# Page Turners



## Violanthe (Jun 27, 2006)

We've all read them. The books that keep us up late at night, that make us talk ourselves into another chapter despite dirty dishes or morning meetings. What do we love so much about them? Is there a downside? Do authors sacrifice anything in creating such fast moving plots?


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## Firawyn (Jun 27, 2006)

He,he, I've been there. 

My latest case was a book called 'Empress of the World' Anyone heard of it?


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## e.Blackstar (Jun 27, 2006)

A Song of Ice and Fire, all the way.


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## Lindir (Jun 28, 2006)

e.Blackstar said:


> A Song of Ice and Fire, all the way.


Agreed.

The only downside as far as I perceive is of course that the books tend to end too soon. And then you have to wait for years to continue the story (Martin, Jordan, Jones (is she even still alive), Rowlings etc)
I don't think that all pageturners have fast moving plots, the reasons why one would chose not to put down a book is very individual. I have for instance read The Wheel of Times now for some years, and even though I usually read them in one go (except for Crossroads of Twilight, a title surely referring to the drowsy state of the average reader) no one can accuse the series of having fast moving plot.


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## Ithrynluin (Jun 28, 2006)

Pretty much anything by Dean Koontz.


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## Persephone (Jun 28, 2006)

In the country of the young by Lisa Carey. So eerie.


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## Firawyn (Jun 29, 2006)

e.Blackstar said:


> A Song of Ice and Fire, all the way.




lol, Yeah, I went through those as well. Dear god I hope Cerci dies sometime soon. (I'm halfway through A Feast for Crows)


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## Niirewen (Jun 29, 2006)

The characters are usually what make me love a book. If a novel has interesting characters that I can really admire or connect with, I will not want to put the book down. Of course the downside to page-turners is that I never want the story to end, as Lindir already mentioned. Waiting for the next book to be written (if there is a next book) is always hard, but it is something to look forward to. I don't have a problem with fast-moving plots (they keep things interesting) as long as the characters, etc are developed enough.


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## HLGStrider (Jun 29, 2006)

Kate DiCamillo got me on _The Tale of Desperaux_ and _The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. _That second one made me cry! Fortunately, or unfortunately, her books aren't that long so I managed to get decent sleep.

I tried to do this with the Princess Bride but I was younger then and my mom came up the stairs at 3am and scolded the lights out. 

More commonly if a book is really good I will read a chapter and become overwhelmed with something and have to put it down to think about something or other in it and then read a bit more and then down, so for me a "page turner" is more of an up down, start stop experience. _Cancer Ward_ was like this. So was _The Brother's Karamazov. _


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## Rhiannon (Jul 3, 2006)

Some authors (especially mainstream authors) definitely sacrifice characters to push a plot along, and while I might occaisonally read one of their books and blaze through it, it won't stick with me. 

There have been plenty of other books that were completely solid, incredible books that just sucked me in, though. 

_The Deed of Paksenarrion_ by Elizabeth Moon--it took me six months to read it the first time, but I was nine years old and it's 1025 pages of small print. I've re-read it five times since then, and every time I get completely absorbed. 

_Lirael_ by Garth Nix. I absolutely loved _Sabriel_, but it was months before I could get my hands on _Lirael_--I bought it just before my family left Japan to move back to the states, and read it in two sittings while we were living in the TLFs. 

_Possession_ by A.S. Byatt--I heard a lot of general references to how wonderful this book is, so I picked up a copy and read it in one sitting (it's no small book, either). It's a dense and complicated read, but I was completely hooked and I just couldn't stop until all of the intertwined plots were resolved. 

_Neverwhere_ and _American Gods_ by Neil Gaiman. I'm not sure if _Neverwhere_ is the first Gaiman I read, but it's definitely one of my favorites and I know that I read it in only one or two sittings. _American Gods_ took much longer to read (both times I read it), but while I was reading it I was completely absorbed and couldn't put it down (this included during class--by then I had strategically changed desks so that I could draw, though, so reading under the desk was no big challenge). 

_Howl's Moving Castle_ by Diana Wynne Jones--there's just no summarizing how much I love this book. I loved it the first time, and during the very difficult spring semester I found myself re-reading it twice when I was home for the weekend. 

Those are just a few that stand out in my memory, but I have spent many many nights reading in bed until the sun was up and my eyes were red and gritty, but I felt sated.


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## Varokhâr (Jul 3, 2006)

Lindir said:


> I have for instance read The Wheel of Times now for some years, and even though I usually read them in one go (except for Crossroads of Twilight, a title surely referring to the drowsy state of the average reader) no one can accuse the series of having fast moving plot.



Yes - the _Wheel of Time_ were the last fiction page-turners I've read. The plot can plod along, but it's very involving. I may finally pick up Book Four again after reading this 

The last page-turner I read was _The Odin Brotherhood_ by Mark Mirabello, supposedly a transcript of an interview with members of a secret Odinist society. Very short book, but quite fascinating


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## Firawyn (Jul 4, 2006)

Rhiannon said:


> _Lirael_ by Garth Nix. I absolutely loved _Sabriel_, but it was months before I could get my hands on _Lirael_--I bought it just before my family left Japan to move back to the states, and read it in two sittings while we were living in the TLFs.




Well that covers Leriel...What about Abhorsan, Rhi? You know I had read Sabriel and then two years later I discovered Lirael in a bookstore...read through that, got towards the end and was thinking 'this really needs to wrap up somehow'...and then I got the last page and saw ''to be continued in Abhorsan" I freaking screamed and threw the book on the floor. LOL. Next day I went BACK to the bookstore and found it.


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## Rhiannon (Jul 4, 2006)

Firawyn said:


> Well that covers Leriel...What about Abhorsan, Rhi? You know I had read Sabriel and then two years later I discovered Lirael in a bookstore...read through that, got towards the end and was thinking 'this really needs to wrap up somehow'...and then I got the last page and saw ''to be continued in Abhorsan" I freaking screamed and threw the book on the floor. LOL. Next day I went BACK to the bookstore and found it.


 
I loved Abhorsen as well, but not quite as much as the first two (and Sabriel is still my favorite--I re-read it pretty often, but I've only read Lirael twice).


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## Violanthe (Jul 6, 2006)

I agree with Song of Ice and Fire, but it took me awhile to get into it, and I admit to skimming the chapters of characters I don't like as well.


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