As a graduate student manque in English I still read a lot of "lit-ra-toor" and serious fiction. But I gobble mysteries like greasy potato chips. Great characters matter; I also like a good knotty puzzle that I can bat around in my mind when I'm trying not to think too hard about actual life problems. Clunky, trite writing is a deal killer, but I wouldn't throw a good formula out of bed for eating crackers.