What hooks you (as a reader)?

I wish I knew what hooks me, because lately it seems like nothing does. And by lately, I mean over the past couple of years. I used to be a pretty voracious reader. I loved nothing better than sitting down and getting lost in a book. But it's been a long time since that's happened. My mother, who read as a younger woman and then didn't read for a long time, and has now been reading like crazy in her 70's, is always in the middle of a book and loving it (she reads Preston & Child's Pendergast series and just adores them). I envy her. She's given me one of the books and I've started it, I've read about 200 pages of it, and I just don't really care about finishing it. Probably because she's told me so much about these books that there's really nothing enticing me to continue. I kind of know what's going on, and...I kind of don't care.

I'd have to say that I'll read about anything. Any genre. And I've read some marvelous books. I'm a high school English teacher, so I'm fairly well-read, but I just can't seem to find books that hook me enough to make me camp out on the couch like I did back in the day with the Harry Potter series (I was an adult when those came out, still devoured them like a kid), or the Outlander series (at least the first five or so), or the A Song of Ice and Fire series (first three of those...trying to get back into the fourth now).

I'd say what hooks me is the writing. Despite my ability to appreciate and analyze Dante and Shakespeare, when I read for pleasure I just want a good story that is easy to read and interesting. Whether it's about wizards and dragons or life in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan or a steamy romance with a sexy billionaire, I really don't care. The writing just has to be engaging. I'll get on board with pretty much anything as long as the writing is straightforward and doesn't get in the way of the most important thing (to me) which is telling the story.

As a writer, I want to write the kind of book that I, as a reader, would have a hard time putting down. I just wish I could experience what that's like again, as I feel certain it would improve my writing. I'm still searching...

Quick answer because I'm on my tablet. ..first, premise. Then voice and writing. Then a character I can get thoroughly wrapped up in.

As it is with others - the premise, the back cover blurb. If it seems to be a plot I've not already read ad nauseam I'll usually pick it up.
These days I read everything on Kindle - I have many bookshelves packed with hard and soft cover books... and yet, when I recently decided to re-read Childhoods End, Fahrenheit 451, and The Lathe of Heaven - I purchased the Kindle version simply because it's easier for me to read.
SO, after looking at the back cover and finding the premise intrigue, I download the sample off Amazon (which is somewhere around the first 10% or so). Then if the writing is decent, I'll buy the book.

The voice, for me. I'll read the first few paragraphs, then the back.

Also, a good cover will make me take a book from the shelf, and read the first pars.

I've always based my book choices on the back cover blurb. If I start reading the first paragraph or so, I feel bad for abandoning it. If the blurb is something I've never seen before, then I'll buy it. I'm sick of the same old plot.

There's an old, but really bad saying: Don't judge a book by its cover.

I don't think it's terrible advice in and of itself, but in real life and fiction its misleading. It disregards intuition. And honestly, everyone judges books by their covers and titles. That's the whole point. A good book title and cover should make a reader want to pick it up, and then read the first page and summary.

When I personally pick up a book at Walmart or at the library, the first thing I do is read the first paragraph or two. Most readers do this, I think, and therefore the opening chapter, paragraph, and line is most important imo.

A good novel and short story is really just a game of questions. Imply the questions, and make the reader ask them themselves. Mystery is a good example. The reader should think, Who's the killer? In romance, they think, Will they get together? These are probably lame examples, but hopefully you get the point. You want to imply questions, so that the reader will want to continue reading the story in the hopes that you'll answer them.

Another thing I look for in my favorite novels are likable/realistic characters: characters with complex thoughts and emotions, and with justifiable motives. If you can establish solid characters within the first chapter or two, then I guarantee you that the reader will be more encouraged to read on.

These are just my thoughts . I'm a bit of a picky reader, and I have a hard time finishing a lot of books. But books with a lot of solid characters and implied questions always hook me in.

For me it is when an author seduces me to get inside a sympathetic, human, relatable character's head.

I don't want sex and violence, and I don't want fast pacing, and I don't want dark tormented souls, but I do want to be in love with the characters. Ideally they are wrestling with a fundamental problem in their society and on the side of right. And if this is part of a series all the better, because I can keep living their lives with them.

I try to emulate some of this in my writing. So far no luck, but that's OK.

For me it's an interesting character who has a compelling voice or is in an interesting situation and goals or motives I can understand or relate to (even if I don't share them). I tend to read a lot of SFF, so an intriguing world or premise can suck me in too, but I want to know who the story is about as soon as possible. A story doesn't have to have a lightning-fast pace or start in the middle of intense action. I've read some good books lately that did a rather slow burn and eased me into the plot more gradually as I got to know a character and their world first.

