What Makes A Great Book?

There is something wonderfully comforting and relaxing about curling up with a good book. Reading is reminiscent of childhood, when many an hour was spent reading a book you just couldn’t put down by torchlight unbeknown to your parents! Fairy tales, adventure stories and fantasy, all genres were indulged. This was way before technology became a “thing”, unfortunately today’s children are more likely to be found on their playstation rather than with their nose stuck in a book. As adults the Kindle is starting to become more popular than the traditional paper book and we are often more likely to check out our social media platforms than read.


Perhaps it’s time to rediscover the joy in reading a really good book. There are so many novels around which are sure to suit all tastes. Reading is fantastic for keeping your mind active and actually allows valuable screen free time. AJ Hoge from Effortless English gives guidance on speaking confident English, reading books will help with English in the written form too.

So what actually makes a good book?

A good book talks to all five senses
A well written novel makes you feel as though you are actually in the story. To do this good books appeal and cater for all five senses. When a scene or situation is described or “shown” to the reader, they can imagine what sounds are heard, what they can taste, see, smell and feel. If all senses are stimulated the more immersive the reading experience. Good books conjure up images and experiences. Moving on from the traditional five senses a good novel will also show how a character is feeling emotionally too, this encourages an empathetic response with the character or the opposite depending on the circumstance.   

Strong characters
A strong character doesn’t relate to the physical or psychological strength of a character it is what makes a character “real”. A strong character will be known inside and out by the reader, cliches will be avoided and the character will form an emotional attachment with the reader as they get to know them more and more as the story progresses. Strong characters will avoid the cliche of being the “goody” or “baddy”, it’s much more complex than that. Warts and all of the characters will be shown to the reader. The reader will actually care about a character in a well written book and they will be compelled to read on to discover the conclusion.

A great theme
A good book will have a theme that either teaches the reader something new by taking them on a journey of discovery or it may be a theme that relates personally with the reader. A good theme will ensure pages get turned.

Unpredictability
Noone wants to read a book which is predictable and boring. Books with an element of surprise are very much sought after. A twist in the tale which cannot be predicted is sure to be a popular book and is often the reason why dramas are popular.


A good book takes you on a journey, you begin to relate with the characters and you care about what happens to them in the end. Read some reviews of great books and choose according to preference.

*collaborative post*