Books That Make You Forget You’re A Writer

One of the sometimes unfortunate side effects of being a writer is that you wind up analyzing everything you read.  How did she do this?  What would make this more effective?  What are the major plot points?  I can’t believe they left this passive voice in.

It’s incredibly distracting and often detracts from one’s enjoyment of books.

But every once in a while, you come across a book that makes you forget you’re a writer.  That is so well written, with such engaging characters and amazing worldbuilding that you’re totally sucked in and just READ because you have to know what happens!  This is a glorious thing indeed.

So I felt compelled to write up a quick list of the ones I’ve read over the last few years that made me forget I was a writer.

This was one of those books that I wanted to both devour and savor all at once.  Gorgeous, vibrant language and compelling characters.  Ugh, it just…worked for me.

This one I read while I was home with hubby after he broke his leg.  I distinctly remember it was the first book I’d read in YEARS that made me just totally want to ignore the world to FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED.  I tore through the first two and BEGGED my mother in law to go pick up the third one for me (as I couldn’t leave the house at the time).  So much awesome.

This was my first foray into steampunk and I LOVED IT.  Incredibly rich worldbuilding and a really kick ass heroine.  Full of win.

What books have you read that made you forget you were a writer?

11 thoughts on “Books That Make You Forget You’re A Writer

  1. DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE was totally one of those books for me, too. Also, Kristin Cashore’s novels and Anne Ursu’s BREADCRUMBS. These are the books that keep us writing even during the tough times, yes?

  2. I would tell you one of the books that made me feel this way, but I would sound like a suck up. LOL

    Seriously, unless a book is really badly written or has multiple errors, I turn off the writer the best I can and try to just be a reader. Because I just want to be entertained, darn it!

    I will eventually get around to reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone because I’ve heard you talk about it several times.

  3. Totally agree with The Mortal Instruments books (and the other series she’s writing). My favorite from this past year that made me forget I was a writer was Across the Universe (and it’s sequel A Million Suns, which might even be better than the first) by Beth Revis. Amazing books! The plot twists are insane and beautifully done.

  4. Dare I admit that I don’t have this problem? I don’t know how, but I’m always just a reader/viewer the first time. This actually was a curse in film school as I would have to watch any film we had to analyze twice, if not three times, to form any educated opinion or response. The last book that made me completely crazy was GRACELING by Kristin Cashore. Even in the slowest part of the book, I didn’t care. I just NEEDED to know what happened next.

  5. In terms of Indie Authors, Tarranau by James Tallett and A 30 Something Girl by LM Stull were two books that just grabbed me and took me away from the writing world. For traditionally published authors, I would say that Dracula – which I am now reading (again) is one that just draws me in, but kind of because I am fascinated by the story but also by the way it is constructed.

    Does that Count (forgive the upper case, it was an play on words I couldn’t pass up), a book that makes me think about being a writer so much I kind of go full circle and want to read more and more just to find out how it was done?

  6. Loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Lost a night of sleep because I couldn’t put it down, but so worth it.

    Song of Scarabaeus by Sara Creasy – fantastic read, as is the second book Children of Scarabeus.

    Without Tess by Marcella Pixley

  7. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is currently on my TBR list and in my Kindle, but I’ve had other books on my mind. But I do know what you mean! I wouldn’t say books like that make me forget I’m a writer, but they DO make me hardcore appreciate the author who penned them. When I was reading Red, I kept admiring the perfect timing and the way it was laid out. When I read Blood Red Road, I loved how HUMAN Saba was and thought she was such a well-drawn character. When I read Lips Touch: Three Times, I could not stop LOVING the prose.

    So for me, there are good books, and then there are books that make me want to be a better writer. 🙂

  8. Well, there’s always Stephen King and Neil Gaiman and Tolkien and Diana Gabaldon. The books that make me forget I’m a writer always and at the same time fill me with the bubbling fizzing joy of wanting to get out there and WRITE! 🙂

  9. I’m *this close* to finishing Daughter of Smoke and Bone right now. And I loved the first and third Mortal Instruments books (not so much on two and four, for some reason). One of my all time favorite books is Kushiel’s Dart by Jacquline Carey. Talk about building a world!

    Oddly enough, I’ve also found that books that make me forget I’m a writer make me strive that much harder to become a better writer.

  10. Due to this post, I was at the library today to return 1 book. I left with 4, including GRACELING. I can usually separate myself while reading, but sometimes the writer in me sneaks in.

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