Writing is important too, but that's more of a baseline thing. It doesn't have to be literary, or amazing prose, as long as it's clear, readable, and devoid of glaring errors in formatting, punctuation etc. I'm willing to forgive writers and their editors a few mistakes, or even stylistic choices with which I disagree (like using way more semicolons than I would) if it works for the voice (and I enjoy the voice), but if it comes off as shoddy, choppy, or amateurish writing and editing on the first page, I won't be able to read long enough to connect with the character or premise.

I'm okay with sex and or violence in a novel if they make sense to the story and characters. I'd want the context to be established properly, though, if a story is opening with that kind of material (and not just to show how edgy the author is). I agree with Patty, though, that I find evil characters to be hard sells. Flawed or struggling, sure, but if the protagonist is a complete sociopath, it's rather hard for me invest in their plight.

Though there are some noteworthy examples of literature that do just that, such as A Clockwork Orange. Not easy, or even fun reads, but if there's something a story is exploring that requires a character to be this way, it makes more sense than if I get the feeling the author is simply going for shock value or trying to convince the reader it's naive and foolish to be anything other than cynical about human nature.

A great cover, an attractive title, and/or a fascinating premise might catch my attention and get me to pick up the book and try it out.

What actually hooks me? The writing. The voice. The storytelling. Compelling conflict. Deep character development. Pretty much in that order.

I read the back blurb. I don't mind too much if it sounds familiar. How many different plots are there, anyway? I read the first few paragraphs, more to see how I like the writing than how I might like the story. Sometimes, for me, writing can be too quirky or too flamboyant. By that I mean that some writing, while impressive, is too distracting. I read bits and pieces from somewhere in the middle of the book. Usually, if I've gone that far, I already know I'm going to buy it.

Kat M said:

Good morning! Apologies if this is NOT the correct place to post this.

So, I got to thinking: when you're picking up a novel, what hooks you, personally, as a reader?

For me, it's not the first three chapters. It's not the first page. It's the premise. If the back cover intrigues me, then I'll read the book. And what intrigues me can be as small as "it's set in Seattle" or as big as "this problem sounds incredibly interesting; I have to see how the author handles that." Once I've settled into reading the book, I won't give up on it even if I'm bored. I can count on one hand the number of books I've DNFed. Once I hit the midpoint, when everything's established and things start to get twisty, that's when I'll know if I'm hooked or not (I'll finish the book no matter what).

I know everyone's idiosyncratic, but I was curious as to how other people get interested in books.

Then, my follow-up question: how does this affect you as a writer?

I think in terms of premises and what I want to happen at the middle or the end. It's a challenge for me to know where to start. I don't know if this is because of my reading preferences or just a common writer's challenge.

N.B. I'm NOT trying to subvert the system—I know our first pages are incredibly important in the publishing industry—I'm just curious.

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"Picking up a novel" is an interesting phrase. I take this in two ways: 1) buying a book; 2) or physically picking a book up at the bookstore over another (to learn more).

I have to go through phase two before buying a book. I do so by walking around the bookstore. For me, the first thing that catches my eye is the cover design. If it is immediately off-putting, I don't want anything to do with it, regardless of content. Next, I read the blurb/description. Next, I scan the table of contents. Bonus points for creativity for authors who choose imaginative chapter titles (this demonstrates the writing may be imaginative too). Finally, I read 1-5 pages (to see how long it takes me to get interested). If I am not interested within 5 pages, it goes back down and I hunt out another book.

At this point, I don't buy the book. I'm not an impulse shopper. I pull out a notepad and write down the book titles I find. I go home and research for reviews.

For my writing -- my first, ever book being written now -- I want imaginative chapter titles (and I have them; lots of them). I want to more than wow readers within the first 5 pages. First sentences of the first paragraph, if possible (e.x. leave an intriguing question in the reader's mind of the MC; one that won't be learned till later in the book or series).

I mostly get books based on recommendation. Reviews are largely worthless unless they come from someone whose taste I am familiar with, or who is familiar with mine.

As for actually picking it up--premise does very little for me these days :/ I think I've just read too many books with excellent premises that then don't execute well.


To echo others about for what keeps me reading, probably good writing. It feels cheaty to say that because that is so unspecific and encapsulating, but essentially, good writing makes a promise. It promises that the author knows what they are doing, and where they are going. It promises that there will be payoff for the mysteries introduced.

A good example: My partner bought me The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August for xmas. Oh no, I thought; another sodding Groundhog Day esque novel. The cover made me cringe and still kind of does. But the writing was really excellent and drew me in; eventually, I did find that the novel had payoff, and put a lovely twist on familiar concepts. More than a twist, really; a whole spin.

