I thought it might be interesting to see if this method really works. I usually choose my books by looking at the cover and reading the blurb. That's all fine and dandy, but it really doesn't tell you much about the actual writing, which is often what ends up making or breaking a book for me. Also, so many absolutely fantastic books get that way because of the mystery and suspense and the ah ha's, all of which take time and page after page to develop. So I'm skeptical at best. But, since I have 14 books waiting on my bookshelf right now, I figure this would be the perfect opportunity to put the Page 69 Test, well, to the test.
Prediction: Honestly, if reading page 69 was the only thing I had to go on, I probably wouldn't read this one. It sounds like a science fiction that is going to have some action/adventure (hinted at by this page). However, the writing seems to be kind of boring, which will kill a supposed action book in no time flat.
Verdict: At first I didn't really like it. At all. The premise is that people will trade a body part to a 'demon' in return for a favor. That's not the part I didn't like. I hated the way the author set up the premise behind what our heroine wanted the demon to do for her. It was a valid enough reason, but the way it was described was just weird. Hated that part. Once we got past that, however, LOVED the book. Very original story, great writing, characters you couldn't help but love with banter that was perfect, poignant little comments all over the place, the chapters were organized fantastically, and the ending - not only did it wrap things up wonderfully, but it was the kind of surprise ending that makes you look back and see things in a different light (LOVE that!). Not really an action book like I thought it would be, but definitely a keeper. Page 69 didn't do it justice at all. (Reading Level: ? / Upper Grades)
Prediction: Page 69 is basically a conversation. It seems pretty interesting. It hints at a mystery, a ghost, and some romance. The writing is good - just the right balance of words and thoughts, spoken by characters who seem interesting. I think I'll like it.
Verdict: Actually, I didn't like it. And the characters weren't interesting. And neither was the story. It was B.O.R.I.N.G. I quit reading after page 80. On to the next one.
Prediction: This sounds like a historical fiction with some paranormal elements. The writing is good and the page contains a building sense of suspense. It should be a good book.
Verdict: Well, it wasn't as good as I thought it would be. For the most part the writing was good (her books always are); it had action and suspense and the right balance of narration and dialogue. But the characters kept making stupid decisions and saying even stupider things, which was annoying. Of course, it IS a juvenile fiction book so a younger reader might not see those things as being quite so dumb. But also, this is a historical fantasy book set in the Roman Empire. If you are going to set a story in a specific time and place, you should do your research and get your facts straight. I am only going to say this one time, people: Women who lived during the Roman Republic and Empire DID. NOT. WEAR. TOGAS. That article of clothing was reserved for men. Uuugghhh. If you don't care about history and have kids, go ahead and give them this book. They'll probably love it. (Reading Level: 5.2 / Middle Grades )
Prediction: This book looks like it will have plenty of conflict, both the verbal as well as physical kind. The writing is pretty descriptive, but not overdone in a boring or annoying way. I'd call it a keeper.
Verdict: As far as the writing goes, what you see on page 69 is what you get. So I should have liked this book. What page 69 doesn't reveal, however, is much of the actual story. And the story here is that an anorexic girl somehow gets chosen to be Famine, of the Four Horses of the Apocalypse fame. I HATE reading stories about anorexia. So I quit this one at page 78. And I would have to call the Page 69 Test a failure for this one, because it is supposed to help you choose books you will like. And it didn't.
Prediction: I wasn't really too impressed with page 69 of this book. The characters don't seem very likeable, and the plot seems way uninteresting (as if I could determine that from one page!) The writing isn't bad, but nothing special, either.
Verdict: I read this book for maybe an hour before I said NOPE and chucked it into my Return-to-the-Library bag. The characters weren't very likeable. The premise was stupid. The dialogue (pretty much all there was at the the beginning of the book) was boring. I just didn't have the patience to see if things would improve. I think the Test hit it pretty spot on here, even though it didn't convey the extent to which I would not be into this book.
Prediction: Hmmmm. Girl is unpacking trunk full of turn of the century clothes. They're supposed to be hers, but she seems to have amnesia. But they don't feel like they would be hers. So, historical fiction, and maybe some nefarious goings-on. It might be good.
