(I found this meme through a Google search but I don't know where it originated. If you do, let me know so I can credit it)
Happy New Year!! Yes, I know we still have a few days of 2017 left but I'm ready to put it to bed and start over and there's no time like the present, right?
I don't know about you but I always make at least one if not more New Years' resolutions and I am very good at keeping them. I try to make them small and easily kept because there's nothing worse than getting to the end of the year (or January) and feeling like a total failure.
This year, one of my resolutions is expansion. A broad, very vague term but let me explain. I want to expand my literary horizons to include more than just mysteries. They will always be my passion but maybe it's time to include other things. I also want to expand this blog to include more than just reviews. While I have no problem reading a book in a few hours or so, I don't always have the time to do that every week - much less multiple times a week so expanding the blog to include other topics is a good way to add important content and hopefully get some good discussions going. There are a few other things as well but I think those two are a good start.
Let's get this new expansion thing going by talking about Characters. I thought this was the perfect first topic of the new year because I read so many books in 2017 that had characters that drove me crazy - some to the point of not even being able to finish the book! There have been very, very few books in my entire life that I couldn't finish, even if I didn't really care for it but 2017 seemed to be the year of the annoying character. For example, there was one book that had such an interesting premise but the main character was so unlikable, I couldn't even get 1/3 of the way through the book! It almost felt like the author was purposely putting her in situations that brought out the worst in her and there was just no redeeming quality in her AT ALL!! It's the first time in my life that I loathed a character to the extent that I wanted to write the author and ask WTF?? I get that characters are supposed to have flaws and be someone the reader can relate to but if I knew her in real life, I would definitely not be her friend.
Characters obviously make or break a book and I want to feel like I'm their best friend and going through whatever situation they are in with them and I want them to triumph. I don't want to feel like the murderer should take out the MC because they are so annoying. There were at least half a dozen like that in 2017 and I hope it wasn't a trend. In my opinion and experience, the main characters in murder mysteries are usually not that bad. I may not always fall in love with them but I can usually get on board with them and their quest - especially if the story is really good. That's another reason why I have decided to expand my horizons and delve into some other genres. I haven't decided which ones yet so if you have any suggestions, let me know.
I hope you like the new format and be sure to let me know what you think about the importance of liking the characters in books.
