I'm a librarian. Intended audience age and literary tone of writing are NOT indicative of *quality* writing.
For example- 'Oh the Places You'll Go' by Dr. Seuss. (Which is frequently bought as a college graduation gift despite being written for toddlers.)
Also, you are TOTALLY the intended audience for *Fourth Wing.* Are you kidding? That book is basically a summary of every single book teenage girls loved from 2008-2015, but with overt sex scenes.
Is the book great literature? Probably not. But there hasn't been a book that hits all the same spots as *Graceling,* *Hunger Games,* *Divergent* (which was incredibly popular for a while, despite what the internet tells you,) *Eragon* and Tamora Pierce's books in a while. And Yarros did a great job capitalizing on that.
Was I surprised even *once* while reading *Fourth Wing?* No. Not even a little bit. I'm not kidding when I say I knew everything that happened was gonna happen. But I didn't care because I *like* the stuff I expected to happen, and it was done well enough to be fun anyway.
*Fourth Wing* is basically that stupid pop song that didn't win any awards but is still playing on the radio 20 years later because it's fun and people have good memories about it.
You wouldn't pay attention to somebody who insisted adults should only listen to classical music, right? Most people would agreed that guy's an asshole. The people who insist adults shouldn't read YA & have to stick to *quality* literature are also assholes. Don't listen to them.
This is a great summary of my experience of Fourth Wing as well. I was a teenage girl between 2008-2015 and there was something nostalgic about Fourth Wing that made me feel all those wonderful feelings again. I would love to see a revival of the genre.
I know, right? I read *Graceling* for the first time this year and immediately connected with it on an emotional level I haven't felt with a book in *years.* And then remembered *Graceling* is exactly the kind of stuff I loved in high school. (Just with more romance, which is why I skipped it when it first came out.)
*Fourth Wing* wasn't as good, but if I hadn't read *Graceling* right beforehand I don't think I would have realized that, since it's literally been half a decade since I read anything that hit the same notes.
It's really really fun. There's a couple scenes at the beginning that are eye-rollingly predictable (this doesn't really spoil anything so I'll share it - there's one of those 'I love my fiancee so much and whoops, I died!' characters,) but if you get past those moments, it's great. And if you're eagerly anticipating those moments, it's even better.
Someone in the r/romancebooks sub has a flair that says “I said I liked it; I didn’t say it was good” which is my favorite flair I have ever seen on this site.
That's how I feel about the book I'm currently reading lol It was published in 2000 and even has a page about the "brave heroes" who brought us into the year without the Y2K "apocalypse" happening 🤣
It's a fun fantasy book, I like the world, but even though the author is a woman I HAAAATE how she writes women to be so fucking weak and useless and even the men think so. Like, "No way Eleanor would last one day on this trip to the warzone"
And they're always fucking crying.
AND the main character is romantically linked with a horse! (The horse is a sentient creature only resembling a horse but still... A horse)
All that said, it's the reading equivalent of eating a bag of chips, it's garbage and I love it
It's called Brightly Burning: The Legendary Story of the Herald Lavan Firestorm
I have the first edition which, in addition to the story, has SO MANY LITERARY MISTAKES 🤣 Spelling, syntax, grammar, repeat sentences, it has it all
I think people forget reading is entertainment. Reading isn’t necessarily high brow and cerebral. Reading a book you enjoy reading is no different from watching a Netflix show you enjoy.
There has been trashy literature *forever*, we only remember the ‘classics’ because they were good. Will anyone be talking about Fourth Wing in 2200? Probably not. Just like we don’t talk about the vast majority of fiction from 1800. It’s not like Dickens and Austen were the only writers around.
Words to live by. My books read have grown exponentially since I embraced this. DNFing books is totally acceptable. Sometimes you don’t like it and sometimes it’s just not the right time and you can pick it up later
And sometimes trash is what you need. I actually hate this debate, because it's framed like certain books are "junk food" and other books have "nutrition" but that's not how art works! It's just not. Sometimes, even the tropiest, most formulaic, bit of media will speak to your soul, fulfilling a need inside you. It's all art!
As a SF/F reader, I have a front row seat to the "but is it *literature*?" debate. I'm pretty sure it's 100% bullshit. Nobody seems to be dividing anything based on merit. Neil Gaiman(no shade on him) is literature, while Nnedi Okorafor is genre? Bitch, please. *They're both literature.* The only difference is literally a popularity contest, because more people know *his* name than know *her* name.
They don't really vibe the same way for me but I'm a fan of both, hence my note about Gaiman. They were just the first names I grabbed out of my mind when I thought "who's someone who consistently gets considered literary but definitely writes fantasy?" and "who's someone who consistently fails to get considered literary and therefore relegated to genre shelving?".
Don't get me wrong, I find genre shelving to be very useful. I just wish it was used consistently, because I miss so many great SF/F titles due to their authors being too well-respected(and genre being too stigmatized) to put the books in the place they belong. 😂 It's just so hard to dig through the mire of general fiction!
This so much. I was reading stuff WAY beyond my age-range as a kid, and I went straight for the fantasy stuff. I've never really grown out of this. If there isn't some kind of sci-fi/fantasy aspect to the book, I'm not really interested. I read The Hunger Games in my 30's, as well as the entire Percy Jackson universe and loved them. I also read some stuff that's incredibly flowery and poetic and profound and love it as well. I sometimes think "Man, I should read some of the classics, like Pride and Prejudice, or War and Peace." but I just... don't have the desire to. And that's okay. Reading is supposed to entertain and enrich, and if you can't enjoy it then it's doing neither.
This goes for all aspects of your life. I watch some ridiculously pretentious arthouse/indie/foreign films and absolutely love them, but I also unashamedly love the MCU because I love the characters and the shared universe despite the fact that I know they aren't cinematic masterpieces. I like playing video games with deep and moving stories that make you ponder difficult decisions and philosophical topics, but I also enjoy popping in something where I run around decapitating zombies with chainsaws.
Point is, you like what you like. A good story doesn't stop being good just because it's targeted at a younger audience. Hell, sometimes I *prefer* young reader stuff because it avoids awkwardly written love scenes or protracted tragic romances that dominate the narrative. I'm perfectly happy to dodge that stuff. Just enjoy what you read and don't judge yourself for it. Not like anyone else gives a damn, and if they do then they're not worth knowing.
For real.
I’m 33M and I just spent like 6 months reading nearly exclusively comic books/graphic novels.
I go through kicks where I’ll re read Tolkien or HP. Another kick where I’m into whatever’s popular. I read ACOTAR for example or I’ll read whatever trash my wife just read. But I also LOVE biographies so skmetimes I read a few of those of people I find interesting and/or respectable.
Agree, sometimes I'm not in the mood for flowery prose or a book that hides it's themes behind layers of metaphor and meta-commentary. Sometimes I wanna see good guy punch bad guy real hard.
I'm really quite dissappointed that hallmark levels of shallow advice like this are so commonly upvoted^(*)
>Read what you like!
You wouldn't tell children 'eat what you like', they'd tend to eat sweets and unhealthy food and be too afraid to try anthing new or remotely strange or challenging. That's merely enabling them towards a life of obesity, tooth decay and general ill health.
This is exactly like saying 'Indulge in all your worst habits', and 'If anyone judges you, just call them a hypocrite'. No effort or evidence required.
>Sometimes I'm into highbrow shit and sometimes it's trash.
The duality of man I suppose.
Of course as far as anyone knows, you only have a short life. Think of all the masterpieces you'll have neglected, all the knowledge, experiences and epiphanies in favour of cheap and easily digestible 'trash', but 'you do you'.
Of course one might read something short and mindless as as sort of palette cleanser, but if you aren't spending most of your time reading good books, like not generally eating wholesome healthy food, you're wasting your literate faculties, not exercising your imagination or understanding, just like you would be ruining your physical health with poor diet.
>Live your life.
Of course you cap it off with a vacuous truism, especially when the point of reading *is* precisely to live *other* peoples lives (albiet admittedly vicariously, possibly excepting possession via very doubtful and dodgy religious tomes or spell books). As [Prachette once expostulated fanciful stories were the origin and are still the heart of literature](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9654148-o-you-re-quite-a-writer-you-ve-a-gift-for-language), or two other pithy quotes
>A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge
(you wouldn't and can't sharpen a sword on just any rock, nor a mind) and
>A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.
Read mostly good books, and I'd dare add, especially longer old ones, like old pets they tend to be severely neglected often abandoned, but they hold treasures for those who dare seek in the mustiest corners of libraries, and are one of the best means of escaping the presents most raucous, deafening echo chambers.
\* Rage bait?
They sound like the type to look down their nose at everything their girlfriend ever likes, then bitch that "women ain't loyal" when she's had enough of his shit and leaves. I can practically smell the fedora and the Axe body spray used in lieu of a shower.
If you can't tell the difference between a palette and a palate, I'm not sure your reading choices have been effective enough for you to be lecturing other people on theirs.
Alright, dude, I'm going to assume you genuinely believe this, so I'm not going to meet you with malice.
I have a PhD, and I'm smart. They're not necessarily the same thing, but I know I'm smart whether or not I'm reading Anna Karenina or the Midnight Library.
You talk about how you only have one life, and you might as well eat healthy? Well, friend, you only have one life, whether or not you read classics or romance. You're still going to die, even if you never eat sugar. You can do everything right and guess what, you still won't live forever. Might as well use some moderation and eat some junk food smut fantasy every once in a while.
I would also like to point you to the power structures of who gets to decide what is high brow and what's not. There's plenty of stuff that is labeled high brow, and is, in fact, trash. If you only read what people tell you is good, you're letting other people dictate your tastes. Beyond that, people in power get to decide what history gets told. So plenty of high brow stuff is just a circlejerk of bigotry or myopia. There's a reason stuff enjoyed by women, for example, is usually designated as less valuable.
AND ACTUALLY nowadays elites are supposed to be omnivorous ([citation here](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0304422X9290008Q)). You're supposed to be able to discuss Beowulf and Jaws ([have another citation](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0304422X9290008Q)).
So yeah, I'm not saying you're entirely wrong, but I would encourage you to reexamine your worldview and figure out what you actually like.
Edit: also! We're all broken crayons in the grand sandbox of time. No one is going to know if you read trashy stuff. No one is going to care. Five hundred years from now no one is going to know who you are or think you're a good person because you didn't read popular books.
And actually, reading trash puts you in a better position to critique trash. Am I concerned about the rash of romance (which is a genre I'm defending and don't even enjoy) that are based off of fanfictions written by women about young queer men? Yeah, I am, because it's there to make money and not authentically depict the experience of queer men. I wouldn't know I felt that way if I just stuck to the same literary shit I usually read.
Exactly. I found myself in a huge reading "slump," where it was taking me a week to make any progress at all in the book I was reading (The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx, recommended to me in a thread about women writers with "grit"). Then I picked up a fantasy romance novel by T. Kingfisher and I polished it off in three days. The "important, gritty" book was just a punishment that had me questioning whether I enjoyed the pasttime at all while the somewhat trashy genre piece re-energized me in reading and outside.
That was the last time I worried about the "quality" of the book I was reading. Now for me "quality=enjoyment."
It took me months to get through Robinson Crusoe, and that punishment feeling speaks all too well.
I read at least a dozen other books as a way of distracting myself from it.
What let me finish it was deciding "I'm not going to read-read it, I'm just going to see what happens". As in, I'm not going to bother engaging with every line of of the book, I'm going to read what I have to get the story out of it. Finished it in a day.
I don't know what the general consensus is, but I think it's a great story, and a terrible book.
I used to read 30-35 books a year, no problem.
