Awesome From Page One

I'm starting to get it. I'm starting to understand trying to find a gem out of the slush pile just a teeny bit.

No, I'm not interning or anything. But the last few years I've read A LOT of books. MOST of them have been REALLY GOOD.

But.

I've noticed lately that it takes me awhile to get into almost every book I read. It's not like they're uninteresting, or written badly. It's just that life takes over and I don't feel the NEED to KEEP READING right away.

Last night I finished Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. This book was AWESOME. Seriously, you should read it ASAP if you haven't already. I figured I'd love it, mostly because it's set during World War II, and I did love it. I borrowed it from the library but I will be buying it the first chance I get because it's a definite re-read. But it wasn't until about 100 pages in that I really felt that I want to read and do nothing else feeling.

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NO WAY REFLECTS ON CODE NAME VERITY. THE BOOK IS AMAZING, PLEASE READ IT NOW.

This has happened to me with EVERY book I've read lately. I can't remember the last book I started and just couldn't put down from page one. The thing is, life is busy. I've got four kids and a house to clean and cooking and writing and church and exercising and this week dance and kickboxing starts and and and. These books all start strong and exciting, I've never NOT wanted to read on. It's just, I haven't read a beginning that's been so WOW I put aside everything else.

So I get it. That's what agents want, right? And when you've read SO MUCH, it takes HUGE amounts of AWESOME to make something stand out from page one.

Wish there was a secret formula to that... ;)