Author creativity vs. reader’s annoyance

Out of the last four books I’ve read, make that three, because I only got to page 31 in the fourth, only one was a straight forward novel. The first one was an adult mystery with recipes tucked in throughout the chapters. The second one was a YA with illustrations which were cleverly labeled in a handwriting font, and the fourth had footnotes. I am all for creativity, but I wonder about being creative for the sake of being different when the cost is the reader never really being able to commit to your story. continued…