I’ve been giving this question a great deal of thought lately. Some books we enjoy, put down and forget about. We can’t remember the title or the author a month later, just that it had something to do with a ranch, and a cattle drive, and whatever, but it was good, wasn’t it? But it doesn’t stay with us.
Other books are great. We can more or less sum up the plot if someone asks us, but they don’t make us glow inside. You know that feeling — all your insides light up with awe and wonder and that ephemeral gooey sensation where you just want to hug the shit out of the book, then squee about it on your blog, and send ten emails to your friends about it, and then never, ever part with that book. In fact, that’s one of the things we’d grab if the house caught fire, along with our husbands, kids and pets, that dog-eared paperback. We call those keepers, right?
But what makes a keeper? When I start thinking about all the books that have made it on that list for me, I have a hard time identifying the single unifying trait. Because I’ve loved some very different books. Here’s my top ten list (in no particular order).
Archangel by Sharon Shinn
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Seize the Fire by Laura Kinsale
Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie
Once in Every Life by Kristin Hannah
Son of the Morning by Linda Howard
Autumn Rain by Anita Mills
Once in a Blue Moon by Penelope Williamson
All Through the Night by Conne Brockway
Bliss by Judy Cuevas
When I look back over this list, I cannot find a lot in common, except the writers charmed and captivated me, and somehow clutched my heart in their fists. They made me feel. So what, then, makes a keeper for you? What qualities engrave it in your memory so you can rave about it ten years later (as it’s been that long since I read some of these titles)?
Maybe we can sort out an answer together. Next week, I’ll pick a random commenter, who will then be able to pick a book from my top ten list and I’ll send it via Amazon. If you haven’t read all these titles, you’re really missing out.
September 9th, 2007 at 9:20 am
nice list of keepers there.. as for what i keep? well if i bought it or won it..i keep it.. i have yet to ever part with a book.. Jolene
September 9th, 2007 at 11:42 am
I have three of those books in my keeper collection. There’s quite a few I haven’t read. I starting keeping a database years ago and I’ve read over 1000 romance books. Out of that, I’ve only keep about 75. I’m not sure what is similar. I tend to keep books where the dialog between the main characters is really good and there is some type of tension. Whether it be sexual or suspense.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
While I have read a lot of books over the years, only a limited number have made it into my personal library. These books all have some uniqueness to them whether it be a character, a scene or an exchange between two people that totally activated my imagination and kept me turning the pages to know more. While these stories vary in type they all captured my attention by that one indefinable moment when something I wasn’t expecting happened and I was totally capivated from then on.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Sorry to say I haven’t read any of your pick. I too keep all my books (1,000’s) but most definitely I have my favorites - usually it’s a favorite author and I collect as many as I can. I probably have at least a dozen authors with at least that many or more of their books. I like variety so it’s quite a varied collection (over 40 years worth).
September 9th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
The books that madeit to my keeper shelf are the Skye O’Malley books by Bertrice Small.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
My keepers books are the ones that I have autographed. Since my TBR pile is quite large all the other ones after I read them go to people who I know will enjoy them or I donate them to my local library.
September 9th, 2007 at 4:20 pm
Which three are on your list too, Kim? My autographed books are pretty special to me too.
September 9th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
These three are in my keeper collection:
Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie
Son of the Morning by Linda Howard
Once in a Blue Moon by Penelope Williamson
I also wonder if it doesn’t have a lot to do with your mood when your reading. I know when I have a lot going on in life, like when a family member is ill, I don’t enjoy books near as much. Maybe something I read would have been a keeper had outside influences not gotten in the way.
September 9th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
A keeper is a book that you want to go back and read again. The reasons can be varied but something about the book tugs at you and won’t let you go. My top three favorites in romance are:
MacKenzies Mountain by Linda Howard
Born In Shame by Nora Roberts
Loving Lies by Lora Leigh
September 9th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
I have to agree with Bev. Those are pretty much my reasons. A couple of my keepers are: The Secret by Julie Garwood & This Heart of Mine by Susan E. Phillips.
September 11th, 2007 at 9:57 am
I think for me, it’s about the time in my life and how much a book resonates with me for a whole host of reasons. My keepers aren’t always the best written books or the most unique ones either, but those that roped me in and made me react in some sense.
