become so much a part of you that you find yourself responding to real life situations with thoughts inspired straight out of the story. You maybe even find yourself *thisclose* to quoting a phrase or paragraph automatically in relation to some situation because it’s just that much inside your brain. There’s some sort of alchemical magic at work with those kinds of books, I think, and there never can be an adequate way to explain it. And whoa damn this is long, and obviously indicative of why my keepers are numerous and all over the house - so time to cut myself off. (And I don’t need to be entered into the contest.)

14. Jaime Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 2:16 pm

    14 Totally right on! My husband says if the keeper shelves get any bigger (I take over more and more) he is going to have to build more or give me my own room for them -me, personally, I don’t see a problem with this! Your new book has been on pre-order for so long I forgot I get it next week! Wooohooooo!

15. danette Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 2:27 pm

    15 Hi Nalini, My keepers are ones that I’ve falling in love with the characters and stories that have had me lost in the authors worlds. Some of my keepers are yours, Sherrilynn Kenyon’s Dark Hunters,Mary Janice Davidson, Eileen Wilks and Gerry Bartlett. Hugs, Danette

16. Jessica T Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 2:42 pm

    16 Well, I had to chime in, even though I’m usually a lurker here. I LOVE books and I keep books that I know I will want to re-read. Usually they are good from start to finish, but sometimes they have one part that I love in them, and I know that in a certain mood I will want to read it again. I’ve been known to just skip the rest of the book and go to my favorite part for a re-read. I have also been known to re-read a good book 6 or 7 times - in a week. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve re-read probably 100s of times - when I need a comfort read I go to my keepers first. I agree with the sense of completion and a good story, when you end the book and you just get a great feeling - almost a rush - that’s a keeper for me. My latest one is Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs. You have to read the first two (also keepers) to understand that one, but I love it (and all of them)! Another trilogy that I reread (esp. the first book, but the other 2 as well) is the Kushiel’s Chosen trilogy by Jacqueline Carey. And I have many many more, some that were listed here and some not. I do lend out my keepers every once in a while, and right now I have 2 out - which is frustrating me because they’ve been out for months now! Uggh, I may just re-buy them and let my friends know they can keep the ones they have. And, please do enter me in the contest - I guess if I’m going to de-lurk, I should at least try to win something .

17. Wendy Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 2:43 pm

    17 Nalini, exactly! I love a book that can make me laugh out loud. And I definitely will not lend out my keepers! No way.

18. Ann M. Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 5:06 pm

    18 What’s a keeper. Keepers are books that have given me a great emotional ride - be it with humor, angst, mystery, action… Many of my rereads.. I don’t have to reread the whole book to still get the power of the book.

19. Darlynne Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 6:04 pm

    19 Hi, Nalini, congratulations on the arrival of the new book. A whole lot of people are going to be really happy in the next few days. Characters, characters, characters. That is the short and long of what I look for in books and almost without fail, these are the books that become my keepers. I don’t have to like the characters, but I absolutely must care about what happens to them. I want to open a favorite book in the same way I open my front door to beloved and absent friends. Many of my keepers are the same as those mentioned above, but the books I have read the most and that I will–only in a figurative sense–take with me from a burning house are: In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden Handling Sin by Michael Malone Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett Looking at this short list, I realize another component required to join my Groaning Shelves of Doom is a quest by the characters to become more, to become other than they were. Apparently, I want some company on my own lifelong quest. The HEA in romance novels fills that need quite well, when characters are moved and transformed by love.

20. SweetNSourGirl Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 7:30 pm

    20 Hi! I’ve heard your work is fantastic, though I have yet to get my hands on any of it. For me, a story that is a keeper has to envoke a certain response in me. I’m not sure how to explain it, but cannot leave me indifferent at the end. The characters have to be relatable and flawed. The setting and conflicts have to be specific, yet universal. It’s a difficult balancing act. Orwell’s “1984″ comes to mind as a keeper, as well as “Mary, Bloody Mary” a historical novel by Carolyn Meyer, there are a few others that I’m unable to think of at the moment, but these are all books I cherish and love, even if Orwell scares me.

21. Caffey Posted: Feb 1st, 2008 at 8:10 pm

    21 Nalini, huge congrats on the release!!! So excited for you (and me!!) Keepers for me is tough! There’s so many wonderful books out there that in different ways they touched me. Most of them when they got to me emotionally when I read them, either picked up my mood and brought much needed laughter, got me so connected with the characters that I didn’t want to let go, and too series that I always come back to. I do tend to save more of paranormal as series books and historical romances as individual titles. Some are: Annie’s Song by Catherine Anderson (really touched on me so much) Take A Chance On Me by Susan Donovan (i laughed so hard!) DARK books by Christine Feehan (love this series) So those are a few but I know I have more that are just individual books by various authors that moved me in some way. What a great discussion!

