Sunday, August 30, 2009

Poll Results Are In!

This time I asked what was the most memorable about your favorite books. I want to thank all 109 of you who took the time to vote-- I really appreciate it!

Some of the possible answers didn't fire anyone's imaginations, and I don't blame them, but I'd like to concentrate on the answers which did receive votes.

--One person voted that the most memorable thing about his/her favorite book(s) was the first line. One thing I loved to do (pre-computer) was have First Line Contests with a fellow reader. They were so much fun! The right first line can set the proper tone for an entire book. One of my personal favorites, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens has-- in my personal opinion-- the best first and last line of any book ever written.

--20 people (18%) said that the most memorable thing about their favorite book(s) was the main character. I have a feeling that Stieg Larsson's Lizbeth Salander will join the ranks of my all-time favorite fictional characters. Characters can make or break a book, and they can even haunt you throughout the years.

--22 people (20%) voted for the story being the most memorable thing in their favorite book(s). The plot can indeed be a haunting factor in how a book is remembered.

--27 people (24%) said that it was impossible for them to choose just one thing about their favorite books. I can certainly understand that. Sometimes the whole package is what sweeps you off your feet!

--39 people (35%) said that the most memorable thing about their favorite book(s) was the way the book(s) made them feel. I have to admit that this is how I voted. Whether a book completely turns my thinking upside down, whether it's so funny that the people who walk past me think I should be locked away, whether I'm washed away on a sea of tears...it is emotion that I remember most about my favorite books. I surprised myself with my answer, since I am a self-proclaimed character-driven reader!

What do you think of the poll results?

8 comments:

  1. I was one of the 39 too. I nearly choose a different answer, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that most of my impressions of book I read years ago were based in how they made me feel. I may not be able to name the main character or give you a detailed summary of the story, but I can tell you how I felt about the book. Of course, there are certain books that do stand out because of character, story, first line or a mixture. It can depend. But the feeling is what hits me first.

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  2. For me it is definitely how the book makes my feel. I'm very introspective. The poll was excellent and the results were pretty mixed.

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  3. I think about the emotions I feel reading the book & what it does to be. If it makes me feel something beyond the surface it is special.

    I am a mood reader & feelings mean so much to me!

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  4. I love your polls and the thoughtful way in which you sum up the answers. I can't remember what I voted; it was either main character, story, or the way I feel. I remember having a hard time choosing!

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  5. interesting results, I voted for emotion too.

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  6. I'm one of the 39, too. It was a very close tie between emotion and character for me. I've just finished a wonderful YA, Crossing the Line by Di Bates, and the character got under my skin so much I wanted to adopt her. The books of my youth, LM Montgomery, Betty MacDonald, Gene Stratton Porter...it was all about the feeling, being able to live vicariously through the lives of my heroines, feel their love, anxiety, sadness. And books like Gerald Durrell's, Bill Bryson's, PG Wodehouse's - they always lift my spirits and make me see the funny side long after I've read them.

    Isn't it just so wonderful to be a reader!

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  7. That's a lot of votes! I think I voted for main character, but the way it makes me feel was a close second.

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  8. Wendy-- The emotions tend to stay with me much longer than characters or story lines...although all of it contributes to the emotion.

    Diane-- I'm introspective as well, so I wonder if that's an indication of why the voting went the way it did?

    BResort--I'm a mood reader, too, which is another reason why I have to be careful of the number of ARCs I accept!

    Beth-- I had to ponder for a while myself.

    Susan-- Yes, it is wonderful to be a reader...and you've just left yet another wonderful comment on my blog. Thank you!

    Stacy-- I came very very close to voting for character, too!

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Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!