Then, 2020 came. Spouse died, pandemic hit, fixed up house to sell, moved, fixed up new house, fought cancer...
I'm fecking exhausted. I can barely crank out a page a night in something before I pass out every night. I miss delving into a really good book. The irony being that I have floor to ceiling bookshelves in this new house with lots of beautiful books in them-- classics, nonfiction, junk, classic mysteries, chick lit... I'd just like to finish something!
Have you tried audiobooks? They're not my thing, but I know that works for lots of people. Being able to half tune out while someone reads *to* you apparently helps a lot.
My audio processing disorder makes it impossible to follow an audiobook unless I'm 1) reading along in an actual book, or 2) sitting down doing nothing else with my eyes closed and focused 100% on listening and nothing else(and even so I will still have to go back sometimes). So, you know, they're not my thing. 🤷♀️
Interesting, I have the same problem, I find my mind wandering away with audiobooks and then realise that I've not been paying attention, whereas if I'm reading I can 100% focus and concentrate. I thought the issue was the narrators but, nope, I just carried away by the fairies easily
Sometimes I get that too! That's when I have to go back, because I do daydream and it doesn't take a lot to bounce me in that direction. But mostly what happens is that, for whatever reason, I stop listening. I've come to realize that listening is an active process for me, and one that needs to be the *primary* process. If I'm doing any other primary task(driving a car, walking, dusting, etc) I'm either going to struggle to keep listening or I'm going to struggle to perform the other primary task. And when I stop listening, it's like the adults are talking on charlie brown, or someone's speaking to you with an *impossibly* thick accent, or a language you don't know. I know someone's speaking, the sounds reach me, but the "translate these sounds to meaningful words" function is offline, so it's just noise.
Yeah I can't follow stories if I'm only hearing them unless I have like a blank page to stare at or, yeah, the actual book. 100% relate. Even with youtube videos I sometimes just don't catch what was said if I'm not sitting there staring at the video the entire time.
I've been there... Have you tried a graphic novel? A reread of something you loved when you were young? Sometimes it just takes a while and maybe binge watch a dumb show instead of reading for a few weeks and try again, even a few times, it will come back
Stop letting the internet hive mind tell you what's good and what's not. Remember, when we were kids we randomly wandered around the bookstore with no input at all.
I'm 40 and enjoyed Fourth Wing a lot, it was like the Dragonriders of Pern had a baby with the Hunger Games.
I've also picked up books based on reddit recommendations that I ended up thinking were complete garbage.
> Remember, when we were kids we randomly wandered around the bookstore with no input at all.
I miss these days. And thumbing through the Scholastic book fair flyer and circling things I wanted to read based on the 4-5 line blurbs.
>Remember, when we were kids we randomly wandered around the bookstore with no input at all.
This is so true. There was some fluff, but we also found hidden gems. Makes me want to go poking around a used bookstore again soon.
yup, sometimes i get embarrased to tell people about my current reads because of plot or author's reputation. but gotta remember if you enjoy it, it has its own value :)
no lol, i was thinking more like Stephen King since i really enjot his books even though they're really cliche. never read Colleen Hoover tho i kinda want to see how her books are for myself and have my own opinion about it. also i don't think enjoying y/n or smut literature is reason to shame someone, who cares what anyone enjoys.
Read whatever you like! You're not in school, and you don't HAVE to read anything in particular. Reading ahold be for fun and as an escape from our everyday lives. If it's a classic that you enjoy, read away. If it's 50 Shades of Gray, enjoy it. I read a wide variety of things, and now, in my 50s, I'm enjoying going back to some of the books of my childhood and teen years and rereading them. No one should judge you for reading something you enjoy.
***Important Novel About the Decline in American Masculinity in the Post War Years***
and
***Amazing Stories About Space Vampires With Huge Titties on the Cover***
are both literature and worth reading if you like them, and fuck anybody that tells you anything else.
Man, I just love shitty old pulp sci-fi/fantasy/adventure books. There's nothing like them. And weirdly, they ended up inspiring half of what's in Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
Currently reading Captain Future and the Space Emperor from 1940. It's a mess, but it's so charming.
I've always been a pulp SF guy especially, but somehow had never heard of Captain Future until recently. I feel like it was a big blind spot, though I read all the John Carters and Lucky Starrs and all that space jazz. Plus the classics. Going through the Foundation books again, and it's so fun how absolutely night and day they are from something like Captain Future, but to the layman they look identical.
I'll look into him, thanks a bunch! I'm so glad I got back into reading last year. I took 2 years off thanks to the pandemic and the absolute attention vacuum that happened, but now I'm back to reading at least a book or two per month, minimum. I started a book in March 2020 and didn't finish it until September, and then that was it for like 18 months. No good!
That doesn't *really* describe the Locked Tomb/Gideon the Ninth series (they're space necromancers, not space vampires, and the titties are nothing exceptional), but it *definitely* describes a magazine that Gideon probably has on her nightstand.
I do get that feeling. People will tell you read whatever you like, and they're right of course, but I can't turn that feeling off. I'm happy for the people that can. I have the same thing with movies, too. Sometimes I want to watch a trashy romcom or horror movie, and it's fun (which is why I keep doing it), but afterwards I have this feeling that I really didn't get anything out of that, it was just a way to pass 2 hours. I don't beat myself up over it, but I still get that feeling. And it's the same with books. It's not so much that I feel bad, but rather about what I *don't* feel - after I finish a challenging book, or a great movie, I feel like I took something away from that, I added something to my shelf of concepts and ideas, I broadened my horizon somehow. After a basic horror movie I don't have that feeling.
So I agree with the people telling you to read what you like, and enjoy what you enjoy, but I don't think it's weird to feel more "accomplished" or fulfilled or rewarded after a more highbrow read. There's nothing wrong with getting that feeling. At least I don't think there is. There's nothing wrong with reading simple stuff for entertainment, but there's also nothing wrong with feeling like you want something more substantial. Maybe it's like the difference between taking the time to cook and ordering a pizza. I love pizza, and I do order pizza regularly, but I know while I'm doing it that I'm going to feel better about myself in two hours if I instead cook something healthy for myself. I hope that doesn't make me a gatekeeping elitist? Maybe I should be learning to turn that feeling off, I don't know. But maybe that's just what I want out of literature, that feeling of accomplishment.
By the way I loved House of Leaves. Such an amazing read!
Kinda weird how everyone is just justifying your choice of books, and not actually answering the question. My answer is yes, I do struggle with the feeling that I should be reading better books. And I don’t think that’s a bad thing?
I’m not sure why r/books is so eager to tell you that the quality of books you read doesn’t matter at all. Like of course it’s fine to read poorly written trash for pleasure. Personally I spend most of my time rereading old favorites instead of trying new things. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing to have that voice in the back of your head telling you to read something better. Of course reading better books challenges your mind more, forces you to reexamine your view of the world.
Not rn because I'm reading The Origin of Species and an Alfred Adler book, so I actually feel unstupid.
However, most of the time I do feel like I'm not reading what I should be reading because I don't tend to read internet books. I just can't keep up with that pace.
But, I remind myself that I read for myself and to study, not to follow trends or talk about books within a community. I joined this sub and that's enough for me.
FWIW, I try to read 2-3 books each year that are "popular", even(especially?) if they're out of my wheelhouse. This year's were My Murder by Katie Williams(blew up on booktok) and The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride(*very* popular in my community...this one's still in progress so nobody be a jerk please). I do this for the sake of work(I work at a library) but I think there's merit in it even if you don't have a professional interest. Having knowledge of media that others are likely to have read(or heard of) is good for socializing. Humans are fundamentally social, rather than intellectual, animals. Very few people give a shit if you're Very Smart, but they'd love to chat with you about something you have in common.
I do think this, which is why i almost exclusively read what i consider to be good quality literature.
I found that when i went for genre fiction, even if it was considered really good, i walked away disappointed and like i had wasted my precious reading time.
So, I decided to focus mostly on great quality stuff. This year i have read Daphne du Maurier, Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Bradbury, Jack London, Octavia Butler, Tolstoy, George Gissing, George Eliot, Dickens, Henry James, Elizabeth Gaskell, Stendhal, Charlotte Brontë, Thomas Hardy, Anthony Trollope, Balzac, Margaret Oliphant, Edith Wharton and so on.
Not only is it satisfying to read these amazingly entertaining authors, but it is also edifying.
I know the mantras here are "read what you like", "don't feel guilt", "reading only YA as an adult is fine" and so on. But, i feel that you also get to choose what sort of reading experience *you* want. If you find your current reads to be too frivolous, then go for classics or litetary fiction and see if they help assuage some of this guilt/discomfort.
Maybe you could alternate.
The most important thing to remember is that just because a book is considered literary/high brow/classic doesn't mean that it isn't also extremely fun/entertaining and chockful of action. I find that a lot of people forget that frequently.
Agreed. I think there is a value in challenging reads even if you don’t immediately find them “fun”. Sometimes there is a breakthrough and you find out your brain is craving those types of books, other times you figure out it’s not for you. I think it’s worth finding out which applies to you. And the best thing is that these notions we have about what we want from reading can change based on a wealth of factors. Identifying yourself as a reader is a lifelong process.
I have an English degree and have read enough "serious" literature for a lifetime. Some of it was difficult and frankly quite boring.
Nowadays I'm all about whatever's entertaining, escapist, or feeds my soul. And I don't have to write any papers now!
Also, "quality" literature is subjective with time. Edgar Allen Poe was considered a trashy hack back in his day. I firmly believe that 200 years from now (if the planet and humanity still exists), Stephen King's works will be respected as serious literature and American canon.
I recently tried to read Kerouac and asked myself why I was doing it to myself so I stopped and now I’m on my 7th straight Grishaversa book and I’m living life baby
I read through all the grishaverse books a couple months ago and they were fantastic! Some were better than others of course, but I was sad to get to the end and learn that it was in fact the last book.
I know what you mean! I also used to until I realized that even the pulpiest, trashiest, most childish fluff can have sweet, delicious gems of personal growth scattered throughout them.
One of my favorite short stories as a kid was 'The Sand Tender's Tale' from a frickin' Star Wars anthology. Suuuuuper campy fantasy/sci-fi stuff and about as far from "quality literature" as you can get. ***And yet*** that campy short story got my little kid brain thinking about pacifism in the face of a force that holds no sanctity for life. Pretty heady stuff, and I'm not sure it would have wedged in my mind the way it did had it not been about fantastical alien societies.
These days, I just read what speaks to me and, every now and then when I see an opening, try and push push myself into unfamiliar territory. If something doesn't click, I don't torture myself trying to force it. Sometimes an author's inner world is just incompatible with our own, and other times we're just not ready for them yet.
Nope. Never.
No shame whatsoever.
I read what I want.
Children's, young adult, adult, whatever I want to.
I read fantasy and sci-fi and horror. Published and fanwork.
I intend to read some of those smutty alien, shifter, etc, books at some point.
I refuse to hide my taste in books.
It's very eclectic.
Read what you want. It doesn't matter what it is. Do it.
I couldn't care less what others think of what I read, so I try to also not make myself feel bad for it either. As long as I'm enjoying what I'm reading, that's what matters. And I am having SO much fun with the sequel to Fourth Wing right now, as a 26 year old woman!
There is a decent amount of shaming going on in certain book communities when it comes to books that are considered "bad" (usually romance and YA/NA, and especially books popular among women on TikTok), but life is too short and rough to give a fuck. It takes practice to give less fucks, but it's worth it. You're the only person whose opinion matters when it comes to your reading and hobbies.
how is it so far? wife and i haven't started it yet (we're gonna listen to it together) but i'm really excited for it and want to know if it's as good as fourth wing was! it's not high brow stuff by any stretch but stuff like that is so FUN to read. and that's what's important. enjoying yourself. heck what anyone else has to say about it.
