Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Recently I watched a TV interview with Ann Patchett and Daniel Pink on their favorite books of 2017. You can read the interview or watch it here.
I enjoyed the entire book-review approach to the segment. But Patchett pulled me up short by a statement she made. As not only a best-selling, very talented writer but also as the co-owner of a popular Nashville independent bookstore, Parnassus, she has her hand on the pulse of readers. Speaking as a store owner, she said:
The number one thing that people come into my bookstore and ask for is a book that is smart and funny and has an uplifting ending. And those books are few and far between.
The interviewer, Jeffrey Brown from the PBS Newshour, seems surprised by her statement. “Really? They come to you for an uplift?”
Like, wow, imagine not everyone wanting to read a book that takes him or her to a dark and empty place and then leaves the reader there.
Let’s unpack Patchett’s statement.
Readers want a book to be smart
When is the last time you read a book you could describe that way? To me, this would be a reading experience that explored a complex issue in a compelling way. That opened up the world to me from a perspective I hadn’t seen before. I would add that the exploration of the topic should be layered. No off-the-top, surface stuff but soul-deep pondering.
One of the books I’ve read this year that fits the bill is the memoir Lab Girl by Hope Jahren, who is a geobiologist and pursues independent research about plants. The book opened to me the world of plants, the world of scientific research, what humans don’t “get” about plants, what it means to a girl to have a mother who doesn’t know how to connect emotionally with a child, what it’s like to be a geeky-looking girl who wants to pursue a career that only guys venture into–and so much more.
Jahren is genius, and her book is one smart cookie, too. Totally loved what an intelligent read it was.
Readers want a book to be funny
Hm, humor seems in short supply in books nowadays. I have to come back to Lab Girl on this point as well. Jahren connects with an equally geeky plant guy while on a research trip. He doesn’t talk much; he just digs. That’s what the research trip was all about. But he doesn’t talk even during breaks. Eventually these two odd ducks discover that they enjoy each other’s oddities. Lest you think they fall in love, nah, it doesn’t happen. They become like siblings. Every time a scene occurred between the two, I was on high alert for their verbal high jinx yet heartfelt care for one another. Way fun to read!
Readers want a book to be uplifting
Those who read Christian book can feel fairly confident that the journey through the pages will be filled with light and hope. We’re a people of light and hope. And I love that.
For those who read more in the general market, you can understand why the Parnassus bookstore patrons are on the hunt for an uplifting book. As Patchett said, they’re few and far between.
Since I’ve used Lab Girl as my example so far, I’m sticking with it. Jahren ends her memoir by talking directly to the reader in the Epilogue. She exhorts you to plant a tree every year. It could save the earth. Really.
But she suggests you do so much more than that. She wants you to live with your tree. As she says, “Take your children to the tree every six months and cut a horizontal chink into the bark to mark their height. Once your little ones have grown up and moved out and into the world, taking parts of your heart with them, you will have this tree as a living reminder of how they grew, a sympathetic being who has also been deeply marked by their long, rich passage through childhood.
“While you’re at it, would you carve Bill’s [the geeky guy who loved to dig] name into your tree as well? He’s told me a hundred times over that he’ll never read this book because it would be pointless. He says that if he ever gets at all interested in himself he can damn well sit down and remember the last twenty years without any help from me.”
Yea, an uplifting paean to plants, our need to relate to them and appreciate them, and to our quest for knowledge of not only our surrounding world but also of ourselves. That would be Lab Girl.
What does this mean to you?
How can you make your WIP smarter, funnier, and as uplifting as heaven?
What book have you read this year that fits the bill of Ann Patchett’s description of the perfect book?
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The Mark of the King by Jocelyn Green, and The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright were both that for me. The House was a bit out of the genre I usually read, but I loved it. In both books I audibally gasped at points and my pulse quickened. And I finished both books utterly satisfied, as both endings were genuinely uplifting without being cheesy or cliche. Loved them and will be reading them both again!
I have heard great things about both of those. I guess I will have to check them out and see what all the hullabaloo is about. 🙂
I haven’t read Joclyn’s book yet, but I’ve hard lot of positive responses to it. I have read Jaime Jo Wright’s The House on Foster Hill and think it’s a very well written time slip novel.
