What makes a good book?

So I just finished reading a series my sister-in-law lent me, and I wasn't all that impressed.  In fact, I was really kind of disappointed.  I had some high hopes as I started, and I held out hope until the last book, all to no avail.  (It was The Selection series by Kiera Cass)  And I have to admit, I was warned by my brother-in-law, he kept asking me, "Are you sure?  It is basically just The Bachelor (the TV show)."  And it wasn't that they were bad books; they were fine.  The problem I had was how empty they were.  There wasn't really any meaning; it really was just like the show.  (No disrespect if you like the show.)  I was just hoping for some more involved plot lines and some deeper characters because she hinted at those both throughout the book.  She just never really developed the other plot lines very well, or invested in her characters like I was hoping.  It made me stop and think about some of my favorite books and the differences. 
The books that came to mind right away were the Lord of the Rings, Jane Eyre, and Anne of Green Gables (the whole series) and the Chronicles of Narnia.  And I also got to thinking about other books that I like a lot and were also really popular such as Harry Potter series.  As I was thinking about these books and comparing them to the ones I had just read I came up with a few ideas.  First of all, I am a big plot person.  I like the story to be interesting and exciting.  If all that happens is a rocky romance, that gets a little old.  I can't get into a story when the characters just waffle back and forth on whether they love each other or not.  Which brings me to my next point.  The characters are another big one.  I have to be able to relate to the characters and get a sense of who they are.  You always here that a character has to have some human flaws for them to be relatable and I agree to a certain extent.  The problem I have with a lot of characters nowadays is that their 'flaws' are pretty extreme and I can't relate to them.  When the hero is doing things that I would never dream of doing because I feel they go beyond the common code of good conduct, I can't relate to them, and I lose respect for them.  I have read a few 'teen' series where this has been the case.  Also when the characters don't learn from their mistakes and don't change for the better.  I want to be inspired by the main character in the book, not disappointed in them.  This is one of the reasons I love Anne of Green Gables so much.  I am so inspired by who Anne becomes throughout the books.  Every time I read through them I want to be a better person!  She is not perfect and makes mistakes constantly, but she is still a good person overall, and she always learns from her mistakes.  Jane Eyre is the same way, she is such an inspiring character.  She overcomes so much to hold to what she believes is right and that inspires me to strive to do the same. 
And the last thing that really makes me like a book is when it resonates with my spirit as good triumphs over evil.  And I think this is probably true for a lot of the population, though they may not realize this.  I think that is a major reason the Harry Potter series was so successful.  We inwardly cheer when good prevails and our spirits connect to the story of good vs evil.  It is the same with Lord of the Rings, which is, in my opinion one of the greatest tales of good vs evil.  We recognize the symbolism that can be found in these stories, sometimes unconsciously.  The Chronicles of Narnia was written specifically to be a symbol of the Savior and I love that!  These books appeal to our spirits and the Light of Christ that is in all of us. 
I have stuck to the classics for a long time in reading, and my sister-in-law has started expanding my choices, sometimes for the better and sometimes not.  But I do think it is so important to support good literature and to promote those books that are going to uplift us and not just fill our minds with trash.  (I have been very surprised by the content of a few of the 'teen' and a lot of the 'adult' books I have read recently.) 
What are your thoughts?  What do you look for in a good book?  And what are some of your favorites?


PS- so I totally spaced posting over Christmas, and even this month...  So sorry!