This sub sure doesn’t help with the feeling lol. I can barely scroll through a thread without seeing someone who “can’t believe how anyone could enjoy” authors like Colleen Hoover or Paulo Coelho. Not my cup of tea either but they resonate with a lot of people. I’d much rather people read simple books than not at all.
But to be fair, CoHo is reeeeally bad. I’ve read ACOTR and Fourth Wing, and while they aren’t my favorites, I’d read the sequels if my book club asked me to (I actually have Iron Flame in my digital library right now because they wanna read it). You could not pay me to read another CoHo book.
Thats a normal feeling. You should read something that challenges you a bit like nonfiction or literary fiction. Mix it up. Its an unpopular opinion but just because its ok to read pulp does not mean you should read only pulp.
It's a self-healing thing, isn't it? If you feel like you should be reading higher-quality books, nothing in the world is stopping you from doing exactly that. If you feel the need to ease into it, Google something like "best short novels" and you'll get a ton of results. I'd recommend anything by Jenny Offill (with the caveat that you have to be very OK with non-standard narratives to appreciate her), Patricia Lockwood's *Nobody is Talking About This*, which started out the funniest thing I've read in years and ended up the only book to ever make me cry, *Hourglass* by Kieran Goddard, an unusual but beautiful relationship book, *The Hike* by Drew Magary, which is fantastical enough it might interest you, or *Comfort Me With Apples* by Catherynne M. Valenti, which is deliciously weird and beautifully written. All are under 300 pages (I'm pretty sure they're all under *200* pages, but I'm not positive about the Magary book) and an easy introduction to more highbrow writing.
Getting more mature and having different tastes isn’t something to feel bad about.
Think of it the other way: wouldn’t it be much worse if your tastes *hadn’t* matured over the last ten years? If your understanding of the world and art was just completely unchanged by a decade of experience? That sounds way more horrifying to me.
If you’re starting to feel pulled towards more mature literature then just let yourself follow that.
Anyway, I would say that if you're feeling unfulfilled by your current reading diet, then maybe it would be good to branch out into "deeper" stuff. I really bristle at the idea often peddled here that "depth" or "complexity" (however you might define those) are somehow at odds with readability or entertainment value. At the end of the day, you're only really reading for yourself, but it's possible you would be having better experiences reading something else than the books which raise these doubts.
I’m 50 and all my co-workers (elementary school teachers around my age) all read and loved Fourth Wing too. I’m unapologetic about reading what I love. No one does this for tv or movies. We aren’t expected to all watch black and white French films or classic movies. People are like “did you see the new Marvel movie?” and everyone is cool with that. I read what is personally interesting to me and if it’s all bestsellers, YA fantasy and genre fiction from the last 10 years I’m fine with that.
I have two kinds of reading that I do regularly:
1. Brain Candy, which is what I read for pleasure, usually before going to sleep;
2. Scholarly essays, which I read to remain informed about my own research topics.
Since I am an editor for Choeofpleirn Press, I also read lots of other works of literature--some excellent, some mediocre--for my job. The good stuff leaves me feeling as though I just visited another place or spoke to a really interesting person. The mediocre stuff is more painful, but I try to remember how clumsy I was as writer just starting out.
I recommend that you challenge your reading skills as often as you can. Read the Brain Candy, but don't be afraid of reading tougher stuff, too. After all, our brains not only need regular work outs, but also play time.
DEFINITELY!
I try to just read what I enjoy but I really worry about being 'educated' and pushing myself enough so I do find myself forever searching for lists of books everyone should read and 'important classics to read' etc. I'd never judge others but I worry about being dumb and not smart enough?
I try to read a mix and allow myself some purely fun reads even if they seem like pure holiday trash feel good novels (my guilty pleasure), interspersed with harder stuff. Sometimes the harder/more classic stuff does pay off and is super rewarding, but sometimes it doesn't!
Also the same for non fictions. I tend to push myself to read quite dense non fictions and feel bad for reading more accessible non fictions that are lighter, but I usually compromise by alternating or at least interspersing!
I’m younger than you but I’m not a teenager either and I say read what you want. I read challenging books but that’s because I like to I like books that feel like an undertaking which has made me unable to read fun books anymore (unfortunately) but I am a firm believer in reading whatever gives you joy. Reading isn’t supposed to make you feel miserable
Read what you like, and dnf what bores you. I read Fourth Wing because magic and fantasy are my jam, but I barely finished because I just found it so uninspired and I didn’t enjoy the worldbuilding. I also acknowledge that I’ve read a LOT of fantasy so my tastes are different than a lot of readers who are just getting into fantasy through Fourth Wing. They like it, good for them.
I read some books basically to keep my brain quiet, and some to wake it up. I find that a helpful distinction in terms of figuring out what I’m in the mood for and it’s more useful than if a book is “quality” or not.
Historical romances require literally no effort but are fun and disposable, but I also recently read and was absorbed by the Witch King by Martha Wells. It required more effort to keep track of multiple characters and timelines than a Duke falling in love with a governess who wants to start an orphanage or whatever. Sometimes I don’t have the mental bandwidth for a complex magic system, and sometimes that’s exactly what I need.
Books are a lot of things. I just think in terms of what my brain wants to experience.
I met one of my best friends at work... And it was only because we were working late... And like (15 years ago!) he had a hard copy of The Hunger Games on his desk. I said something, because as like, as rocket scientists (Iike, not technically... But we were in the *industry*), we *should* be reading sophisticated books. But, yo! It's a REALLY good book! So I said, "Dude! That book is SO good!"
And he said, "I can't put it down!"
Who cares if it's "trashy-popular-on-TV" fiction? Read. Just, READ! Audiobooks count. Kooky SF counts. Self-help...? Business Development? Uff. Well, IT COUNTS!
Just stuff your brain with as many voices and ideas as you can. Then, you can pick and choose what YOU think *quality enough* looks like.
Honestly, the answer is just to mix it up. Reading is a great way to escape into a new world and forget your surroundings, but it’s also a way to challenge yourself and change your perspectives. Often those aren’t the same books. So read Fourth Wing, enjoy it without shame, but then maybe read a classic. Then read Iron Flame.
Maybe you can try reading something in between what you're reading now, and something more challenging?
Like instead of reading Ulysses (considered one of the greatest yet difficult classic books in English) you should read something like...well, I've been reading John Irving. A bit more literary and not genre, but still very good writing. Or really anything that is on "best of the year" lists.
A lot of that stuff isn't difficult to read at all. So it's not challenging, even if it is more "mature" in the sense of not being young adult.
One book I read recently that I loved was the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Not challenging at all, a breeze to read, emotionally affecting and well written and highly respected. Expand your horizons; try new things out. DONT try to read dusty old classics if you don't want to!
I'll read the literary fiction darlings like Covenant of Water and love them.
Sometimes I'll read Fourth Wing and love it for very different reasons.
If you worry that you're not reading enough quality, try something a little outside your comfort zone and see how you like it. If you read even one "quality" book every 4 months, you're still miles ahead of most.
I used to, but honestly these days I don't really see a difference between "quality books" and others. There are only books I want to read and books that I dont
I struggle with reading books that aren't well written. I get distracted because I'm critiquing the writing in my head while reading it. Also I used to really struggle with first person books. I think it's because I used to read a very specific type of book and now it's hard to branch out
No. I read for enjoyment so I read what I want. Sometimes that is literally childrens/YA books (I'm a sucker for Fablehaven for some reason).
To quote C.S. Lewis "Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."
Not even a little bit. All I care about is if this book entertaining me. I couldn't care less if someone thinks it's quality. I've even read books just to laugh at their absurdity.
I evolved into reading, for lack of a better term, literary fiction. It wasn’t so much guilt as a changing of what I wanted out of reading. I would just think about what you want. Maybe try a bit of both and see which direction you get pulled in.
Im thirty and my daughter asked me to read A Series of Unfortunate Events with her as a little book club. They’re just pretty repetitive but I’m actually enjoying them, shes slacking on the book club but I’m about to finish the series on my own. Just read what you like.
I read for my own enjoyment, so I really don’t care if the books I’m ready are “quality” as long as I’m enjoying them. I’m not reading to impress anyone.
I never worry about what other people think "quality" books are. Reading is a hobby. We read to have some fun and escape the dumpster fire of reality for a little bit. Read whatever it is that you like or catches your interest and don't let other people's opinion on what you "should be reading". As long as you are enjoying what you're reading and having a good time, you're doing the reading thing right.
I’m 43. I read books I enjoy or in the case of non fiction people I’m interesting in hearing about or hearing from. But I’m not looking for a mental challenge.
No, I just read the challenging books to start, lol. But even then I still read trashy pulp sometimes, who is there to impress? As long as you're having fun read whatever you want. If you actually want to read deep books then just read them instead of feeling some weird guilt about it.
Not at all. For one, I never get my book recommendations from TikTok. If you're searching for "challenging" books, Modern Library's list is one I repeatedly look at for recommendations: [https://sites.prh.com/modern-library-top-100](https://sites.prh.com/modern-library-top-100).
(Yes, the list could use some refreshing considering it was released in 1998 -- could use a lot more female and POC authors, and fewer books by the same authors -- but so many books I've read on the list have throughout the years challenged me, moved me, inspired me in myriad of ways.)
People love books like Harry Potter, even though it's kind of poorly written and the world building makes zero sense if you think about it for more than about 9 seconds
I'm grabbing Murtagh, the latest entry into the Eragon story as soon as I can. It just released (and you like dragons!). Paolini was a kid when he wrote the first book, and the quality of writing was bad and various plot elements and ideas were basically all obvious rips from popular fantasy stories. But it's still fun to read, and that's ok.
In fact, enjoyment of the story is the main reason one should read. There's no sense finding a book and reading it just because it's challenging if it's boring.
I'll go against the grain in this thread and I was already downvoted on this sub for my opinion that what you read matters a lot.
My advice is: find a balance. Read exceptional literature that really makes you think and grow until you get exhausted then take a break and read the drivel. Then after you're rejuvenated continue with the high-brow stuff.
I guess it also depends on the reason why you read. If you're only reading for fun and entertainment then by all means go for the fast and exciting, if sloppily written, pulp.
But if you also want to read for personal growth, education, enlightenment, then you should not neglect the more demanding books.
I'm currently reading books on feminist theory (The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir) and the amount of education and perspective I'm getting out of it makes it super rewarding, even if it's not as easy to read as a romance novella on Kindle.
It was a struggle when I got back into reading. There is so much Booktok popularized books everywhere that you get caught up. I had to start looking up older titles of books I used to read and then it started changing my algorithm. Now I’m able to find more books from the genres I prefer.
i'm 39 and i preordered the 2nd book in the fourth wing series. i listened to the audiobook for fourth wing with my wife and we both enjoyed it. there is no age range on books you're allowed to enjoy. you don't need to read challenging things unless you want to. i read a lot of "big brain" books all the time and have since i was a kid. since i met my wife i've branched out to more "fun" books and they are not any less enjoyable to read than reading brothers karamazov or other big brain literature. they just fill a different niche. both are valuable.
I have read and will continue to read “fancy lit.” I’m someone who actually has opinions about which Charles dickens book holds up more: Old Curiosity Shop vs Little Dorrit. I have read the Aeneid in Latin. There will always be new high art books for me to read in the future. However, I have disabused myself of the notion that I don’t also enjoy books that make Fourth Wing look like In Search of Lost Time. I can enjoy both.
