We’ve all been there, right? We open the front cover of a book and settle in to the first page. Then next thing we know, we’ve read the entire book without a break…and one sniff reminds us of our lack of a shower.I recently read my friend Jody Hedlund’s second book, The Doctor’s Lady (I’m pictured with Jody and her book above). Talk about a page turner. If it’s possible, I loved it even more than her first, The Preacher’s Bride. Jody has this way of creating compelling characters and plots that make me stay up way later than I should. (Which also means she owes me a month’s worth of Starbucks. Just sayin’.)
Anyway, I decided to devote this month’s Top 5 List to those books that don’t let us go. So here it is…The Top 5 Signs You’re Reading a Page Turner.
5. You’ve forgotten to brush your teeth for 24 straight hours, and your mouth has more sweaters than a Nordstrom sale rack.
4. Your husband is tired of making Campbell’s chicken and noodle soup for supper.
3. Your kids are still planted in front of the TV, and Nick Jr. is now Nick at Nite.
2. You stop consuming beverages because you don’t have time for potty breaks.
1. Your child asks you a question, and you snap, “Be quiet! Eli and Priscilla are about to kiss!”
If you want to get your hands on Jody’s book and snap at your kids…er, read those pulse-pounding kisses…you can learn more at her website here. 
What makes a novel a page turner for you? What’s the quickest you’ve ever read a book?
Last week’s Amazon giveaway winner is Debbie! I’ll email your prize this week. =)
Awwww two of my favorite people in one picture! Love it! And love that book! I think the fastest I ever read a book was in an afternoon. It was the book “Mistaken Identity” – which is not a novel, but sure felt like one! It was about the ID mixup in the Taylor University crash. I knew the whole story and it was STILL a page turner!
Wow, Bekah! One afternoon? I agree…That situation was fascinating, wasn’t it?
What makes a book a page-turner is when I lose all sense of time while reading it. I sit down in the sunshine of afternoon, and look up to see it is evening! It’s a great feeling, definitely.
I agree, Joanne! It is a great feeling!
I like it when the author dives into the action. Too much backstory in the beginning makes me yawn.
So true, Susan. We don’t want yawning readers, do we?
Oh my word, you are hysterical! And I get it. I sooooo get it!
~ Wendy
Thanks, Wendy!
I love your list! This was a page turner for sure. It was excellent. Hosting Jody at my blog this week and I am excited!
How fun, Karen! I’ll be sure to stop by.
I just read Bethany Wiggins’ book Shifting and felt the same way. I recommend hiring a babysitter for the day. lol! Our poor kids. That was a very fun top 5!
Lol, I love the babysitter recommendation, Nisa!
Jody’s books are awesome. She is one gifted storyteller! I made myself savor every page of her books, but I could read from cover to cover in one night.
Another favorite of mine recently is “Words” by Ginny Yttrup!
Great recommendation, Tamika! I’ll have to look that one up.
This is great, Sarah! I ate this book up too! Two days and I was done. So good!
Yep, Good stuff, Katie!
Must. Have. Action! I love it, Sarah, when I can dive right into the story and immediately feel compelled to finish it THAT DAY! Of course, there are always other things that becon…cooking, cleaning, WRITING!
I agree, Cynthia. It’s always a good sign when I forget about my writer’s hat and get lost in the story.
LOVED this book!
But Jody already knows that.
My way?
All that editing that HAS to get done before going to conference?
It gets put off to see what happens to Eli and Priscilla
.
Carol
Very true, Carol! A good book makes me forget about my to do list.
A page turner for me is when I get lost in it – you start it and the next time you look up, 3 hours have past…you look up again and the sun has set on the day.
Fun post!
A 24-hour read, right, Loree?
for me, it’s locking the bathroom door under the guise of using the restroom, but i’m actually just sitting there reading, hoping for some privacy and no interruptions.
and i totally get the snapping at the kids and/or husband thing. that has to be the WORST. they always pick that exact moment when the romance is reaching a head. hate that.
Lol, Jeannie! I totally get the bathroom thing. Anything to get a moment of silence, right?
Yay! It’s always fun to win something! Thanks! I can always tell a book will be a can’t-put-it-down-until-I-Finish-it book when I read the book straight through without peeking at the end. If a book moves too slowly for me, I will flip to the back and read the last chapter or so to see if it’s worth taking the time to finish. With a great book, I never feel compelled to peek!
That’s a good point, Debbie! I do the same thing.
Too cute! I just downloaded The Preacher’s Bride to my Nook, so I might have some of those moments in my future, ha!
Oh yes, be prepared to set aside a big chunk of time!
Jody writes action-packed page turners that are tough to put down. As her CP, I’ve been kept up late many nights because I received that day’s edited chapter(s) from her and couldn’t wait until the following day to find out what happened next. At times I’d be left hanging over the weekend or when she wasn’t able to get me a chapter, and I’d suffer withdrawal. =)
How funny, Keli. I guess there are perks to the job, huh?
LOVE your 5 reasons, Sarah! They are hilarious!!! I recently had a reader email me and tell me she let her kids watch extra TV so that she could finish up my book! And another said she fed her kids frozen pizza for dinner one night because she’d been too busy reading it! I just laughed! It tickles me to death to hear stories like that! But I know how true they are, because when I get into a book, I do the exact same thing!
How funny that you heard from readers who do these exact things, Jody! I’m so glad to feature you and your fabulous book today!
Ha! I love your list. I wish I had more time to read. Someday soon…
I know what you mean, Rosslyn. I may have to wait a few years until my kids can feed themselves, and then maybe I’ll have more time to read. Maybe.
Love this list, Sarah! It’s all about compelling characters for me. I heard only GREAT things about Jody’s writing. I need to read her books.
Have a great week!
Yes, you do need to read her books, Melanie!
Oh, I’m with you: I think I read The Doctor’s Lady in less than 12 hours!! And I kept grumbling when someone in my family interrupted me!
What makes a book a page turner? Being surprised when I turn the page — thinking, “I didn’t expect that.”
And good dialogue.
That’s a must.
“Being surprised when I turn the page”…I LOVE that, Beth!
I tend to do the no bathroom runs when I read a good book-the quickest? Probably one day–alllllll day:) Love your list. Nice to hear from you Sarah! Lucky you–you got to meet Jody!
Isn’t it wonderful to devote an entire day to reading a GREAT book, Terri?! One of my favorite activities.
LOL! That snap at the kiddos made me laugh.
I’ve flown through books before. I’m sure I’ve read a full-length one in a day before. I just have to have time and love it enough.
I wish I could’ve visited more with you at the conference. It was such a blur and I got sick, but I’m sorry we didn’t connect. Maybe next time.
Hey Jessica! So sorry to hear you got sick at conference. It couldn’t have been the lovely food we ate, could it?
Good conflict and funny can make a page-turner for me. I’ve heard a bunch about The Doctor’s Lady. I need to put that one on my list to read.
I love a funny book too, Stacy! It’s hard to put it down when it makes you laugh, right?
When I find myself praying for the characters, I know I’m in deep.
Love the photo! Thanks for sharing.
YOU are so funny.
Praying for the characters…Oh my, Jeanette! That is the definition of ‘invested’.
I have not read a lot of books lately, but i do remember feeling really sorry on a few in my time that they ended so very quickly. Those were books printed years ago, it seems my attention span has become much shorter as time has gone on. Richard from Amish Stories.