Other Books Well Worth Reading--the B's

    I have already given you a list of my favorite books and series, which earned A's from me; but there are many other books that I enjoyed as well, just not thoroughly enough to have earned an A.  This is what I am calling my "B list".  I have narrowed down the elements in a book that I must have to some degree in order for it to be an "A":  real characters (i.e. they feel alive, and I come to care about what happens to them), engaging plot (otherwise known as a "page-turner"), and love story (the 2 characters that you want to be together, do fall in love and end up together).  Obviously if the writing quality is poor, your chances are slim that all 3 of these elements will be there, so I don't count that as a separate essential element.

   That brings up a sore spot for me though...I read a comment about Twilight when I was in the thick of my obsession, that Stephen King had said Stephenie Meyer wasn't a great writer.  I took issue with this at the time, my argument being: "If a writer writes a book that countless people can't get enough of, doesn't that make them a good writer?"  I'm not sure, as I know some people who agree with him, and some who don't.  I'm not by any means a literature snob, and frankly don't really enjoy most classics I've tried to read (sorry you die-hards)!).  If I can't put a book down, to me, that's a fantastic book.  Perhaps the author's skill is not up there with the masters in some respects, but they have a certain, undefinable magic about their writing if they can pull that off.  And that's all I have to say about that. :)

    So in light of my grading system, if I have given a book a B, it most likely falls short in one of the essential elements I listed.  Perhaps it had a slow section that I felt I had to push through (e.g. The Host), or just didn't have a love story that got enough attention (like Harry Potter or Blink); maybe I just didn't enjoy the way the story went or the overall feeling I was left with (as in Breaking Dawn or Mockingjay, listed on my A list because the others in those series were A's).   Without further ado, here is my list of B grade novels:


Harry Potter Series, by J.K. Rowling-B+
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak-B+
Girl of Fire and Thorns, by Rae Carson-B-
A Walk to Remember, by Nicolas Sparks-B
Agenda 21, by Glenn Beck-B+
Blink of an Eye, by Ted Dekker-B+
The Last Sin Eater, by Francine Rivers-B+
Graceling, by Kristin Cashore-B+
Song of Albion Trilogy, by Stephen Lawhead-B
A Tailor-Made Bride and To Win Her Heart, by Karen Witemeyer-B
The Giver, by Lois Lowry-B+
The Raven Cycle, by Maggie Stiefvater-B+ (so far!!!)
Shiver Trilogy, by Maggie Stiefvater-B
The Host: A Novel, by Stephenie Meyer-B
The Mortal Instruments, by Cassandra Clare-B-
The Grisha Trilogy, by Leigh Bardugo-B