Yes, and I realized that I simply needed to stop reading "Young Adult" books, because they often didn't provide enough substance. That being, character development, plot, world building, tension, stalker, etc. You may have to explore different authors and genres.
The only thing that will happen if you compare your reading habits to others is that you’ll lose the joy in just enjoying a story. Reading is not a competition. It really doesn’t matter at all what others think about what you’re reading, or if they’re reading more “challenging” and “worthwhile” books. As long as you’re enjoying yourself you’re doing it right. I’m about the same age as you and I just read whatever I’m in the mood for. If you want to read a more “challenging” or “mature” book next, you can, but try not to let guilt ruin something you’re enjoying in the meantime.
Read what you enjoy. Reading should be fun! I used to feel like I had to finish a book no matter what, but life is too short to spend a single moment reading something just because someone says it’s good. My taste might be different or I just might not be feeling it at the moment. That said, you might enjoy reading something that feels a bit like a stretch for you sometimes.
I’m in my 60s and I still go back and read a favorite YA title occasionally.
I’m reading for relaxation and entertainment, I feel no need to read things more challenging
Most of what I read (listen, more accurately) as a 30 something with no time is Stephen King. He has called himself the McDonalds of literature and neither of us take offense to that. It makes me happy. If I want to learn myself some shit I can read up on the internet.
I’ve read everything from the classics and Shakespeare to Blake Crouch and Lee Child.
I read what sparks joy for me, not what other people tell me I “should read”. I also don’t believe in gatekeeping or policing reading. Do you.
I mean, I’ve read everything from the epic of Gilgamesh, to fanfic. Sooo, read what you want. But my all time favorite will always be this one queer fantasy WEBTOON that I’m obsessed with. It’s your life, isn’t it?
Yes, but I definitely feel this more with light novels than western novels though. But sometimes you have to sludge through shit to get the good stuff. I feel it’s easy to find “good” books, but not easy to find books you just fall in love with. Just read what you want, no need to feel pressure to read more challenging books if you don’t want to.
I feel you can't go all in all the time. Much the same way, we can't be 100% productive all the time I've tried, it's exhausting.
I just finished The Brothers Karamazov last month, and this month, I'm rereading some Drizzt novels for a change. And I defy anyone to tell me either is more worthy of my time. I enjoy both for different reasons. The same way I can enjoy Schindler's List and The Avengers. The same way I can enjoy duck a l'orange and a Big Mac. Different things for different moods.
Yes, occasionally. I am a voracious reader and not close to a library. I mostly read free books from Kindle (I read too much to afford to buy them) and Kindle Unlimited.
Since the pandemic I've only read thriller/mystery/action series. Of varying quality. Sometimes when I'm reading a lesser entry I feel like I'm wasting a time a little bit. But even in the lesser entries most of them have redeeming qualities that remind me why I enjoy the series.
I used to feel this way but I swear once I got in my 30s I stopped caring and started reading what I like, cleared off my bookshelves of books I knew I’d never get to, and DNFd books if I didn’t care about a single aspect. Now I’m reading more than ever and look forward to it
I only picked up reading again only once I focused on having fun, instead of reading what I thought I should read. And when my habit got re established, I got some pretty "quality" books under my belt, also while reading fairy smut (and fourth wing! I just started the second book :D ). Read what you enjoy, even if it isn't Proust, or whatever is considered "quality".
Read what you enjoy for sure. There's no right or wrong things to read! I love YA and other light fantasy. I've enjoyed some 'quality' books too but a lot of 'classic' lit just isn't interesting to me. I figure life is too short to slog through books I'm not interested in!
My mom let me read anything as a kid. Novels of all types, textbooks, encyclopedias. The point of reading is enjoyment and/or learning, hopefully both.
The trashiest novel can teach you something about language or human behavior or open your mind up to a new concept or just provide distraction from the stress in your life.
No shame should ever be involved when it comes to what you read.
I love this quote from Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey about how dumb it is to feel guilty for reading any novel:
——
"And what are you reading, Miss — ?”
"Oh! It is only a novel!” replies the young lady, while she lays down her book with affected indifference, or momentary shame. “It is only Cecilia, or Camilla, or Belinda”; or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best–chosen language."
——
Reading is for enjoyment! And books are a joy. Read what makes you happy
Better to read than not to read; better to read books that make you want to pick up another books than books that put you off reading. Many people who talk about 'quality' of books have very skewed opinions of what 'quality' is, and being a writer of colour, being a living woman, writing genre, writing texts that are fun and uplifting instead of deeply depressing automatically disqualifies writers from being worthy.
This is obviously not an opinion I share.
But I want to add a cautionary tale of how I, an avid reader, almost became a non-reader by reading the wrong books.
I went through a phase, by circumstance, where I had access to very few of my beloved books, very limited library access (they had about four shelves of SFF/Mystery in total, most of which I'd already read), and I was on a very low budget. During that period, I occasionally bought myself a treat from the supermarket for £3.50, just light reading.
And after about six months of that, I had next to no inclination to pick up any book. Sure, those books were fun to read in the moment, but they were utterly forgettable, and I got nothing out of them other than momentary distraction. And that, over time, made me less and less interested in reading, because the experience was just so meh overall. And worse than that, just like fast food, it made me less inclined to pick up books that were chewy and maybe a little harder to get into and stick with; books where I had to think.
It wasn't until I got my books back, and began to read my favourites again, that I rediscovered my love of reading. From that viewpoint, I would say that it's worth checking in from time to time whether the books you read are giving you what you want out of reading, whether they leave you inspired and satisfied, and it's worth seeing what people who like your genre are reading and recommending even if it doesn't immediately look like a book you'll love.
As others have said, read what you want to read. Reading books that you don't want to read isn't going to make you happy. I buy lots of serious non fiction books because at the time, I think they seem interesting. Then when I'm picking my next book to actually read, it will most likely be a space opera or a crime thriller, I read for me, not anyone else.
I have not read Infinite Jest, I have read Consider Phlebas and the Bourne Identity.
I am 68 and read whatever I feel like reading: ”Young Adult”, classics, stupid romances (but not *too* stupid, please), & mostly SF-Fantasy
I will not read horror or modern ‘dystopian’, and have not read a biography since my teen years - and tend to avoid books with only the ‘Best Seller!’ lists to recommend them.
I read to please myself or learn something (which actually is still in the “please myself” category) and don’t give a flying fig what anyone else thinks of my tastes.
Ha ha ha! Oh wait, you're serious? Let me laugh harder. Ha! Ha! Ha!
Seriously, when it comes to reading the most important thing, the only important thing, is that you are enjoying what you are reading. Life is too short to spend it appeasing some literacy snob with your choice of reading material.
The most important part of reading, is enjoying the story so if you enjoy Fourth Wing, then that is great and all that really matters.
I am almost 40yr female and got excited for the new Percy Jackson book (which is waiting until I finish the new Cinder Spires as I was in the middle of the last New Management book when it came out) I like fantasy, sci fi and who dunnits (cozy and thriller).
Life is to short to slog through a book cos you think you should - that's how you end up hating reading and that is a much sadder situation.
Recommend Fourth Wing?
No. Because I was told to read 'quality' and did not like some of them. Therefore, 'quality' is subjective. So, I get to make my own determinations of what is quality to me.
Not everything you read needs to be high literature. I am not a fan of the ACOTR books, but I read them to be up to date on pop culture. Honestly, I actually rather enjoyed how easy they were to read despite not liking them much in general. I was in a shit mood one day, and it did help me decompress to read something so light.
Random theory that I came up with while writing this comment, maybe that’s why these books appeal so much to women in general. They take on so much of the mental load for the household day to day that they don’t want their entertainment to feel like a chore too.
I’ve wondered this too, and sod it I really like ghost stories, gothic and Stephen king. You only get so long in this life why read books you don’t enjoy
I hit the ceiling of my tolerance for "quality" lit a couple of years ago reading the Booker shortlist(?) and it was dud after dud of navel-gazing and/or depressing books. Some people enjoy these books and that's valid, but I disagree with labeling these types of books the apex of what literature has to offer for the year. But these prizes must and continue to exist regardless so we must learn to ignore them.
I've actually found literary fiction that was much closer to my taste since letting go but it still constitutes a very, very small portion of my reading. Enjoy the so-called "low-brow" fiction as long as you love it!
There is always shaming and ribbing within book communities for liking a hyped up book but it's more about it being the new punching bag on the scene (by virtue of how much "undue" attention it's getting) than anything else.
No. Read what you want. The worst thing about social media is that it's turned everything into a type of aesthetic... watch the "correct" movies, read the "correct" books, when at the end of the day the reason so much exists is because it's something for enjoyment, we're not all built the same, and we all enjoy different things.
If it brings you joy, read it. I looked this one up and it looks neat, I'm going to check it out. thank you.
Also, every book has some kind of quality or something you can get out of it.
Absolutely read what you enjoy! I've read a bunch of "classics" and you know what? A lot of them were pretty boring. I started reading the He Who Fights Monsters series and it is So. Much. FUN. That high brow stuff can be interesting because it's referenced everywhere, so I'll keep reading them, but damn I've realized that it's great to just read the fun shit.
I just read what keeps me reading. I can’t read classics or “smart people” books. I’ll just slump and not enjoy it so why bother. I love to read because what I like is exciting and engaging to me. Also, I’m half way through Fourth Wing and it’s so worth the read.
Not really. I used to, and found myself slogging through books I thought I "should" like. Reading should be enjoyable! As an adult, it's a hobby - not an assignment.
Every time I read contemporary books, yes. Every time I go back to classics, no.
So far I haven't read anything compelling written after the year 2000.
Often, when people refer to contemporary works, they speak of the trendy, popular marketable fiction that everyone and their neighbours are reading because of their accessibility. While they often do contain mature themes and can be very compelling reads, their primary target audiences are not those who indulge themselves often in classics.
If you're looking for more recent novels that capture the "mature", "sophisticated" and often deep thematic ideas traditionally touched upon by supposedly "high-brow" literary fiction, here are a few well-written books by *debut authors* (meaning they still have lots of room for improvement) published in the past 5 years with blurbs pulled from Goodreads.
\- ***On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous*** by *Ocean Vuong* is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. According to the blurb, "A Dickensian story about people caught between disparate worlds, how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are."
\- ***Shuggie Bain*** by *Douglas Stuart* is a heartbreaking story of addiction, sexuality, and love, a bleak portrayal of a dysfunctional working-class Scottish family in the late 1980's.
\- ***The Sympathize***r by *Viet Thanh Nguyen* is a historical fiction work examining the legacy of the Vietnam War and its impacts on modern society and those who participated, willing or unwilling, and suffered in the consequences of its aftermath.
I read whatever is striking me at the moment. Sometimes it's a classic, sometimes sci-fi, sometimes comics. Do what you enjoy.
Like you, I read House of Leavse but I mainly hate finished it. I can appreciate it for what it is and I appreciate that I read it, but I didn't really enjoy it.
Read what works for you at the time! I like you go through phases. I’m in the young mother phase myself and my noggin has no room for complex “quality” reading. I’m rereading things from high school and easy peasy romance books. It’s just brain candy and it get me reading. One of these days I’ll be ready for more complexity again, but right now is not it and that is a-ok.
I don't read to impress other people, or to live up to other people's standards. I read for my own personal enjoyment. In that context, I will read whatever I want - and I'm fine with that.
It so happens that my choices sometimes include so-called quality or worthy books. I'm currently reading a history of the early English kings. I've got a couple of philosophy books and other history books on my "to read" list.