22. Nalini Singh Posted: Feb 2nd, 2008 at 1:40 am

    22 Kat - I need strong characters, too. The best ones are “real” in a way that you can almost touch. FiveandFour - I can tell you’ve thought about this Those are all great points! The internal logic thing really resonates with me - what characters do MUST, absolutely MUST tie logically to who they are. Jaime - LOL about the room! Hope you enjoy MtP! Danette - isn’t it great when you can just lose yourself in a book completely? Traveling without leaving the house. Jessica T - yay, glad you delurked! I do the same thing with favorite parts of books. Some bits I reread over and over. And I’m SO ready to read Iron Kissed! I get my copy tomorrow or the day after. I can’t wait! Wendy - we’re birds of a feather *grin* Ann M. - I absolutely agree with getting that oomph, that burst of power even with reading part of the book. Darlynne - thanks! Characterization is a must for me, too. That’s an interesting point you made about growth. I’ve never consciously focused on that, but with a romance, I definitely want a strong couple at the end, and often that does involve growth. Great point. SweetNSour Girl - you have to try them - they’re great! *GRIN* That sense of magic is hard to explain - but yeah, certain books just have “it.” Caffey - thanks! I think what you said about picking up on your mood is so important. Sometimes, I’ll read something that doesn’t work for me, but then later, I pick it up again and LOVE it. So the frame of mind we’re in while reading definitely influences things. Each keeper can fulfil a different need.

23. Tumperkin Posted: Feb 2nd, 2008 at 4:20 am

    23 The acid test for me is that criterion of Ann Aguirre’s - I want to read it again immediately.

24. Julia Posted: Feb 2nd, 2008 at 6:18 am

    24 Nalini, congrats on the new release! I don’t know well how to explain what makes a keeper for me, but I think that basically, I have to feel the characters are alive and it’s the kind of book that when I put it away while doing other things or at the end, the characters stay in my mind and I can’t stop thinking about them. I find myself remembering some scenes or thinking about the ones that will follow. And sometimes, after I finished the book, I need to read it again, or at least some parts to savor it better. And even after some years, when I reread them, I still feel the magic. ) There is a lot of variety among my keepers. Some of them are Anyone by You by Jennifer Crusie, Lord of the Storm by Justine Davis, many books by Mary Balogh, Demon Angel by Meljean Brook, Promises to Keep by Kathryn Shay, Lover Awakened by J.R.Ward, One Summer by Karen Robards, A Change of Heart by Candice Hern, The Billionaire’s Pregnant Mistress by Lucy Monroe, See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson, etc, etc. My list is big and varied and many of them have helped me through difficult times and are a treasure to me.

25. Renee Posted: Feb 2nd, 2008 at 6:43 am

    25 I love books that make me laugh although those aren’t my only keepers. But something you know that will make you laugh out loud even the 20th time you read it definately makes it worth keeping. Some of my favorites are Tanya Huff’s Keeper Trilogy, anything by Terry Pratchett, Christopher Moore’s Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff. Favorite Romance Keepers are JD Robb, Rachel Caine, and I still have all the Jude Deveraux historicals in a box on my parents attic waiting for me to have space for them one of these days.

26. Wendy Posted: Feb 2nd, 2008 at 8:53 am

    26 Julia, See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson is one of my favorite books EVER. (I even named my blog after it, hehe super dorky I know) It is definitely a keeper.

27. Helen E. Gonzalez Posted: Feb 2nd, 2008 at 9:31 am

    27 Jessica T makes a good point the Patricia Briggs series with Mercedes Thompson is awesome and definetly keepers. Iron Kissed was so amazing I can’t wait for a new one! As for Keepers I think any book that affects that special place in our heart is a keeper, whether like you said Nalini, it captures you throughout the story or in some really good parts that’s a Keeper to me. I have always felt that keepers are like warm fuzzy blankets and socks, or warm hot chocolate next to a fire on cold winter’s night, it just gets you to warm safe haven away from whatever troubles you might have or maybe just some quiet time for yourself. I know that for especially for me Slave to Sensation has been with me next to my bed since I got it and I can never get enough of Sascha and Lucas. -Which is why I was greatly excited to read the “Cannibal Princess” ohh that was such an extra delight!!!!(Of which I copied and binded together nicely if I do say so myself!!) I might just be weeee bit obsessed but it’s all good!!! CONGRATULATIONS NALINI I can’t wait for MtP on FEB. 5th. Have a splendid one! LoL, Helen Gonzalez aka helenhikaru MySpace

28. tami Posted: Feb 2nd, 2008 at 11:06 am

    28 pirate and the pagan, by virginia henley was the first one i actaully made sure to keep

