SUBSTANTIVE

February 6, 2010

Substantive
\’seb-sten-tiv\adj : having substance : involving matters of major or practical importance to all concerned*

When I am reading a good book, I get lost in it. I delve into the plot like an Olympic diver, I become friends (or foes) with each character, enjoying the detail that enables me to get to know them on a personal level. I love page-turners as well as pieces that make me ponder. My tastes have changed over the years; being a devoted fan of anything thriller; James Patterson, Mary Higgins Clark, Lisa Jackson, just to name a few. Now I find that I love books that are represented by the content as well as a famous name, books that are truly substantive.
My favorite author, without a doubt is Isabel Allende. I was privileged to get an inside look at her talent during college when I was required to read Daughter of Fortune. I instantly fell in love with her writing style and knew that the foundation and material within the novel was born from a woman who had so much to give and share with her audience. Her books are moving; characters speaking to her readers through their actions and sometimes-heartrending decisions. Allende’s books have a core that is more than finding a killer or trying to find the secret to life’s success, her books are a clear embodiment of stories yearning to be shared, to not only make an impression on the individual reading it but to motivate him or her to be an individual of substance.

* letter “e” is upside down producing sound of “uh”