Mother of Divine Grace has given me the opportunity to read many books for school, as well as encouraged me to read outside of school. Here are three things that I use to judge whether a book is of good quality or not:
1. The book is written well
All good books should be written well. Good sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary are all signs of a well written book. Another sign of good quality is if it is written smoothly and gets points across clearly as well as a well-structured story line with a clear plot.
2. The book provides a lesson
Most authors write a book to teach the readers a lesson or to show the readers their opinion. If you are able to learn from the book or are inspired by it, that is a pretty good indicator that the book provide a lesson.
3. The book is enjoyable to read
Most people would probably agree that they remember the details of their favorite novel much more than one of their school textbooks. An enjoyable read makes a memorable read. When we read for leisure, we should choose something that we will enjoy. A good quality book will be one you can enjoy.
Here are some good quality books that I have greatly enjoyed over the years:
Books with deep meanings
Screwtape letters – C. S. Lewis
The Great Divorce – C. S. Lewis
Till Have Faces – C.S. Lewis
Flannery O’Connor, The Completed Stories – Flannery O’Connor
Books for our Faith
The Story of a Soul Autobiography – Saint Therese of Lisieux
Mere Christianity – C. S. Lewis
Books that educate about the world today
Animal farm – George Orwell
The Princes in the Tower – Alison Weir
Period Dramas
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austin
Emma – Jane Austin
Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austin
Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
Old Fashioned Girl – Louisa May Alcott
They Loved to Laugh – Kathryn Worth
Edenbrooke – Julianne Donaldson
Other fun reads
Mara of the Nile – Eloise Jarvis McGraw
The Witch of Blackbird Pond – Elizabeth George Speare
The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Good series
Skyward series – Brandon Sanderson
Redwall series – Brian Jacques
Happy Reading!
