More Questions From Karen Ball

Today Karen asked her readers the following: "First, I want to know who you think today's Christian fiction reader is? Why do you think s/he reads fiction? What are you hearing from the readers around you about the books they're reading? And, if you care to share, what novel have you read lately that lived up to your expectations?" Go here for the article and all the comments. Here was my reply. Would love to hear your thoughts!

Boy, some tough questions. To be honest, I don't know very many "readers." A lot of my friends are too busy and tired at the end of the day and would rather be entertained by the TV for an hour than pick up a book. (I do this too!) Sadly, the true book lovers have shrunk in the middle and younger generations, I think, giving way to other types of media. But there are still a lot of books being sold every year, so readers must be out there. As to what they want? I guess we could look at bestseller lists? I don't really have a clue.

My favorite fiction in this last year was The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

It's written in a free form prose that reminds me more of a very long poem. McCarthy breaks the rules but the result is so compelling, gripping, hauntingly beautiful that I had to put it down at times to emotionally recoup so that I wasn't walking around the house like a shell-shocked zombie. It truly plunged me into another world.

Whether light and funny or dark and dangerous, I want to get lost in the story and fall in love with the characters. That's what I look for in fiction.