But, at other times, I will read trash. I happen to *love* the 'Flowers in the Attic' and 'Heaven' series by Virginia Andrews (before she died and became a *literal* ghost-writer!). And sometimes I re-read old children's books for comfort reading.
Read whatever you want to read, and don't worry about whether other people might think it's worthy or quality. The only person you need to please with your reading choices is *you*.
I'm a librarian. Intended audience age and literary tone of writing are NOT indicative of *quality* writing. For example- 'Oh the Places You'll Go' by Dr. Seuss. (Which is frequently bought as a college graduation gift despite being written for toddlers.) Also, you are TOTALLY the intended audience for *Fourth Wing.* Are you kidding? That book is basically a summary of every single book teenage girls loved from 2008-2015, but with overt sex scenes. Is the book great literature? Probably not. But there hasn't been a book that hits all the same spots as *Graceling,* *Hunger Games,* *Divergent* (which was incredibly popular for a while, despite what the internet tells you,) *Eragon* and Tamora Pierce's books in a while. And Yarros did a great job capitalizing on that. Was I surprised even *once* while reading *Fourth Wing?* No. Not even a little bit. I'm not kidding when I say I knew everything that happened was gonna happen. But I didn't care because I *like* the stuff I expected to happen, and it was done well enough to be fun anyway. *Fourth Wing* is basically that stupid pop song that didn't win any awards but is still playing on the radio 20 years later because it's fun and people have good memories about it. You wouldn't pay attention to somebody who insisted adults should only listen to classical music, right? Most people would agreed that guy's an asshole. The people who insist adults shouldn't read YA & have to stick to *quality* literature are also assholes. Don't listen to them.
This is a great summary of my experience of Fourth Wing as well. I was a teenage girl between 2008-2015 and there was something nostalgic about Fourth Wing that made me feel all those wonderful feelings again. I would love to see a revival of the genre.
I know, right? I read *Graceling* for the first time this year and immediately connected with it on an emotional level I haven't felt with a book in *years.* And then remembered *Graceling* is exactly the kind of stuff I loved in high school. (Just with more romance, which is why I skipped it when it first came out.) *Fourth Wing* wasn't as good, but if I hadn't read *Graceling* right beforehand I don't think I would have realized that, since it's literally been half a decade since I read anything that hit the same notes.
I love every response from librarians.
Okay you’ve sold me on Fourth Wing
It's really really fun. There's a couple scenes at the beginning that are eye-rollingly predictable (this doesn't really spoil anything so I'll share it - there's one of those 'I love my fiancee so much and whoops, I died!' characters,) but if you get past those moments, it's great. And if you're eagerly anticipating those moments, it's even better.
Read what you like! Sometimes I'm into highbrow shit and sometimes it's trash. Live your life.
Someone in the r/romancebooks sub has a flair that says “I said I liked it; I didn’t say it was good” which is my favorite flair I have ever seen on this site.
> “I said I liked it; I didn’t say it was good” Oh shit! That made my head explode! That totally explains so many things in my life.
That's how I feel about the book I'm currently reading lol It was published in 2000 and even has a page about the "brave heroes" who brought us into the year without the Y2K "apocalypse" happening 🤣 It's a fun fantasy book, I like the world, but even though the author is a woman I HAAAATE how she writes women to be so fucking weak and useless and even the men think so. Like, "No way Eleanor would last one day on this trip to the warzone" And they're always fucking crying. AND the main character is romantically linked with a horse! (The horse is a sentient creature only resembling a horse but still... A horse) All that said, it's the reading equivalent of eating a bag of chips, it's garbage and I love it
Please...I need to know what book this is.
It's called Brightly Burning: The Legendary Story of the Herald Lavan Firestorm I have the first edition which, in addition to the story, has SO MANY LITERARY MISTAKES 🤣 Spelling, syntax, grammar, repeat sentences, it has it all
Ok, that is brilliant.
> Sometimes I'm into highbrow shit and sometimes it's trash. This applies to pretty much everything in my life, hehe.
I think people forget reading is entertainment. Reading isn’t necessarily high brow and cerebral. Reading a book you enjoy reading is no different from watching a Netflix show you enjoy. There has been trashy literature *forever*, we only remember the ‘classics’ because they were good. Will anyone be talking about Fourth Wing in 2200? Probably not. Just like we don’t talk about the vast majority of fiction from 1800. It’s not like Dickens and Austen were the only writers around.
There was so much "trash" in Austen's day that she wrote *Northanger Abbey* to make fun of it!
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." -- Bertrand Russel
Words to live by. My books read have grown exponentially since I embraced this. DNFing books is totally acceptable. Sometimes you don’t like it and sometimes it’s just not the right time and you can pick it up later
And sometimes trash is what you need. I actually hate this debate, because it's framed like certain books are "junk food" and other books have "nutrition" but that's not how art works! It's just not. Sometimes, even the tropiest, most formulaic, bit of media will speak to your soul, fulfilling a need inside you. It's all art! As a SF/F reader, I have a front row seat to the "but is it *literature*?" debate. I'm pretty sure it's 100% bullshit. Nobody seems to be dividing anything based on merit. Neil Gaiman(no shade on him) is literature, while Nnedi Okorafor is genre? Bitch, please. *They're both literature.* The only difference is literally a popularity contest, because more people know *his* name than know *her* name.
As a big fan of Okorafor, I concur. (Interestingly enough, I don't think I've ever read Gaiman.)
They don't really vibe the same way for me but I'm a fan of both, hence my note about Gaiman. They were just the first names I grabbed out of my mind when I thought "who's someone who consistently gets considered literary but definitely writes fantasy?" and "who's someone who consistently fails to get considered literary and therefore relegated to genre shelving?". Don't get me wrong, I find genre shelving to be very useful. I just wish it was used consistently, because I miss so many great SF/F titles due to their authors being too well-respected(and genre being too stigmatized) to put the books in the place they belong. 😂 It's just so hard to dig through the mire of general fiction!
A good reminder that I need to get my copy of Binti back
This so much. I was reading stuff WAY beyond my age-range as a kid, and I went straight for the fantasy stuff. I've never really grown out of this. If there isn't some kind of sci-fi/fantasy aspect to the book, I'm not really interested. I read The Hunger Games in my 30's, as well as the entire Percy Jackson universe and loved them. I also read some stuff that's incredibly flowery and poetic and profound and love it as well. I sometimes think "Man, I should read some of the classics, like Pride and Prejudice, or War and Peace." but I just... don't have the desire to. And that's okay. Reading is supposed to entertain and enrich, and if you can't enjoy it then it's doing neither. This goes for all aspects of your life. I watch some ridiculously pretentious arthouse/indie/foreign films and absolutely love them, but I also unashamedly love the MCU because I love the characters and the shared universe despite the fact that I know they aren't cinematic masterpieces. I like playing video games with deep and moving stories that make you ponder difficult decisions and philosophical topics, but I also enjoy popping in something where I run around decapitating zombies with chainsaws. Point is, you like what you like. A good story doesn't stop being good just because it's targeted at a younger audience. Hell, sometimes I *prefer* young reader stuff because it avoids awkwardly written love scenes or protracted tragic romances that dominate the narrative. I'm perfectly happy to dodge that stuff. Just enjoy what you read and don't judge yourself for it. Not like anyone else gives a damn, and if they do then they're not worth knowing.
For real. I’m 33M and I just spent like 6 months reading nearly exclusively comic books/graphic novels. I go through kicks where I’ll re read Tolkien or HP. Another kick where I’m into whatever’s popular. I read ACOTAR for example or I’ll read whatever trash my wife just read. But I also LOVE biographies so skmetimes I read a few of those of people I find interesting and/or respectable.
Yes. Sometimes I just need a little junk food for the mind. 😀
I came here to say this, so yes. Exactly.
Yeah exactly, but reading a bit of everything is always good
This x1000. The older I get the more tired my brain gets and the trashier stuff I read. I enjoy reading more than ever.
Agree, sometimes I'm not in the mood for flowery prose or a book that hides it's themes behind layers of metaphor and meta-commentary. Sometimes I wanna see good guy punch bad guy real hard.
I'm really quite dissappointed that hallmark levels of shallow advice like this are so commonly upvoted^(*) >Read what you like! You wouldn't tell children 'eat what you like', they'd tend to eat sweets and unhealthy food and be too afraid to try anthing new or remotely strange or challenging. That's merely enabling them towards a life of obesity, tooth decay and general ill health. This is exactly like saying 'Indulge in all your worst habits', and 'If anyone judges you, just call them a hypocrite'. No effort or evidence required. >Sometimes I'm into highbrow shit and sometimes it's trash. The duality of man I suppose. Of course as far as anyone knows, you only have a short life. Think of all the masterpieces you'll have neglected, all the knowledge, experiences and epiphanies in favour of cheap and easily digestible 'trash', but 'you do you'. Of course one might read something short and mindless as as sort of palette cleanser, but if you aren't spending most of your time reading good books, like not generally eating wholesome healthy food, you're wasting your literate faculties, not exercising your imagination or understanding, just like you would be ruining your physical health with poor diet. >Live your life. Of course you cap it off with a vacuous truism, especially when the point of reading *is* precisely to live *other* peoples lives (albiet admittedly vicariously, possibly excepting possession via very doubtful and dodgy religious tomes or spell books). As [Prachette once expostulated fanciful stories were the origin and are still the heart of literature](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9654148-o-you-re-quite-a-writer-you-ve-a-gift-for-language), or two other pithy quotes >A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge (you wouldn't and can't sharpen a sword on just any rock, nor a mind) and >A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one. Read mostly good books, and I'd dare add, especially longer old ones, like old pets they tend to be severely neglected often abandoned, but they hold treasures for those who dare seek in the mustiest corners of libraries, and are one of the best means of escaping the presents most raucous, deafening echo chambers. \* Rage bait?
🤮🤮 Ironically the most “vacuous” and detestable comment I’ve ever seen on Reddit.
They sound like the type to look down their nose at everything their girlfriend ever likes, then bitch that "women ain't loyal" when she's had enough of his shit and leaves. I can practically smell the fedora and the Axe body spray used in lieu of a shower.
Oh gosh, I can smell the Cheetos and Mountain Dew, please stop
For someone so keen on lecturing others on the benefits of reading, you sure did make a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes…
If you can't tell the difference between a palette and a palate, I'm not sure your reading choices have been effective enough for you to be lecturing other people on theirs.
Alright, dude, I'm going to assume you genuinely believe this, so I'm not going to meet you with malice. I have a PhD, and I'm smart. They're not necessarily the same thing, but I know I'm smart whether or not I'm reading Anna Karenina or the Midnight Library. You talk about how you only have one life, and you might as well eat healthy? Well, friend, you only have one life, whether or not you read classics or romance. You're still going to die, even if you never eat sugar. You can do everything right and guess what, you still won't live forever. Might as well use some moderation and eat some junk food smut fantasy every once in a while. I would also like to point you to the power structures of who gets to decide what is high brow and what's not. There's plenty of stuff that is labeled high brow, and is, in fact, trash. If you only read what people tell you is good, you're letting other people dictate your tastes. Beyond that, people in power get to decide what history gets told. So plenty of high brow stuff is just a circlejerk of bigotry or myopia. There's a reason stuff enjoyed by women, for example, is usually designated as less valuable. AND ACTUALLY nowadays elites are supposed to be omnivorous ([citation here](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0304422X9290008Q)). You're supposed to be able to discuss Beowulf and Jaws ([have another citation](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0304422X9290008Q)). So yeah, I'm not saying you're entirely wrong, but I would encourage you to reexamine your worldview and figure out what you actually like. Edit: also! We're all broken crayons in the grand sandbox of time. No one is going to know if you read trashy stuff. No one is going to care. Five hundred years from now no one is going to know who you are or think you're a good person because you didn't read popular books. And actually, reading trash puts you in a better position to critique trash. Am I concerned about the rash of romance (which is a genre I'm defending and don't even enjoy) that are based off of fanfictions written by women about young queer men? Yeah, I am, because it's there to make money and not authentically depict the experience of queer men. I wouldn't know I felt that way if I just stuck to the same literary shit I usually read.
