Plot and writing style.

^^Definitely. Besides that, quick and solid character development. One of my favorte novleettes is Steinbeck’s Cannery Row. is in the first few pages when Steinbeck introduces Lee Chong, the proprietor of “Lee Chong’s Heavenly Flower Grocery”. In one page, in about 350 words, you know this guy even if you’ve never met a Chinese grocer in your entire life. Steinbeck was great at that.

ELmore Leonard, a former Detroit cop, in his novel Freaky Deaky does the exact same thing par excellence. Few of us have ever met two detectives before. In two pages he lets you into their heads while they’re at the scene where a big city drug dealer is trapped in his favorite barca lounger with a billion tons of dynomite hidden underneath and a pressure device that will trigger it all if the guy stands up. The two cops are standing out on dealer’s front lawn talking about how demanding the women in their lives are while waiting for the bomb squad. It is both hillarious and revealing. You know these guys. You went to school with them. You work with them. There’s a bunch of ‘em down at the gym.

I guess it would have to be Pride and Prejudice if I count the number of times I’ve read it. As for what attracts me to it, it is the wit and precision of the writing, the superbly drawn characters and, of course, the satisfactory resolution – in other words, a happy ending.

I like feeling welcome. It isn’t just adjectives which make a story come to life. I like to feel like the author wants me there. Some stories are told like fairy tales, with names and details, but no personality.
A book is good for me when the author shares secrets, tells me what a character is thinking.
Instead if saying, “A storm was brewing and she worried about her horses”, something like, “A storm was building, and she knew the horses were afraid. She heard a whiny nicker she knew belonged to Daisy. The poor girl frightens so easily.”
So, pretty much what was said already.
I guess also I prefer books with female characters who know what they are doing. From The Earth Children series starring Ayla, to Kathy Reich’s books about forensic anthropologist Temperence Brennan.
These women have their struggles, but they own themselves, and they march from this day to the next and become more.
To cleanse my palate I like to read something silly which doesn’t require any deduction or emotional response from me, like Hit Or Myth.

@Patty_Melt You should try Anthony Trollope some time. He says things like, “Don’t worry reader – she’s not going to marry Mr Slope.” It’s so much fun!

Watership Down. It’s a great story.

^^Love that story.

@janbb, I will!

I don’t have a favorite book, but books that resonate with me do so for different reasons. Most often it’s the writing style. I am particular about writing style, and like most things, I don’t necessarily like what is popular. I read mostly non-fiction, so aside from writing style, I like to read about fascinating subjects. As for fiction, I prefer books that have minimal dialogue (again, something I’ve heard is not preferred by most readers). One reason that 1984 is damn high on my list of books is because there is scarcely any dialogue. I love highly detailed descriptions of characters, places, sensations and experiences. I don’t like to read conversations or feel like I’m reading a movie script, which is how I feel about most novels that I pick up. Tropes and stereotypes and overused adjectives ruin a book for me. If your protagonist meets a female character and you have to tell me about her breasts or her lithe anything, I’m putting that shit down and never reading it again.

@Patty_Melt Try “Barchester Towers” – that’s his most fun.

@Patty_Melt Jan recommended Barchester Towers to me almost two years ago. I’d never read much of 19th century English lit. Trollope turned out to be a really pleasant surprise and I thank Jan for the recommendation.

Here is almost everything he ever published in varous formats for free from Project Gutenberg. Barchester Towers and Trollope’s alternate version are the 4th and 5th on the list. Just click the title of your choice, then select your format and download or read it oneline in HTML format.

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh. First and foremost I love that he writes like he speaks, I find the Scottish accents and slangs extremely fun to read. Begbie’s narratives are the funnest ones, followed by Spud’s.
Second the book is so crude, nothing barred, you can really believe it’s someone’s dark and disturbing life. It shocks, offends and disturbs on a level that just screams reality, even if you’ve never taken hard drugs before. I must have read this book at least 15 times.

I also own Porno, the sequel, unfortunately it is nowhere near as good as Trainspotting. Too conventionally written.