Plant a tree. Yes! One a year would be our average for this house, but half of them went in the first year. Too much yard, not enough trees.
* I have one funny or uplifting book going all the time. But I also aim for something that makes me smarter. Right now, I’m reading Jill Leovy’s “Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America,” which focuses on murders of young black men in the tough neighborhoods of Los Angeles. It’s neither funny nor uplifting, but it helps me understand my son’s challenges as a high school teacher in such a neighborhood. It is well-written, weaving data and history into true stories of real people. Sometimes smarter isn’t uplifting. Sometimes smarter sends me to my knees in prayer.
Indeed. I heard a radio interview with the author of Evicted and felt such profound sadness for the poorest of the poor in America and how they can’t achieve the simplest of goals: a roof over their heads. Sad but enlightening. I found the interview radically shifted my thinking; I can’t imagine what reading the book would do to alter one’s mind on a very important topic.
You said a lot, Shirlee!
Scientific research? Hello! This is our world, The Hubs is a tree geneticist. He also does research with drought tolerance, climate change, bees, and soil. (No, I will not discuss climate anything with anyone 😉 )
Yes, plant a tree, ANY tree! But please, only native species. There is a serious problem with non-native species crowding into and overtaking native habitats. Example? Eucalyptus. Oh my word.
And yes, we need more women in science!
Do your neighbourhood a favour and host a bee hive under the tree you planted.
I read Joanne Bischof’s The Lady and The Lionheart. Oh wow, what a story of redemptive love. Yes, there was a tender romance, but the sacrificial love was between a young man and his niece, who he adopted as his own daughter. I SOBBED through that book.
The Lady and the Lionheart, another book I have read about. But tell me, is it cry in a good way? I don’t watch sad movies and I don’t read sad books. Thanks, Jennifer!
Good crying!
But I won’t spoil anything else.
Wonderful book, Jennifer.
Jennifer, I enjoyed reading your comment. I hadn’t thought about the native species angle. My cousin reworked a portion of her yard during the California drought; she planted oak trees and other native plants and then added a winding trail between them. It looks entirely different. I like it.
I will be honest, I am tired and all the books I have read are meshing together at this moment, but my best friend was a biologist for many years. She was one of very few women there and ended up leaving because of a lot of the challenges that come from working with a nearly all-male environment that was not very accepting of her. She now works in clinical research which is pretty cool, too. I will have to see if she has read Lab Girl.
Thanks for sharing. I will definitely be comparing what I read and write to the “is it smart, funny, and/or uplifting” standard.
Janet, this is just SO important…in a culture gone mad with its own navel-gazing seriousness (asking someone where they’re from is now a taboo microaggression) we really need a good dose of life, laughter, and light.
* I’m perhaps not the best person to ask about what fits the criteria; I found Mark Bowden’s “Black Hawk Down” funny, smart, and uplifting, but it’s hard to explain to people why you’re laughing uproariously at the image of Somalis shooting from both sides of a Mogadishu street and wasting each other in awesome numbers.
* As regards my own writing, I don’t think I could make a book smart to save my life, because, frankly, I ain’t. I am, however, possessed of a certain low cunning, and shall make do with that.
* My ‘funny’ is limited to black humour, irony so subtle that even I frequently miss the point, and puns so dreadful that Dr. Johnson would rise from the grave in righteous anger – to wit, would not the Apostle Peter’s sisters be called the Rockettes?
* That leaves uplift, and would that I were a literary Mr. Otis, the patron saint of elevation! But at the end of a day that saw me (as Barb related, for I scarce recall it) begging God for a coup de grace, a release from pain, I can only offer this:
“The only thing that trumps hope is discipline, for when hope fades and eyes dim, discipline continues to hone the steel that is one’s last resort.”
You are smart in fields I’m not, Andrew (concrete and warfare, for starters). But your strong suit is wisdom. You pull bits of knowledge from a thousand sources and strain them through the mesh of God’s truth to produce a stream of practical words of wisdom. I am smarter for reading them.
Shirlee, thank you so much for this…your words and thoughts are truly appreciated, bright stars shining God’s love against a darkening sky.