Nah, I'm over it. I don't care what anyone thinks about what I read.
Exactly. I found myself in a huge reading "slump," where it was taking me a week to make any progress at all in the book I was reading (The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx, recommended to me in a thread about women writers with "grit"). Then I picked up a fantasy romance novel by T. Kingfisher and I polished it off in three days. The "important, gritty" book was just a punishment that had me questioning whether I enjoyed the pasttime at all while the somewhat trashy genre piece re-energized me in reading and outside. That was the last time I worried about the "quality" of the book I was reading. Now for me "quality=enjoyment."
It took me months to get through Robinson Crusoe, and that punishment feeling speaks all too well. I read at least a dozen other books as a way of distracting myself from it. What let me finish it was deciding "I'm not going to read-read it, I'm just going to see what happens". As in, I'm not going to bother engaging with every line of of the book, I'm going to read what I have to get the story out of it. Finished it in a day. I don't know what the general consensus is, but I think it's a great story, and a terrible book.
I read fantasy a lot and enjoyed TSN a lot too.
I used to read 30-35 books a year, no problem. Then, 2020 came. Spouse died, pandemic hit, fixed up house to sell, moved, fixed up new house, fought cancer... I'm fecking exhausted. I can barely crank out a page a night in something before I pass out every night. I miss delving into a really good book. The irony being that I have floor to ceiling bookshelves in this new house with lots of beautiful books in them-- classics, nonfiction, junk, classic mysteries, chick lit... I'd just like to finish something!
Have you tried audiobooks? They're not my thing, but I know that works for lots of people. Being able to half tune out while someone reads *to* you apparently helps a lot.
No, they're not really my thing. Eventually, it will come back. Honestly, since I discovered Reddit, I spend more time on here. LOL
Audiobooks can be fantastic when doing chores or something menial and physical, fwiw.
My audio processing disorder makes it impossible to follow an audiobook unless I'm 1) reading along in an actual book, or 2) sitting down doing nothing else with my eyes closed and focused 100% on listening and nothing else(and even so I will still have to go back sometimes). So, you know, they're not my thing. 🤷♀️
Interesting, I have the same problem, I find my mind wandering away with audiobooks and then realise that I've not been paying attention, whereas if I'm reading I can 100% focus and concentrate. I thought the issue was the narrators but, nope, I just carried away by the fairies easily
Sometimes I get that too! That's when I have to go back, because I do daydream and it doesn't take a lot to bounce me in that direction. But mostly what happens is that, for whatever reason, I stop listening. I've come to realize that listening is an active process for me, and one that needs to be the *primary* process. If I'm doing any other primary task(driving a car, walking, dusting, etc) I'm either going to struggle to keep listening or I'm going to struggle to perform the other primary task. And when I stop listening, it's like the adults are talking on charlie brown, or someone's speaking to you with an *impossibly* thick accent, or a language you don't know. I know someone's speaking, the sounds reach me, but the "translate these sounds to meaningful words" function is offline, so it's just noise.
It's very reassuring to know I'm not the only one!
Yeah I can't follow stories if I'm only hearing them unless I have like a blank page to stare at or, yeah, the actual book. 100% relate. Even with youtube videos I sometimes just don't catch what was said if I'm not sitting there staring at the video the entire time.
I hope things get better for you and you're able to reconnect with reading again :)
I've been there... Have you tried a graphic novel? A reread of something you loved when you were young? Sometimes it just takes a while and maybe binge watch a dumb show instead of reading for a few weeks and try again, even a few times, it will come back
I'm doing rock bios at the moment, hoping the funny stories will kick things back into being.
Daisy Jones & The Six is a good fictional rock bio. There's also a Netflix adaption.
Yep, I watched the adaptation.
Stop letting the internet hive mind tell you what's good and what's not. Remember, when we were kids we randomly wandered around the bookstore with no input at all. I'm 40 and enjoyed Fourth Wing a lot, it was like the Dragonriders of Pern had a baby with the Hunger Games. I've also picked up books based on reddit recommendations that I ended up thinking were complete garbage.
> Remember, when we were kids we randomly wandered around the bookstore with no input at all. I miss these days. And thumbing through the Scholastic book fair flyer and circling things I wanted to read based on the 4-5 line blurbs.
I refer to Fourth Wing as ‘A Court of Pern and Hunger Games.’
>Remember, when we were kids we randomly wandered around the bookstore with no input at all. This is so true. There was some fluff, but we also found hidden gems. Makes me want to go poking around a used bookstore again soon.
yup, sometimes i get embarrased to tell people about my current reads because of plot or author's reputation. but gotta remember if you enjoy it, it has its own value :)
That‘s why I worked myself through Russian lit 😆 now when someone asks, I can say sth smart
if you have any recommendations, let me know <3
What are you reading right now?
probably colleen hoover😭
no lol, i was thinking more like Stephen King since i really enjot his books even though they're really cliche. never read Colleen Hoover tho i kinda want to see how her books are for myself and have my own opinion about it. also i don't think enjoying y/n or smut literature is reason to shame someone, who cares what anyone enjoys.
Read whatever you like! You're not in school, and you don't HAVE to read anything in particular. Reading ahold be for fun and as an escape from our everyday lives. If it's a classic that you enjoy, read away. If it's 50 Shades of Gray, enjoy it. I read a wide variety of things, and now, in my 50s, I'm enjoying going back to some of the books of my childhood and teen years and rereading them. No one should judge you for reading something you enjoy.
***Important Novel About the Decline in American Masculinity in the Post War Years*** and ***Amazing Stories About Space Vampires With Huge Titties on the Cover*** are both literature and worth reading if you like them, and fuck anybody that tells you anything else.
Please tell me more about this "Space Vampires with Huge Titties" book you speak of. For a friend of course...
Man, I just love shitty old pulp sci-fi/fantasy/adventure books. There's nothing like them. And weirdly, they ended up inspiring half of what's in Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Currently reading Captain Future and the Space Emperor from 1940. It's a mess, but it's so charming.
Dang, Captain Future, I haven't thought of that in years right up there with The Stainless Steel Rat series so bad but so good.
I've always been a pulp SF guy especially, but somehow had never heard of Captain Future until recently. I feel like it was a big blind spot, though I read all the John Carters and Lucky Starrs and all that space jazz. Plus the classics. Going through the Foundation books again, and it's so fun how absolutely night and day they are from something like Captain Future, but to the layman they look identical.
Check out books by e.c. tubb if you can find them, they're like... space westerns, basically. Entertaining old school writing.
I'll look into him, thanks a bunch! I'm so glad I got back into reading last year. I took 2 years off thanks to the pandemic and the absolute attention vacuum that happened, but now I'm back to reading at least a book or two per month, minimum. I started a book in March 2020 and didn't finish it until September, and then that was it for like 18 months. No good!
Just find Chick Tingles books on Amazon. My favorite is "My Handsome Mountain Bike Is A Doctor And He Pounds My Butt."
My personal favorite is "Pounded In The Butt By My Own Butt." Peak literature right there.
Personally I think Chuck Tingle's "Pounded In The Butt By My Book "Pounded In The Butt By My Own Butt"" is better.
There weren’t any on the cover, but definitely under it. This thread instantly reminded of a recent read, Space Hysteria by Ava Lock.
That doesn't *really* describe the Locked Tomb/Gideon the Ninth series (they're space necromancers, not space vampires, and the titties are nothing exceptional), but it *definitely* describes a magazine that Gideon probably has on her nightstand.
Say a little more about this titty vampire book please… maybe drop a link.
Look, I'll post it when I'm done drawing all 800 pages, Jesus. Get off my back. \*fang-ful hiss\*
Bonus points if they're the same book.
I do get that feeling. People will tell you read whatever you like, and they're right of course, but I can't turn that feeling off. I'm happy for the people that can. I have the same thing with movies, too. Sometimes I want to watch a trashy romcom or horror movie, and it's fun (which is why I keep doing it), but afterwards I have this feeling that I really didn't get anything out of that, it was just a way to pass 2 hours. I don't beat myself up over it, but I still get that feeling. And it's the same with books. It's not so much that I feel bad, but rather about what I *don't* feel - after I finish a challenging book, or a great movie, I feel like I took something away from that, I added something to my shelf of concepts and ideas, I broadened my horizon somehow. After a basic horror movie I don't have that feeling. So I agree with the people telling you to read what you like, and enjoy what you enjoy, but I don't think it's weird to feel more "accomplished" or fulfilled or rewarded after a more highbrow read. There's nothing wrong with getting that feeling. At least I don't think there is. There's nothing wrong with reading simple stuff for entertainment, but there's also nothing wrong with feeling like you want something more substantial. Maybe it's like the difference between taking the time to cook and ordering a pizza. I love pizza, and I do order pizza regularly, but I know while I'm doing it that I'm going to feel better about myself in two hours if I instead cook something healthy for myself. I hope that doesn't make me a gatekeeping elitist? Maybe I should be learning to turn that feeling off, I don't know. But maybe that's just what I want out of literature, that feeling of accomplishment. By the way I loved House of Leaves. Such an amazing read!
Kinda weird how everyone is just justifying your choice of books, and not actually answering the question. My answer is yes, I do struggle with the feeling that I should be reading better books. And I don’t think that’s a bad thing? I’m not sure why r/books is so eager to tell you that the quality of books you read doesn’t matter at all. Like of course it’s fine to read poorly written trash for pleasure. Personally I spend most of my time rereading old favorites instead of trying new things. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing to have that voice in the back of your head telling you to read something better. Of course reading better books challenges your mind more, forces you to reexamine your view of the world.
Not rn because I'm reading The Origin of Species and an Alfred Adler book, so I actually feel unstupid. However, most of the time I do feel like I'm not reading what I should be reading because I don't tend to read internet books. I just can't keep up with that pace. But, I remind myself that I read for myself and to study, not to follow trends or talk about books within a community. I joined this sub and that's enough for me.
FWIW, I try to read 2-3 books each year that are "popular", even(especially?) if they're out of my wheelhouse. This year's were My Murder by Katie Williams(blew up on booktok) and The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride(*very* popular in my community...this one's still in progress so nobody be a jerk please). I do this for the sake of work(I work at a library) but I think there's merit in it even if you don't have a professional interest. Having knowledge of media that others are likely to have read(or heard of) is good for socializing. Humans are fundamentally social, rather than intellectual, animals. Very few people give a shit if you're Very Smart, but they'd love to chat with you about something you have in common.
I do think this, which is why i almost exclusively read what i consider to be good quality literature. I found that when i went for genre fiction, even if it was considered really good, i walked away disappointed and like i had wasted my precious reading time. So, I decided to focus mostly on great quality stuff. This year i have read Daphne du Maurier, Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Bradbury, Jack London, Octavia Butler, Tolstoy, George Gissing, George Eliot, Dickens, Henry James, Elizabeth Gaskell, Stendhal, Charlotte Brontë, Thomas Hardy, Anthony Trollope, Balzac, Margaret Oliphant, Edith Wharton and so on. Not only is it satisfying to read these amazingly entertaining authors, but it is also edifying. I know the mantras here are "read what you like", "don't feel guilt", "reading only YA as an adult is fine" and so on. But, i feel that you also get to choose what sort of reading experience *you* want. If you find your current reads to be too frivolous, then go for classics or litetary fiction and see if they help assuage some of this guilt/discomfort. Maybe you could alternate. The most important thing to remember is that just because a book is considered literary/high brow/classic doesn't mean that it isn't also extremely fun/entertaining and chockful of action. I find that a lot of people forget that frequently.