Verdict: Well, the first chapter was AMAZING! Super creepy and atmospheric and very well written. Then, it got quite boring. So boring, in facts, that at page 72 I put it aside and started reading something different. I went back to it later, hoping to like it more, but alas, I did not. It had a lot of good mysterious stuff wrapped up in a super boring package. And it is the first book in a trilogy. NO WAY was I going to make it through three books of that writing. Too bad, because it seemed to have a fantastic premise and a lot of great ideas. Maybe somebody can just give me a condensed summary of what happens.
Prediction: Sounds like a bunch of high school drama with a bunch of immature girls. And I hate the font. Doesn't seem too promising.
Verdict: It wasn't too bad, really. Although I've read funnier books, this one was pretty funny. It's about the challenges of being a teenager in a Korean-American family. The characters are a bit immature, but the petty fighting wasn't a big part of the story. And I didn't notice the stupid font after awhile, so I guess page 69 didn't work so well as a predictor of whether or not I'd like this book either. (Reading Level: 4.6 / Middle Grades +)
Prediction: There is really no way to tell. Three friends of indeterminate age, two girls and one boy, teasing each other, probably in the past sometime. That's all I've got. Nothing that looks particularly bad, though, so worth a try.
Verdict: There wasn't anything particularly bad about the book, but nothing particularly good either. The characters were about as flat as they come, but I guess that's to be expected from a story shelved in the juvenile fiction section. Too bad the dialogue was as flat as the characters. There wasn't any action or adventure (that cover is soooo misleading!), and things moved at a pretty slow pace. I don't think I would have finished it if I didn't want to know what finally happened to the main character in the story. (Reading Level: 4.6 / Middle Grades)
Prediction: Historical fiction, untrained, uninmportant girl at a ball hosted by a duke. Nice, vivid descriptions. Other than that, I've got nothing. I don't like this experiment anymore.
Verdict: Okay. The story was about the son of a duke who is really a nice guy, even though nobody around him seems to be, who is unhappily engaged to the spoiled daughter of a count. And also about the daughter of a Scottish Freemason who is hired by the Duke to build a garrison to imprison supporters of the (deposed?) King James, but is secretly a supporter himself. You can see where this story is going before you are very far into it. And it is boring as all get out. And the author tries so hard to use the aforementioned descriptive language that it comes out forced and way overdone. I quit reading it at about a quarter of the way through. So much for one page telling me whether I would like it or not.
Prediction: Funny, I'd completely given up on this page 69 thing, but this book, page 69 is - wow! Rough and tough girl with a sense of humor speaking a backwoods/old-west kind of dialect is apparently drugged by some guy and she wakes up strapped to a table. Great writing, interesting characters, and one heck of a plot. I think this is going to be good.
Verdict: This was so much better than just good. It was absolutely fantastic! In fact, it is the first 5 star book that I have read in I don't know how long. Every single thing about this book was good. There was nothing, nothing at all, that I didn't like about it. The story was original and engrossing and thought provoking, the characters were interesting and believable, the plot was perfectly paced, and the voice - amazing! The page 69 test was spot on this time, probably because every single page is packed with good stuff. The book is shelved in the adult fiction section, but there is no real reason that an upper grade reader shouldn't read it. (Reading Level: ? / Upper Grades)
So, I have to start out by saying that I have been hearing rave reviews about this book for YEARS, which is why I have avoided it like the plague. I have found that too often everyone just jumps on the bandwagon and raves about a book that isn't really that good. I was also avoiding it because it is about WWII and I've read enough of those to know that they are usually sad and depressing. I am only reading it now, because my son has to read it for school and he asked me to read it too so I could help him if he needs it.
Prediction: Page 69 just seems a bit mediocre. I'm not sure I like the writing style at all. And the book is long. Combined with my existing bias against it, I don't think I would bother with it if my son hadn't asked me to read it.
Verdict: The Page 69 Test is an evil, misleading construct. This just might be the best book that I have ever read. Yes. I said THE BEST. Out of almost 800 books. Markus Zusak is brilliant. I can't believe I only bought the paperback copy (and paid hardcover price to get it the next day!). If you haven't read this, you must. Right away. With no distractions so you can appreciate the brilliance. And if you don't like it, I'm sorry, but maybe you'd better stick to the Twilight type stuff. (Reading Level: 5.1 / Upper Grades)
So, it looks like, overall, the Page 69 Test was an epic fail. Not even half of the books turned out the way I predicted they would. Not only did it entice me into reading a bunch of books I didn't like, but I would have missed out on two books I actually loved. My advice - find someone who has the same taste in books as you do and ask them for recommendations instead.
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