I read women’s fiction and especially the Southern fiction subgenre. “Smart” and “uplifting” is not a problem for this genre, but there are usually few funny bits. However, Sarah Loudin Thomas’ “The Sound of Rain,” fits the criteria nicely. It’s about a coal miner who moves to Myrtle Beach after a cave-in kills his brother. (That’s the “not funny” part.) But the whole why-not/why romance between the hillbilly hero and the oh-so-proper boss’ daughter is hilarious.
I have this and I cannot wait to start it!! And Sarah is HILARIOUS!
You’ll love it, Jennifer!
I love Sarah’s writing.
Me, too! She has a new fan. 🙂
This post illustrates a frustrating reality, a tension between writing what I enjoy writing, and writing what “the reader wants.” The books I find most memorable are not those that made me laugh, or are what I might call “feel-good” books, though both are enjoyable. The books that stick with me are those that open up a truth in scripture that I had never noticed. Now, to be very clear, I am not talking about *new* truth, but rather just something new to me, something I’ve not known previously, or just something I missed. Perhaps books of that nature fall into the “smart” category Patchett is addressing
I agree, Damon. I love a book or post that rolls out a truth from Scripture that makes me think, “I already lnew this . . . Just never actually put it in words.” Words that I treasure up in my soul.
Yes, Damon. Even songs do that for me. The words “You’ll take all that is wrong and make it right” really stood out to me from a Lauren Daigle song recently. Something you hear all your life, but suddenly, it just takes on a new meaning for you.
Damon, I see what you’re saying here. One of the best books that I think is smart and uplifting is Beyond Me: Living a You-First Life in a Me-First World by Kathi Macias. This book even made me think of the parable of the prodigal son in new ways.
Janet, I appreciate this post. You’ve got me thinking about my story. 🙂
*A nonfiction book I’m reading now that is smart, funny (and a little scary) and I think it is uplifting is “Yes, Your Teen IS Crazy,” by Michael Bradley. Yes, we’re raising two teen boys at the moment. It’s given me insight into some of what our sons are dealing with as they grow. The authors has worked with tons of teens, so he knows of what he speaks.
*One fiction book I read this summer and loved was “Kissing Adrien,” by Siri Mitchell. I found it to be delightful, thought-provoking, and uplifting. she did a beautiful job of weaving in two different cultures, humor and a creative storyline.
Kissing Adrien. I remember really enjoying that, but it’s been long enough it’s due for a re-read. Thanks for the reminder!
A good list, Janet, and I’d add one more.
*A novel should have the ring of truth about it. The way the people talk, the way they make decisions, the way they act–those should all feel like real people and not 2-D cardboard figures racing through a story limited by word count. I really admire authors who can write shorter works that feel “real.”
*I don’t deliberately pick novels that are funny, but I love for at least one of the characters to display a lively sense of humor, and it’s better if at least two do so the humorous one doesn’t have everyone else staring at her or him because they never get the jokes.
Carol, that’s an excellent point about the importance of characters being depicted in a way that infuses them with life. I think I would put that concept under the “smart” category, but that’s just me.
Janet, were you disappointed that they didn’t fall in love? Or did you sigh a breath of peace? 🙂
I kept waiting for them to fall in love because they had such an affinity to each other. But I guess they just never saw each other that way. It was pretty far in the book before the author explained their sibling-like connection; so I’d say I was relieved to find out why no sparks ever flew from one to the other. The author, whether inadvertently or not, kept the reader in suspense as to what would happen next in the relationship.
Interesting. I can’t say that I’ve read any uplifting books this year. My reading has been sporadic, and included some books others asked me to read and comment on, and a book I’m using to plan some adult Life Group lessons. They weren’t the type of books I would have normally selected. Right now I’m reading a book about WW2 activities in Sicily and Italy, which my dad spent time in. Not much uplifting about that messy campaign.
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As it happens, my WIP is a workplace humor book, a sequel, which pokes fun at the civil engineering business, and our company in particular. One thing I’m doing is making the receptionist a different person each time my protagonist interacts with her. First, it’s Amy; then Barbara; then Connie, etc. Sometimes even different on the same day. This actually follows an incident in our company, where a new receptionist went on break her first morning and never returned. I don’t know if the readers will catch this subtle thing or not, but I’m having fun writing it.
Funnyl I’d catch that bit of humor and get a smile out of it, David.
The revolving receptionist is a very fun idea, David. The thing about humor is you just put it out there, and some people will get it while others are obtuse.