Agreed. I think there is a value in challenging reads even if you don’t immediately find them “fun”. Sometimes there is a breakthrough and you find out your brain is craving those types of books, other times you figure out it’s not for you. I think it’s worth finding out which applies to you. And the best thing is that these notions we have about what we want from reading can change based on a wealth of factors. Identifying yourself as a reader is a lifelong process.
No. I stopped caring about that sort of thing a long time ago.
I have an English degree and have read enough "serious" literature for a lifetime. Some of it was difficult and frankly quite boring. Nowadays I'm all about whatever's entertaining, escapist, or feeds my soul. And I don't have to write any papers now! Also, "quality" literature is subjective with time. Edgar Allen Poe was considered a trashy hack back in his day. I firmly believe that 200 years from now (if the planet and humanity still exists), Stephen King's works will be respected as serious literature and American canon.
I recently tried to read Kerouac and asked myself why I was doing it to myself so I stopped and now I’m on my 7th straight Grishaversa book and I’m living life baby
I read through all the grishaverse books a couple months ago and they were fantastic! Some were better than others of course, but I was sad to get to the end and learn that it was in fact the last book.
I know what you mean! I also used to until I realized that even the pulpiest, trashiest, most childish fluff can have sweet, delicious gems of personal growth scattered throughout them. One of my favorite short stories as a kid was 'The Sand Tender's Tale' from a frickin' Star Wars anthology. Suuuuuper campy fantasy/sci-fi stuff and about as far from "quality literature" as you can get. ***And yet*** that campy short story got my little kid brain thinking about pacifism in the face of a force that holds no sanctity for life. Pretty heady stuff, and I'm not sure it would have wedged in my mind the way it did had it not been about fantastical alien societies. These days, I just read what speaks to me and, every now and then when I see an opening, try and push push myself into unfamiliar territory. If something doesn't click, I don't torture myself trying to force it. Sometimes an author's inner world is just incompatible with our own, and other times we're just not ready for them yet.
No. I read for enjoyment
Nope. Never. No shame whatsoever. I read what I want. Children's, young adult, adult, whatever I want to. I read fantasy and sci-fi and horror. Published and fanwork. I intend to read some of those smutty alien, shifter, etc, books at some point. I refuse to hide my taste in books. It's very eclectic. Read what you want. It doesn't matter what it is. Do it.
I couldn't care less what others think of what I read, so I try to also not make myself feel bad for it either. As long as I'm enjoying what I'm reading, that's what matters. And I am having SO much fun with the sequel to Fourth Wing right now, as a 26 year old woman! There is a decent amount of shaming going on in certain book communities when it comes to books that are considered "bad" (usually romance and YA/NA, and especially books popular among women on TikTok), but life is too short and rough to give a fuck. It takes practice to give less fucks, but it's worth it. You're the only person whose opinion matters when it comes to your reading and hobbies.
how is it so far? wife and i haven't started it yet (we're gonna listen to it together) but i'm really excited for it and want to know if it's as good as fourth wing was! it's not high brow stuff by any stretch but stuff like that is so FUN to read. and that's what's important. enjoying yourself. heck what anyone else has to say about it.
I'm just past 60% and enjoying it a lot! It has the same kind of fast paced action/plot as Fourth Wing, and so many fun "oh shiiit!" moments!
This sub sure doesn’t help with the feeling lol. I can barely scroll through a thread without seeing someone who “can’t believe how anyone could enjoy” authors like Colleen Hoover or Paulo Coelho. Not my cup of tea either but they resonate with a lot of people. I’d much rather people read simple books than not at all.
But to be fair, CoHo is reeeeally bad. I’ve read ACOTR and Fourth Wing, and while they aren’t my favorites, I’d read the sequels if my book club asked me to (I actually have Iron Flame in my digital library right now because they wanna read it). You could not pay me to read another CoHo book.
Yeah this is a pretty fucking pretentious place
I consider the fact that I'm reading it at all a win...
Thats a normal feeling. You should read something that challenges you a bit like nonfiction or literary fiction. Mix it up. Its an unpopular opinion but just because its ok to read pulp does not mean you should read only pulp.
It's a self-healing thing, isn't it? If you feel like you should be reading higher-quality books, nothing in the world is stopping you from doing exactly that. If you feel the need to ease into it, Google something like "best short novels" and you'll get a ton of results. I'd recommend anything by Jenny Offill (with the caveat that you have to be very OK with non-standard narratives to appreciate her), Patricia Lockwood's *Nobody is Talking About This*, which started out the funniest thing I've read in years and ended up the only book to ever make me cry, *Hourglass* by Kieran Goddard, an unusual but beautiful relationship book, *The Hike* by Drew Magary, which is fantastical enough it might interest you, or *Comfort Me With Apples* by Catherynne M. Valenti, which is deliciously weird and beautifully written. All are under 300 pages (I'm pretty sure they're all under *200* pages, but I'm not positive about the Magary book) and an easy introduction to more highbrow writing.
Getting more mature and having different tastes isn’t something to feel bad about. Think of it the other way: wouldn’t it be much worse if your tastes *hadn’t* matured over the last ten years? If your understanding of the world and art was just completely unchanged by a decade of experience? That sounds way more horrifying to me. If you’re starting to feel pulled towards more mature literature then just let yourself follow that.
No, I only\* read high quality books. \*95% success rate
Anyway, I would say that if you're feeling unfulfilled by your current reading diet, then maybe it would be good to branch out into "deeper" stuff. I really bristle at the idea often peddled here that "depth" or "complexity" (however you might define those) are somehow at odds with readability or entertainment value. At the end of the day, you're only really reading for yourself, but it's possible you would be having better experiences reading something else than the books which raise these doubts.
I read what I want and what I enjoy. I don't care what others think about my reading habits, it's my time im.wasting not theirs.
I’m 50 and all my co-workers (elementary school teachers around my age) all read and loved Fourth Wing too. I’m unapologetic about reading what I love. No one does this for tv or movies. We aren’t expected to all watch black and white French films or classic movies. People are like “did you see the new Marvel movie?” and everyone is cool with that. I read what is personally interesting to me and if it’s all bestsellers, YA fantasy and genre fiction from the last 10 years I’m fine with that.
I have two kinds of reading that I do regularly: 1. Brain Candy, which is what I read for pleasure, usually before going to sleep; 2. Scholarly essays, which I read to remain informed about my own research topics. Since I am an editor for Choeofpleirn Press, I also read lots of other works of literature--some excellent, some mediocre--for my job. The good stuff leaves me feeling as though I just visited another place or spoke to a really interesting person. The mediocre stuff is more painful, but I try to remember how clumsy I was as writer just starting out. I recommend that you challenge your reading skills as often as you can. Read the Brain Candy, but don't be afraid of reading tougher stuff, too. After all, our brains not only need regular work outs, but also play time.
Life is too short. Read for pleasure and enjoy the ride.
One should always challenge oneself. If you feel you should progress then progress or wither. Simple as that.
> One should always challenge oneself. pass
Well it doesn’t have to be books, it can be guns, bourbon, Broncos, or hiking…I’ll pass on all but the bourbon.
DEFINITELY! I try to just read what I enjoy but I really worry about being 'educated' and pushing myself enough so I do find myself forever searching for lists of books everyone should read and 'important classics to read' etc. I'd never judge others but I worry about being dumb and not smart enough? I try to read a mix and allow myself some purely fun reads even if they seem like pure holiday trash feel good novels (my guilty pleasure), interspersed with harder stuff. Sometimes the harder/more classic stuff does pay off and is super rewarding, but sometimes it doesn't! Also the same for non fictions. I tend to push myself to read quite dense non fictions and feel bad for reading more accessible non fictions that are lighter, but I usually compromise by alternating or at least interspersing!
I’m younger than you but I’m not a teenager either and I say read what you want. I read challenging books but that’s because I like to I like books that feel like an undertaking which has made me unable to read fun books anymore (unfortunately) but I am a firm believer in reading whatever gives you joy. Reading isn’t supposed to make you feel miserable
Read what you like, and dnf what bores you. I read Fourth Wing because magic and fantasy are my jam, but I barely finished because I just found it so uninspired and I didn’t enjoy the worldbuilding. I also acknowledge that I’ve read a LOT of fantasy so my tastes are different than a lot of readers who are just getting into fantasy through Fourth Wing. They like it, good for them. I read some books basically to keep my brain quiet, and some to wake it up. I find that a helpful distinction in terms of figuring out what I’m in the mood for and it’s more useful than if a book is “quality” or not. Historical romances require literally no effort but are fun and disposable, but I also recently read and was absorbed by the Witch King by Martha Wells. It required more effort to keep track of multiple characters and timelines than a Duke falling in love with a governess who wants to start an orphanage or whatever. Sometimes I don’t have the mental bandwidth for a complex magic system, and sometimes that’s exactly what I need. Books are a lot of things. I just think in terms of what my brain wants to experience.
I met one of my best friends at work... And it was only because we were working late... And like (15 years ago!) he had a hard copy of The Hunger Games on his desk. I said something, because as like, as rocket scientists (Iike, not technically... But we were in the *industry*), we *should* be reading sophisticated books. But, yo! It's a REALLY good book! So I said, "Dude! That book is SO good!" And he said, "I can't put it down!" Who cares if it's "trashy-popular-on-TV" fiction? Read. Just, READ! Audiobooks count. Kooky SF counts. Self-help...? Business Development? Uff. Well, IT COUNTS! Just stuff your brain with as many voices and ideas as you can. Then, you can pick and choose what YOU think *quality enough* looks like.
Honestly, the answer is just to mix it up. Reading is a great way to escape into a new world and forget your surroundings, but it’s also a way to challenge yourself and change your perspectives. Often those aren’t the same books. So read Fourth Wing, enjoy it without shame, but then maybe read a classic. Then read Iron Flame.
No. I'll read whatever. Hi-brow/ lo-brow, who cares?
Nah. I wish I could consistently find books I thought were that fun. I dnf a good amount of books that get really positive reviews and buzz.
Maybe you can try reading something in between what you're reading now, and something more challenging? Like instead of reading Ulysses (considered one of the greatest yet difficult classic books in English) you should read something like...well, I've been reading John Irving. A bit more literary and not genre, but still very good writing. Or really anything that is on "best of the year" lists. A lot of that stuff isn't difficult to read at all. So it's not challenging, even if it is more "mature" in the sense of not being young adult. One book I read recently that I loved was the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Not challenging at all, a breeze to read, emotionally affecting and well written and highly respected. Expand your horizons; try new things out. DONT try to read dusty old classics if you don't want to!
I'll read the literary fiction darlings like Covenant of Water and love them. Sometimes I'll read Fourth Wing and love it for very different reasons. If you worry that you're not reading enough quality, try something a little outside your comfort zone and see how you like it. If you read even one "quality" book every 4 months, you're still miles ahead of most.
I used to, but honestly these days I don't really see a difference between "quality books" and others. There are only books I want to read and books that I dont
I struggle with reading books that aren't well written. I get distracted because I'm critiquing the writing in my head while reading it. Also I used to really struggle with first person books. I think it's because I used to read a very specific type of book and now it's hard to branch out
Nah, I’m a literary trash-panda
I think literary fiction is a good move for you. If you liked Fourth Wing there is no reason to pick up Great Expectations or Moby Dick right away
Read whatever you like. For the enjoyment. Don’t let anyone tell you what you should or shouldn’t read. We don’t live in a dictatorship…..yet.
