Strong?

People are all so different. Some like chocolate. Some like vanilla. And everyone has their own definition of strong. Variety is the spice of life, right? But recently I have been struck with how different people define strength. I don't know that one definition is right and one is wrong. Maybe we all have a definition based on what is important to us.
As a writer I love creating characters. Flawed characters. Annoying characters. Strong characters and weak characters. There is something of me in all of them. Sometimes I find the most strength when I am at my weakest. That is kind of how I like my characters as well, both in books I read and books I write.
Recently I noticed review writers with vastly different opinions on whether a character is strong or not. At first I found myself arguing - within my own head at least - with the reviewers. You know, why I thought they were wrong or right. But after a while I started to view it a little different. Maybe the different opinions have to do with the relationship between the reader and the book.
When reading there are two different things happening. First, the story how the author envisioned it. Second, the readers perspective and perception about the book. Isn't that what makes books great? I know there have been books that touched me, books that mean so much more than just the story, and books with which I couldn't connect. That right there is why I love to read. It's why I get sucked into a story. It's why I love to write.
So here it is - lets all find books we love, books we connect with, books that show us something. If they aren't all the same book, well that's part of what makes life great.

Enjoying reading

So now that I am taking a small break from writing I am trying to catch up on my reading. I am almost done with Patricia Cornwell's Post Mortem. So far I have liked it. It is funny to read something that was written in the 1990s. There is so much that has changed since then with technology. Cell phones and internet are such a big part of our world today, but in the book the main character does not have a cell phone and her internet service is dial up. Technology has changed so much there is something really fascinating about getting to read something that is not that old, but is such a different world than ours now.

I am looking forward to the next book...I need to catch up on my Kathy Reichs!