Oh, Janet! I can’t tell you how much this post has encouraged me. I’ve been the only one in a room full of writers who wanted to write funny books. After hearing 8 other people share their dark and thoughtful stories that challenge readers and then having the discussion come to me and having to say something like–“I just want to make people laugh and think and consider God, but mostly laugh.” It can make one feel just a bit insignificant. I’m working on a book proposal right now and I realized that how you described these readers at this book store gives me hope because this is how I attempted to define all of my millions of imaginary readers for my ms.
“This book was written for smart, skeptical, Christian teens who have realized that the world is full of horrors and their heroes all have feet of clay. Teens who still have the audacity to want God, despite the brokenness around them and the failures of His people.”
I attempted to use humor to approach difficult subjectsand your post has given me hope that this was indeed the correct choice. Not that I could have done any differently, my writing just seems to lean that direction despite myself. I attempted to write some serious poems about parenthood lately and they all ended up very goofy, which really matches our family quite nicely, now that I think about it.
Kristen, you’re following the “write what you know” adage. Sounds like your family is madcap, and you tend to think along humorous lines. Be true to you!
Smart, funny, uplifting–I couldn’t agree more! “Funny” can be a little tricky. My online book group recently read “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. I remembered the sentimental story but had no memory of how funny it is! Certain observations, turns of phrase, etc., made me laugh, but the story had a much more poignant message. Sometimes so-called humorous stories seem like they’re trying too hard to be knee-slappers. I love funny stories but prefer when the humor is a seasoning, not the whole enchilada.
Jenny, I so agree that writing that tries too hard to be hilarious often falls short of even being slightly humorous. Subtle humor is the hardest of all. Your description of the Gift of the Magi makes me want to read it again. I hadn’t recalled its being funny. I would guess the humor is wry.
Many years ago I read The Gift of the Magi at a Christmas party for women in my church. They loved hearing it read to them. Every so often one of the elderly women will mention it to me and how it was special. Special. I’m surprised that the memory has stayed with them. Yes, Jenny, I think you’re right.
I would have to agree with Anne Patchett with her statement about books (I would through that in about movies as well) To your point, there are books out there…but they are far and few between. (We haven’t had a movie like “The Holiday,” or “When Harry Met Sally” in years and years.) I will definitely look into your suggestion above, but the last book I read that I think was a lovely book was Ruth Hogan’s, “The Keeper of Lost Things.” It just made you feel good. And I think that is the point of Patchett’s statement. What is dominating the marketplace is politically motivated narratives and “dark” stories.(Psychological thrillers, apocalypse, murder, and noir.) I, who is a writer of more “lovely” stores, have felt this need in the marketplace for a long time. I think the publishing world is not fulfilling the needs of the the readers, but giving them what they think readers should be reading. And there lies the “gap” that few publishers want to take a risk on. (I truly think I am before my time.) With the world in chaos, I think more readers are going to turn to book for “loveliness” and lighter narratives. I just don’t think the publishers have quite caught on yet!
Wolf Hollow, by Lauren Wolk encompassed each of these for me. This middle grade novel immersed me in the rural life of Pennsylvania in the 1940’s, where I learned a lot about the era (which made me feel smarter). I also enjoyed the funny take of life seen through an eleven year old girl’s eyes. This story has stuck with me long after the last page, as it challenged the reader to see beyond a person’s outward appearance to the beauty within. To feel uplifted, challenged and entertained all in the same book is what this reader wants. Wonderful post celebrating the magic of story, Janet.
The book I read (or listen to) every year because it is funny, smart, and has a uplifting ending is To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (audio version read by Steven Crossley… and yes, I recommend that version, the man’s comedic timing and character-building skills are brilliant). It’s a time travel mystery, comedy of eras (and errors), historical romance, cats-vs-dogs (literally) quest, chock full of literary illusions and some surprisingly deep ponderings on what, exactly, is the force that shapes history–individual character or blind forces.
Lori, I hadn’t heard of this title, but it sounds like my kind of read. Thanks for mentioning it.
Multiple voices, and also a lot about Tibetan Buddhism, a lot about American history.
