In this episode Laura and Beth return to the question “What makes a book a page turner?” We discuss what keeps us reading a book and what makes us feel connected with the characters in the story. We talk generally about a lot of different books in this episode, for reference and example, but we also tried not to give away any spoilers so that everyone can enjoy the episode even if you haven’t read the book.

We also announce our book club book for January, or rather, the series we’ll be discussing in detail for one episode in January. If you want to read along with us and be able to follow our conversation more thoroughly, pick up a copy of Red Queen (which is the first book in the Red Queen series). We’ll probably release that conversation late January so you have about a month to read if you want to have read it before listening :)

We hope you enjoy this weeks conversation about page turners, and that you find it helpful in your own writing (or reading) journey as well.

Into the woods,
Fable & The Verbivore

Notes:

For science nerds like the Verbivore, here are some resources of the Harry Potter and Empathy study:

Harry Potter and the Elixir of Empathy

The greatest magic of Harry Potter: Reducing prejudice

When the Verbivore mentions Belle, she is specifically referencing Disney’s animated film Beauty and the Beast.

The Verbivore mentioned a Harry Potter book where she wanted to throw all the characters into time out, that was Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Although, she secretly loves this book.

The Verbivore said that some of the Red Queen characters felt chaotic neutral. Here is a definition:

A chaotic neutral character is an individualist who follows their own heart and generally shirks rules and traditions. Although chaotic neutral characters promote the ideals of freedom, it is their own freedom that comes first; good and evil come second to their need to be free.

Books mentioned:

Farm Girl By Corinne Cunningham

Thursday Next Series: The Eyre Affair, Lost in a Good Book, and The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Harry Potter Series: Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K Rowling

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Caraval Series: Caraval, Legendary, and Finale by Stephanie Garber

Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold by C. S. Lewis

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Light Filters In: Poems by Caroline Kaufman

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
’Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)