Week 2: Appeal Factors

How do you choose your next book to read? How do you help someone else choose their next book? You use appeal factors, which encompass several different components of a book to draw people in and also keeps them coming back for more. Appeal factors, as discussed by Neal Wyatt, include- Pacing, Characterization, Story Line, Language, Setting, Detail, Tone, and Learning/Experiencing-and he suggests that discovering what you want to read next will revolve around these factors. I often pick a book based on suggestions from someone or because I have heard at some point that it is a "must read." But, the appeal factors lead me to deciding if I'm actually going to read it or not. Here are some books I enjoyed that I describe using appeal factors:

1-In the early 19th century, a young woman struggles with the ideals of the society she lives in while simultaneously falling in love. Elizabeth Bennet is a strong-minded woman who knows what she wants for herself, in a time period where women are often told what they want. Fitzwilliam Darcy is a prideful man, who believes the rules of society should be followed... until he meets Elizabeth.  Discover the epitome of timeless romance in Jane Austen's classic novel, Pride and Prejudice.

2-Do you like Dinosaurs? What would it be like if they still roamed the earth today? Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton is an action packed science fiction novel that shows exactly what could happen if dinosaurs were still roaming the earth. Follow the characters through the park as they experience the wonder and terror of seeing real, living dinosaurs.

3-Desperate Passage by Ethan Rarick is a story about a group of people in the mid-1800's that left everything behind to begin again in the western frontier. This telling of the Donner Party's story leads with a sense of adventure into a tragic, yet hopeful journey over the vast expanse of a widely unknown territory.