Many readers have very clear ideas on what they want out of a book. A YA dystopia with a bit of romance. A crime novel with a tough, jaded protagonist. A romance set in the Renaissance. An epic in which the good guy wins. A book with a lot of buzz. Any book on the craft of writing. Or the history of rock and roll. Or the redemptive qualities of dogs. A little knowledge of keyword searches, a glance at the reviews, and one can do quite well with this approach, only tumbling into occasional disappointment.
I get myself into trouble because I tend to like things that are less tangible. Things that cannot be found easily with an Amazon search or summary review. I seek out books that have 'x factors,' books that do something (extraordinary) that no other book does. (I realize this is partly an attempt to mythologize my own tastes, but I think there's a deeper point, and I needed a topic that began with X.)
In this view, it's the strangeness that sticks with us. The work that does something unexpected, and in doing so does not deceive the reader/viewer but instead makes them feel slightly elevated, slightly expanded, as if their creative worlds are now just a bit larger. Works that make us go, 'Huh, I hadn't quite realized that was possible.' It's hard to order that up, but we all need quests.
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Do you prefer the strange or the familiar? Is there a distinction in the way people approach books, or do we all think that our tastes catch these tough-to-define 'x factors'"?
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I like formula stories, but with a twist. If they didn't have a twist or an x-factor built into it then it's just a regular formula story--kinda boring. When a familiar story is turned on itself and we're looking at it from another POV then we have something original. Take a look at the movie Memento if you want to understand the x-factor completely by Chris Nolan! Awesome x-factor movie!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, Memento still gets talked about a lot a decade later.
DeleteI read a wide range of books. I like sci-fi/fantasy because I write in that genre and am learning from my peers, but general fiction appeals as well. There are some truly unique books out there but, as you say, they are difficult to find.
ReplyDeleteI agree there's value in reading widely.
Delete"they are difficult to find."
I think they also need to be found at the right time: it's easier to predict one's response to, say, a generic TV comedy than something that's odd/experimental/unique/difficult/etc.
I prefer strange. Strange, as in coloring outside the lines. Not strange as in gross with the goal of titillation.
ReplyDeleteMy x-factor is a product of consciously avoiding looking at what other writers were producing while I built my multverse and established the interactions of the story elements.
The x-factor is about taking risks.
"Strange, as in coloring outside the lines. Not strange as in gross with the goal of titillation."
DeleteYeah, this is close to what I meant, though I did worry about other meanings/interpretations of strange. I also didn't mean 'quirky' by it, which is how a lot of American independent film or literary fiction seems to operate.
"The x-factor is about taking risks."
I think it's often also about drawing from multiple or unconventional sources (in addition to the genre standards).
"I think it's often also about drawing from multiple or unconventional sources (in addition to the genre standards)."
DeleteThat pretty much sums up what I took from the post. Well said.
I like familiar stories with new twists. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not quite sure whether you guys are agreeing or disagreeing with me on this, which probably means the idea needs some clarification in my own mind.
DeleteI'm only 4 blogs down on my list and yours is the third one on the X-factor. And wrote about the x-factor, too. For me, it's that unknown that makes a book (or anything else consumable) go viral. I think a lot of it depends on timing.
ReplyDeleteHa, yeah, I saw you'd written on the same topic. :)
DeleteI'd like to say great minds think alike, but it might be topics were fairly limited given the X. Though we did use it in slightly different ways, so it wasn't totally redundant.
You absolutely nailed down my taste in books (& movies). Straight hit, Hektor!
ReplyDeleteWhen you put down a book and exhale, and you realize how subtle your view of the world or yourself has changed... and you still think about it months later... that's what I want to read! That's what I work my knuckles raw to write.
"that's what I want to read! That's what I work my knuckles raw to write."
DeleteIt's a noble goal. I hope we hit it.
I think you've made a great use of the letter X here. I have a lot of trouble finding the next good read, for just the reasons you name. I suppose what I look for is a book that stretches boundaries in a way that resonates and sets my own imagination alight. Examples: Danube, by Claudio Magris, My Name is Red, by Orhan Pahmuk, and Autobiography of Red, by Anne Carson.
ReplyDelete"I suppose what I look for is a book that stretches boundaries in a way that resonates and sets my own imagination alight."
DeleteA great notion.
"Danube, by Claudio Magris, My Name is Red, by Orhan Pahmuk, and Autobiography of Red, by Anne Carson."
I like Pamuk. Anne Carson is on my TBR list. Now Magris is as well.
I've been meaning to come here for awhile, Hektor. What a lovely blog you have. I hope it's okay to make a more personal comment about your blog. It seems to reflects a mind that is calm and subtle. I have a good mind, but it tends to be more sledgehammery, so I appreciate the delicacy of your thoughts, and the quietness and calmness I feel here.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of what I look for in books, I believe some are drawn to books as entertainment, and some are drawn to books as a way to grow - either in their mind or their soul. Obviously, there is overlap, but I think most tend to have one of those goals - I could be wrong, of course. For me, I am usually in the first category, but I respect very much those who write and read for the experience it brings.
Glad you stopped by, Mira.
Delete"I appreciate the delicacy of your thoughts, and the quietness and calmness I feel here."
Thank you!
"I believe some are drawn to books as entertainment"
But then we have to ask 'what' do we find entertaining.
"Obviously, there is overlap"
I think this is particularly true for heavy readers, for whom reading probably serves multiple functions.
*just falls over laughing*
ReplyDeleteYou're here at my coffee shop aren't you? Looking over my shoulder?
Will that get me one of those 30,000-word weekends? If so, I might need to tweak my game plan.
DeleteI'm only shooting for 23,000 words this weekend. A girl's got to play, too.
DeleteSince I am a big proponent of play, I will take the other 7,000 off your hands.
ReplyDeleteI love books that have unexpectedly elements. I read a book, loved it, checked out the reviews on Goodreads, and realised the things I loved about the book where the things everyone else hated!
ReplyDeletePredictable storytelling will eventually lead to the same story being told over and over - ooh, I should be a little less pessimistic!
"realised the things I loved about the book where the things everyone else hated!"
DeleteBeen there. This is one reason I don't put too much stock in the overall star ratings, especially for fiction (and genres that SF that can range so widely).
"I should be a little less pessimistic!"
I think we'll still find ways to find what interests us. Or at least I hope we will!
I neither read nor write straight genre/formula fiction (or watch formula films). I want my reading material to transport and delight, to confound and terrify. In short, I want X-traordinary () - it doesn't have to shout, it doesn't have to be alien and "other," it just has to get me outside the confines of the ordinary
ReplyDelete"I want my reading material to transport and delight, to confound and terrify."
ReplyDeleteAll noble goals!