Thanks for the post Janet. I took the time to read the transcripts of the interview, and I noted Ann first acknowledged that it has been a very depressing year. She then goes on to say readers are looking for books that are smart, funny, and uplifting. That is totally understandable especially coming from secular readers. They have a need to know at the end of all this madness in the world thete is hope. And laughter, and humor, it’s like medicine to a hurting struggling soul. Smart? People don’t want fake. They don’t want stupid or pathetic. They want real, but want it truthful and smart.
It’s really innovative. It’s smart. And it’s a book that pushes you. It stretches you in a lot of different ways. But, believe me, you’re not ever going to read anything else like it. Totally understandable, and that is available to more extent in Christian publications, BUT how due you cross that over.
For me, it’s like writing a book that she and Jeffrey Brown discuss, “Lincoln in the Bardo,” George Saunders. Ann says,
It’s really innovative. It’s smart. And it’s a book that pushes you. It stretches you in a lot of different ways. But, believe me, you’re not ever going to read
anything else like it.”
I want to write that kind of book.
UPDATE: My sister is in her fourth surgery in a week. They are just finishing up, and will follow up with a final surgery in six to twelve weeks after she is completely free of the infection.
After my week of no sleep, ten hours, scattered I fell into the arms of a dear friend at church and wept at how close my unsaved sister had come to death, and relieved I had been there. My brother-in-law told me he wasn’t religious, which I knew, but he acknowledged there was something to this prayer that was being said for Cathy. Before she went in surgery today, she asked to speak to me. She only began speaking a little yesterday. She does not recall the week, but Mark had told her I was with her. She wanted to tell me she loved me. How beautiful. How great and merciful our God.
Thank you for praying. I came home because I had two crowns put it. So it was definitely uplifting before I went for my crowns and she for her temporary antibiotic spacer for her left hip. Humorous? Once when the doctor was checking her mentation, he asked what her last name was. Cathy didn’t respond. So, he said louder, “Say your last name.” Cathy responded, “Your last name,” Mark and I got quite a laugh out of that one! Smarts? I had to use them all week end long as I helped monitor her symptoms, and talked with Mark, the docs and the staff. It can be done.
Oh for being smart this tiny little comment box is the most challenging thing. My comment above is messed up in the portion above the UPDATE part on my sister. I was trying to cut and paste from the interview transcript, but then it was not showing, and deleting, and I couldn9see what was kept and whay wasn’t. Hopefully, you will take the time to understand what I said. Please don’t judge my writing on the errors I make here at times. It is not a true reflection of my proposals and WIPS. This is very humbling. I want to comment, but doggone my eyes, and curved arthritic right index finger. I would have thought it was just me, but another person said she has the same problem. She stays away from social media on phones because of it. Oh me, Oh my.
Elizabeth Bohan » I’m honored that you would allow our blog readers to pray your family through your sister’s hospitalization. What a fearsome battle she’s been fighting for her life! Praying on…
Thank you for your kind comments Janet. It means so much to me.
I mostly read Middle Grade fiction and it’s nearly always uplifting, or at least not depressing. Of course I’m still a kid on the inside. There’s enough trouble in the real world without reading depressing books ” for fun.”
Humor helps everything, it relaxes us…especially at funerals (I always try to include humor when it’s open mike) and also when one is public speaking for an event. Recently I was reading a blog about blogging which said a blog needs humor. Humor keeps them coming back for more. I’ve not used humor much, but I think she’s right. Lighten up, is what it says to me.
I loved this post more than most. It provides insights into how to reach more readers. I know people who will not read a book that seems depressing or overly emotional in context. They need the uplift of a book that smiles. It made me evaluate my own offerings.
Hopeful/uplifting books should be easy for Christians. We have no excuse for not offering that. Although it has to be real hope not fake. Thinking positive thoughts is not the good news we have to share. These books are sadly all too rare. I only give a 5 star review for Christian fiction if it has an impact for eternity. I only awarded one last year and the best example I have of it is Francine Rivers earlier works and Randy Alcorn’s ‘Safely Home’. You won’t be the same person after those.
I just finished reading a funny one and a brilliant debut – probably the best suspense book I’ve read in a long time. Criss Cross by CC Warrens. It needed the humour to balance the book and she had it just perfect. 4.5 stars.
Christine, thanks for mentioning a new-to-me book and writer: Criss Cross by CC Warrens. I appreciate that clever title and will have to check it out.