What I Love About...

I am a picky reader, but still, there are so many books and authors I love. I don't usually like to post book reviews, so I'm not going to. But someone suggested I do it, so here's my compromise. I figure I can tell you some things I really admire in some stories, some of the things that really draw me in.

I just finished a Charles Martin book, so I'm going to start with him and Dean Koontz. Kind of an odd combination, maybe. Martin writes mostly for CBA (Christian fiction), Koontz for ABA (general market). Martin is more literary or general fiction--kind of a Nicholas Sparks type (but better, in my opinion), and Koontz is usually a crazy combination of sci-fi and suspense and humor who knows what else. But they have something in common that makes me keep coming back for more: heroes who love their wives more than life itself.

I love that.

The hero is usually humble--never quite sure what the woman he adores sees in him, but loving her all the more for it. He stands in awe of her spirit and does whatever he can to protect her and make her dreams come true. And he has a sense of humor.

The wife is usually sassy but kind. She's fun-loving, but sees the needs around her and has a heart of compassion. She knows her man. She tries to make him see what she sees inside of him. And she makes him a better person.

It's such a winning combination. The romance is not gone in these marriages, that's for sure.

And I think it points to something else. When someone sits down and writes a book, even if it's fiction, it's filled with the experiences of the author. Their heart bleeds on those pages. With that in mind, these characters that appear in book after book do not become cliche. It makes them more special, because it makes me think Koontz and Martin are writing about their own marriages, their own experiences, their undying love for their own wives. And that, in my opinion, makes their books grab your heart even more.