29. Dee Tenorio Posted: Feb 2nd, 2008 at 11:25 am

    29 I’m probably too late for the drawing, but that’s okay. I’m tracking these books down anyway. I just wanted to pop in and wave wildly to Nalini. When you first came out over at Desire, we all knew great things were ahead. We just didn’t know they were going to be great big changelings and psy. But boy are we HAPPY! Wishing you the best with the new release! As for my Keepers, I’ve had to redefine that of late. To make room in my house for my babies (and their insane amount of STUFF–good God, why do they need so much STUFF??) I had to give up my keeper shelf..er, shelves. They went to a good cause. But roughly 600 books had to find new homes. I put my foot down and kept maybe 50. Mind you, that was after culling a good 300 to convince myself I could trim the “fat”. I basically have only kept my series books and my emotionally connected books. Not the sorta feel goods. Not the, love that theme ones. I totally offed the “I could write better than THAT” ones I kept for hope (or voodoo charm, no one knows for sure). So that’s my Julia Quinns. My Kate Walkers. My Lucy Monroes. My Blaze collection. Kressley Coles. Christine Warrens. And now, in my cute little paranormal shelf, I’ve added my Psy book and left room for when I can club the other three out of the ordering chick at the B&N. (Oh, she will yield the Psys…) Hugs, Dee

30. Katie Ann Posted: Feb 2nd, 2008 at 11:55 am

    30 Nalini Singh said… Katie Ann - Have you ever had a keeper that you know you won’t reread again? Some of the Brockmann series I doubt I’ll go back to reread, but I’m a completist and will still hold on to them, but also because I just know that someday I’ll find someone who likes reading enough to gobble them up at the speed I did.

31. JSL Posted: Feb 2nd, 2008 at 12:36 pm

    31 I have to admit that I’m a pack rat - and also, I generally get books from the library before I buy them. I’m still in school, so I don’t get to buy as many books as I’d like. But the books that I want to buy for friends (the “keepers” for others I suppose) - are the ones that make me laugh, cry, and put a giant smile on my face after I’ve read the last page. I generally read, and re-read (and read again) every book I own.

32. Wendy Posted: Feb 2nd, 2008 at 3:35 pm

    32 Jessica & Helen are totally right - Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series is hella good. I especially can’t wait for Charles and Anna’s story - Cry Wolf - which I think comes out in August. AUGUST! Are they trying to kill me?! ugh..

33. Nalini Singh Posted: Feb 2nd, 2008 at 5:29 pm

    33 Tumperkin - Oddly, I don’t think I’ve ever reread a book straight away. I have reread favorite bits though. Julia, thanks! And I know what you mean - some characters and worlds are so real, you can imagine living in them. Those books are just fabulous. Renee - I love Jude Deveraux’s historicals. Have you read Remembrance? Makes me cry every single time! Helen - I just got Iron Kissed - I’m going to go read it right now!!! So excited! Tami - I can’t remember the first one I kept, but I know it was an old M&B that I still have. It got misplaced during moving but I keep wanting to reread it. Now that’s a keeper Dee - aw, thanks And you’re braver than me with your culling! I keep putting things in boxes and storing them away because I can’t bear to get rid of books! Katie Ann - “Completist” - love it! JSL - that “giant smile” is one of my top keeper criterions. That happy feeling inside Wendy - I KNOW! Must. Have. More. Now!

34. Amy S. Posted: Feb 2nd, 2008 at 6:58 pm

    34 Books that are on my keeper shelf are the ones that was so good a read that I know I will reread them and also books that are part of a series. I have Johanna Lindsey’s Mallory series on there and love rereading them.

35. Teresa W. Posted: Feb 3rd, 2008 at 11:02 am

    35 I have many books on my keeper list, they include all of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series as well as my books that I have autographed by authors! Looking forward to your newest release.

36. Shannon Posted: Feb 4th, 2008 at 6:11 pm

    36 For me a keeper is something that just clicks. I cant stop reading the book, its all I think about, I dont pull back to ask questions about why the hell so and so did this and that. When I start questioning the dialogue or the plot, the book is pretty doomed in my eyes. Normally a keeper for me is something that leaves me with 4 hours of sleep the next day, stumbling through my classes, still completely immersed in the story despite the fact that it ended the night before. It brings me to send emails to authors begging them for the next book in the series and letting them know that they made me cry for an hour and it was awesome. Recent keepers for me that I happened to stumble upon are the Dante Valentine series, the Raised by Wolves series, and I’ve rediscovered the awesome of a few books I own, too that have long been on my keeper shelves.

37. Dee Tenorio Posted: Feb 5th, 2008 at 10:04 am

    37 Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I didn’t get to pop in yesterday thanks to wailing babies, so this was a great way to wake up! Thanks bunches!!! Dee