The difference between pulp and literary is usually execution, rather than base idea.

Harlequin said:

The difference between pulp and literary is usually execution, rather than base idea.

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I don't think I agree with that. I think it centres too few elements, and I'm not sure those are the right ones in any case. I'm going to go and have a cup of tea and a think and see what I come up with. But I'm starting from the base that pulp isn't pulp just because it's not literary. Good pulp is its own inherent thing - not a failure to be something else. (I assume we're using using 'pulp' in the old approvable 1940s sort of sense - noirish thrillers and such. Page-turners. Not as a put-down) And ditto good lit fic - it's not a failure of being something else.

I think your statement would hold for good pulp:bad pulp or good litfic:bad litfic but oh look - kettle's boiling!

My apologies, I can see how that reads with hindsight. I'll clarify.

Pulp isn't less, and I'd agree there is good and bad in both. I suppose I was mostly thinking (as usual) of Wolfe when I wrote it; he was very heavily influenced by pulp SFF magazines, as well as his other academic reading, and a lot of his base concepts have a pulp feel to them. That might just be me, though.

But I could envision Shadow of the Torturer (base idea: torturer who falls for victim) being a darkly twisted romance under the pen of another writer, or perhaps a Conan-esque romp about a guy with a big sword. And it could work well as either, or as any number of stories. As it is, guy with big sword who goes on philosophical journey of exile is pretty pulpy, when written down. How much the idea would interest me would depend on who did what with it.

Well that makes perfect sense. Tea?

I do my choosing in libraries, so cover art rarely enters into the process.

Title might attract me, maybe author's name, and then I'll open to some random page and read a paragraph for writing style and voice.

Voice, interesting character(s), writing.

I used to be one of those who finished every book started whether I liked it or not, but now I stop reading if it doesn't hold up.

I never start writing until the opening scene is clear in my head, and usually (with one terrible, painful exception) I have the voice of at least the protagonist clear before I begin. For me, everything grows from that first scene.

Voice, definitely. Then the personality of the narrator. Then premise and setting, the ambience of the story. Funny, 'cause I'd have thought that character(s) would have been top on my list, but now that I think about it, I don't think I've had a lot of issues with characters. I don't remember putting down a book because I didn't like a main character, or an MC didn't ring true. I guess because they're most often an extension of voice, and if the voice didn't hook me I probably put the book down before I had a real take on character.

I know it affects what I write, but I haven't given that any conscious thought which seems strange. But I'm sure I've made choices based on what I like to read.

This is a great question...thanks for making me think of it.

(Just realized that I have some confusion between voice, MC personality, and character. I'm trying to sort this out as I write this, so forgive me if it doesn't make a lot of sense. It could be that perspective is what I mean by personality, the POV that as a reader I'm meant to view the story from, which I guess is somewhat different from viewing a character from the outside in...hmm, did I make it worse? Ha, still thinking, carry on and pay me never no mind)

A great hook hooks me and it must be in the blurb. Sometimes I buy books after I've seen a review, too. I guess that means I look for a nice plot as well but the review should contain a "hook" of a sort in order to get noticed. So definitely, "the hook". I can be pretty forgiving about "characters" and "writing" afterwards. But if I try to write something then the hook is one of the last things I'd think about, so you could probably say that my reading habits don't affect my writing habits

Voice/writing and compelling characters are the most important to hook me in a story. I don't care too much about the plot or premise. One of my favourite books is Edward St-Aubyn's Never Mind and the plot is literally following a bunch of people getting ready for a dinner party.

I don't really read or uses reviews unless they are recommendations from friends, however I have in a few instances picked up a book because of reviews on amazon where people were saying that they didn't enjoy the book because none of the characters were nice people or the characters weren't very likeable, give me flawed, complicated over likeable any days. That's how I picked up Sally Rooney's Conversations with Friends and it ended up being one of my favourite books of last year.

Elle. said:

however I have in a few instances picked up a book because of reviews on amazon where people were saying that they didn't enjoy the book because none of the characters were nice people or the characters weren't very likeable, give me flawed, complicated over likeable any days.

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100% agree with this.

Premise is probably what makes me pick a book up. Even when I haven't been sure about the writing style, or felt the opening pages were a little weak, I still chose to buy a couple of books because the premise sounded so interesting. The things that then keep me reading are the atmosphere and the characters. Although, if the writing was really bad, I'd find it hard to continue.

I'm currently reading Neuromancer by William Gibson - it's an older book, written in the 1960's (I believe). It's an early cyberpunk thing. The plot was interesting, and the descriptive writing is really excellent - but the characters? Meh. I'm about 2/3 of the way through and having to force myself to push through it. I really don't care about either the characters or the outcome of the story.