books and reading

Last night after book club several of us had a discussion about genres and good writing vs. bad writing. My friend, Tami, confessed to being a "book snob". I had to really think about it but what I've decided is that, for me, it mostly comes down to the story. If I really get engaged in the story, I can overlook poor writing. The writing might bother me at first, but if I enjoy the story I quit noticing the poor writing. The opposite is also true. I have read books where I've loved the writing but if I don't like the story, I quit being enthralled by the writing.

For example, I recently read "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath. I loved the writing style and the imagery at first but I never got engaged in the story. Therefore, about halfway through the book, I was ready to quit. I ended up disliking the book. Good writing is not enough to carry me through a book.

I think I can read and enjoy almost anything as long as it has an interesting plot or great characters or something to engage my mind. The writing is secondary to me.