Naked In Death - for instance because it was part of my blooming love affair with romances with a twist and also the beginning of Roarke and Eve - the button, oh my god that button!
Welcome To Temptation - becuase it makes me remember that romance can be so many interesting things. It can have flawed characters who do stupid things, it can make you laugh and make you cry and it can be written so well it appears to be effortless. But now, reading it as a writer, I KNOW how much work went into it and I only love it more for that.
There are more of course - I’m sentimental about my reading. Make me feel something, make me ask questions or laugh or cry and make it work and I’ll connect with th ematerial.
September 11th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
My keeper shelf is now a keeper bookcase. Anything that has been personalized to me goes there.
September 12th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
The first two on your list are keepers for me, too! But I am a terrible hoarder of books (though, fortunately, that’s because I’m a terrific re-reader), so a better question is what makes me give a book away? Nearly always it’s because I didn’t like it, though in extremely rare cases, it’s because I enjoyed reading the book once, but won’t get much out of it the second time. The books I like have such appealing characters or such a gorgeous style of writing that I can enjoy them whether the plot is new to me or I’ve read it six times. An example is Tam Lin by Pamela Dean.
September 12th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
You know, I’ve heard great things about Tam Lin, but never read it. I take it you recommend it, Kimberly B?
September 13th, 2007 at 6:39 am
What make a book a keeper for me is when I am hooked from page one and can’t wait to turn the page to see what is going to happen next and I never want the story to end. The book engages me emotionally and I want to read it again.
September 13th, 2007 at 6:42 am
A keeper to me would be a book that I will re-read. I have several in my collection and I tend to re-read them often. I like to read for the story and for the “Calgon take me away” effect.
If a book can suck me into the story and make me want to come back for more, I will probably keep the book.
Evey year I sit before my shelves and sort through the books to go for donation. I will look at the book and if it wants to be read again, then it’s a keeper.
September 13th, 2007 at 7:51 am
one of my favorite books… ever… is To Love and to Cherish by Patricia Gaffney.
(that’s the one with the preacher, right?)
September 13th, 2007 at 8:01 am
There are several reasons to have keeper books for me, autographed by the author, I personally know the author, I want to read it again, I want to keep it to share with family & friends.
September 13th, 2007 at 8:05 am
I never give away signed books either. I don’t have very many, so I cherish the ones I do have.
September 13th, 2007 at 8:46 am
I try to be very selective in buying books because I hate to get rid of them later but if it is very bad I will get rid of it. I have some favorite authors that I just will not get rid of their books. If I have an autographed book I would never get rid of that one either.
September 13th, 2007 at 8:54 am
Good points, Larena.
Yep, Dee, I just looked it up. That’s the one with Anne and Christy. I loved that one too.
September 13th, 2007 at 8:54 am
Some of those are my fave books too. I used to keep all of my books but I started running out of places to put them. I guess the ones that I keep are the books that I go back and read again and again. I have quite a collection of Linda Howard and Jennifer Crusie. Once I find a fave author, I try to find all of their books to read. Those are two of my favorite authors.
September 13th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
My husband and I suffer from ‘keep every one of our thousands of books’ disorder. Generally the only thing that makes me get rid of one is if it’s falling apart. The most memorable of my books goes onto a keeper bookshelf. Soon, though, we’ll need a keeper house for the books and one for us to live in…
September 14th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
I have Seize the Fire by Laura Kinsale as a keeper. I have others of hers that I keep, but that’s the one I keep re-reading. And who doesn’t have a keeper shelf of Linda Howard’s books. Also on my keeper shelves are Emma Holly, Susan Johnson, Linda Lael Miller and many more.
September 14th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
Hehe, Julia, I wish I had that problem.
Wasn’t that an amazing book, Sue? I loved Sheridan so much.
September 15th, 2007 at 10:32 am
I want to have that “ahhh” feeling/expression after reading the book. So few writers can truly write these days and very very few can actually make their stories “indelible in the reader’s memory”. If a writer can do that, she/he’s my auto buy author.
September 15th, 2007 at 11:07 am
I want to be entranced, to be captivated and to be inspired. Usually, I get those from reading romantic books and some paranormals.
September 15th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Indelible in my memory. That’s a lovely word, anicz.
I like all the descriptions you guys have come up with, very comprehensive.