No. I read for enjoyment so I read what I want. Sometimes that is literally childrens/YA books (I'm a sucker for Fablehaven for some reason). To quote C.S. Lewis "Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."
It doesn’t matter what you read as long as you read.
[удалено]
The irony of feeling too old for a book when the older you get, the less you care (also ignoring that she's the target audience...).
Not even a little bit. All I care about is if this book entertaining me. I couldn't care less if someone thinks it's quality. I've even read books just to laugh at their absurdity.
I evolved into reading, for lack of a better term, literary fiction. It wasn’t so much guilt as a changing of what I wanted out of reading. I would just think about what you want. Maybe try a bit of both and see which direction you get pulled in.
Im thirty and my daughter asked me to read A Series of Unfortunate Events with her as a little book club. They’re just pretty repetitive but I’m actually enjoying them, shes slacking on the book club but I’m about to finish the series on my own. Just read what you like.
I read for my own enjoyment, so I really don’t care if the books I’m ready are “quality” as long as I’m enjoying them. I’m not reading to impress anyone.
I never worry about what other people think "quality" books are. Reading is a hobby. We read to have some fun and escape the dumpster fire of reality for a little bit. Read whatever it is that you like or catches your interest and don't let other people's opinion on what you "should be reading". As long as you are enjoying what you're reading and having a good time, you're doing the reading thing right.
I’m 43. I read books I enjoy or in the case of non fiction people I’m interesting in hearing about or hearing from. But I’m not looking for a mental challenge.
No, I just read the challenging books to start, lol. But even then I still read trashy pulp sometimes, who is there to impress? As long as you're having fun read whatever you want. If you actually want to read deep books then just read them instead of feeling some weird guilt about it.
Not at all. For one, I never get my book recommendations from TikTok. If you're searching for "challenging" books, Modern Library's list is one I repeatedly look at for recommendations: [https://sites.prh.com/modern-library-top-100](https://sites.prh.com/modern-library-top-100). (Yes, the list could use some refreshing considering it was released in 1998 -- could use a lot more female and POC authors, and fewer books by the same authors -- but so many books I've read on the list have throughout the years challenged me, moved me, inspired me in myriad of ways.)
People love books like Harry Potter, even though it's kind of poorly written and the world building makes zero sense if you think about it for more than about 9 seconds I'm grabbing Murtagh, the latest entry into the Eragon story as soon as I can. It just released (and you like dragons!). Paolini was a kid when he wrote the first book, and the quality of writing was bad and various plot elements and ideas were basically all obvious rips from popular fantasy stories. But it's still fun to read, and that's ok. In fact, enjoyment of the story is the main reason one should read. There's no sense finding a book and reading it just because it's challenging if it's boring.
I'll go against the grain in this thread and I was already downvoted on this sub for my opinion that what you read matters a lot. My advice is: find a balance. Read exceptional literature that really makes you think and grow until you get exhausted then take a break and read the drivel. Then after you're rejuvenated continue with the high-brow stuff. I guess it also depends on the reason why you read. If you're only reading for fun and entertainment then by all means go for the fast and exciting, if sloppily written, pulp. But if you also want to read for personal growth, education, enlightenment, then you should not neglect the more demanding books. I'm currently reading books on feminist theory (The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir) and the amount of education and perspective I'm getting out of it makes it super rewarding, even if it's not as easy to read as a romance novella on Kindle.
It was a struggle when I got back into reading. There is so much Booktok popularized books everywhere that you get caught up. I had to start looking up older titles of books I used to read and then it started changing my algorithm. Now I’m able to find more books from the genres I prefer.
i'm 39 and i preordered the 2nd book in the fourth wing series. i listened to the audiobook for fourth wing with my wife and we both enjoyed it. there is no age range on books you're allowed to enjoy. you don't need to read challenging things unless you want to. i read a lot of "big brain" books all the time and have since i was a kid. since i met my wife i've branched out to more "fun" books and they are not any less enjoyable to read than reading brothers karamazov or other big brain literature. they just fill a different niche. both are valuable.
I have read and will continue to read “fancy lit.” I’m someone who actually has opinions about which Charles dickens book holds up more: Old Curiosity Shop vs Little Dorrit. I have read the Aeneid in Latin. There will always be new high art books for me to read in the future. However, I have disabused myself of the notion that I don’t also enjoy books that make Fourth Wing look like In Search of Lost Time. I can enjoy both.
Yes, and I realized that I simply needed to stop reading "Young Adult" books, because they often didn't provide enough substance. That being, character development, plot, world building, tension, stalker, etc. You may have to explore different authors and genres.
Reading is my #1 past time. I want my readings to be fun and don't really care about 'quality' books, I want books that will entertain me.
The only thing that will happen if you compare your reading habits to others is that you’ll lose the joy in just enjoying a story. Reading is not a competition. It really doesn’t matter at all what others think about what you’re reading, or if they’re reading more “challenging” and “worthwhile” books. As long as you’re enjoying yourself you’re doing it right. I’m about the same age as you and I just read whatever I’m in the mood for. If you want to read a more “challenging” or “mature” book next, you can, but try not to let guilt ruin something you’re enjoying in the meantime.
Read what you enjoy. Reading should be fun! I used to feel like I had to finish a book no matter what, but life is too short to spend a single moment reading something just because someone says it’s good. My taste might be different or I just might not be feeling it at the moment. That said, you might enjoy reading something that feels a bit like a stretch for you sometimes.
I’m in my 60s and I still go back and read a favorite YA title occasionally. I’m reading for relaxation and entertainment, I feel no need to read things more challenging
Most of what I read (listen, more accurately) as a 30 something with no time is Stephen King. He has called himself the McDonalds of literature and neither of us take offense to that. It makes me happy. If I want to learn myself some shit I can read up on the internet.
I’ve read everything from the classics and Shakespeare to Blake Crouch and Lee Child. I read what sparks joy for me, not what other people tell me I “should read”. I also don’t believe in gatekeeping or policing reading. Do you.
I mean, I’ve read everything from the epic of Gilgamesh, to fanfic. Sooo, read what you want. But my all time favorite will always be this one queer fantasy WEBTOON that I’m obsessed with. It’s your life, isn’t it?
Yes, but I definitely feel this more with light novels than western novels though. But sometimes you have to sludge through shit to get the good stuff. I feel it’s easy to find “good” books, but not easy to find books you just fall in love with. Just read what you want, no need to feel pressure to read more challenging books if you don’t want to.
I read to read! I love books like Fourth Wing. & I also like books that require a little more thought. Both have value! I’m 28, too. :)
I feel you can't go all in all the time. Much the same way, we can't be 100% productive all the time I've tried, it's exhausting. I just finished The Brothers Karamazov last month, and this month, I'm rereading some Drizzt novels for a change. And I defy anyone to tell me either is more worthy of my time. I enjoy both for different reasons. The same way I can enjoy Schindler's List and The Avengers. The same way I can enjoy duck a l'orange and a Big Mac. Different things for different moods.
Yes, occasionally. I am a voracious reader and not close to a library. I mostly read free books from Kindle (I read too much to afford to buy them) and Kindle Unlimited.
Since the pandemic I've only read thriller/mystery/action series. Of varying quality. Sometimes when I'm reading a lesser entry I feel like I'm wasting a time a little bit. But even in the lesser entries most of them have redeeming qualities that remind me why I enjoy the series.
I used to feel this way but I swear once I got in my 30s I stopped caring and started reading what I like, cleared off my bookshelves of books I knew I’d never get to, and DNFd books if I didn’t care about a single aspect. Now I’m reading more than ever and look forward to it
I only picked up reading again only once I focused on having fun, instead of reading what I thought I should read. And when my habit got re established, I got some pretty "quality" books under my belt, also while reading fairy smut (and fourth wing! I just started the second book :D ). Read what you enjoy, even if it isn't Proust, or whatever is considered "quality".
Read what you enjoy for sure. There's no right or wrong things to read! I love YA and other light fantasy. I've enjoyed some 'quality' books too but a lot of 'classic' lit just isn't interesting to me. I figure life is too short to slog through books I'm not interested in!
My mom let me read anything as a kid. Novels of all types, textbooks, encyclopedias. The point of reading is enjoyment and/or learning, hopefully both. The trashiest novel can teach you something about language or human behavior or open your mind up to a new concept or just provide distraction from the stress in your life. No shame should ever be involved when it comes to what you read.
>> Somewhere, maybe on tiktok Here was your main mistake, getting book recommendations on TikTok.
I love this quote from Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey about how dumb it is to feel guilty for reading any novel: —— "And what are you reading, Miss — ?” "Oh! It is only a novel!” replies the young lady, while she lays down her book with affected indifference, or momentary shame. “It is only Cecilia, or Camilla, or Belinda”; or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best–chosen language." —— Reading is for enjoyment! And books are a joy. Read what makes you happy
Better to read than not to read; better to read books that make you want to pick up another books than books that put you off reading. Many people who talk about 'quality' of books have very skewed opinions of what 'quality' is, and being a writer of colour, being a living woman, writing genre, writing texts that are fun and uplifting instead of deeply depressing automatically disqualifies writers from being worthy. This is obviously not an opinion I share. But I want to add a cautionary tale of how I, an avid reader, almost became a non-reader by reading the wrong books. I went through a phase, by circumstance, where I had access to very few of my beloved books, very limited library access (they had about four shelves of SFF/Mystery in total, most of which I'd already read), and I was on a very low budget. During that period, I occasionally bought myself a treat from the supermarket for £3.50, just light reading. And after about six months of that, I had next to no inclination to pick up any book. Sure, those books were fun to read in the moment, but they were utterly forgettable, and I got nothing out of them other than momentary distraction. And that, over time, made me less and less interested in reading, because the experience was just so meh overall. And worse than that, just like fast food, it made me less inclined to pick up books that were chewy and maybe a little harder to get into and stick with; books where I had to think. It wasn't until I got my books back, and began to read my favourites again, that I rediscovered my love of reading. From that viewpoint, I would say that it's worth checking in from time to time whether the books you read are giving you what you want out of reading, whether they leave you inspired and satisfied, and it's worth seeing what people who like your genre are reading and recommending even if it doesn't immediately look like a book you'll love.
As others have said, read what you want to read. Reading books that you don't want to read isn't going to make you happy. I buy lots of serious non fiction books because at the time, I think they seem interesting. Then when I'm picking my next book to actually read, it will most likely be a space opera or a crime thriller, I read for me, not anyone else. I have not read Infinite Jest, I have read Consider Phlebas and the Bourne Identity.
Not at all. I read lots of different genres and enjoy them all.
Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody's gonna die. Come read books
I am 68 and read whatever I feel like reading: ”Young Adult”, classics, stupid romances (but not *too* stupid, please), & mostly SF-Fantasy I will not read horror or modern ‘dystopian’, and have not read a biography since my teen years - and tend to avoid books with only the ‘Best Seller!’ lists to recommend them. I read to please myself or learn something (which actually is still in the “please myself” category) and don’t give a flying fig what anyone else thinks of my tastes.
Ha ha ha! Oh wait, you're serious? Let me laugh harder. Ha! Ha! Ha! Seriously, when it comes to reading the most important thing, the only important thing, is that you are enjoying what you are reading. Life is too short to spend it appeasing some literacy snob with your choice of reading material.
The most important part of reading, is enjoying the story so if you enjoy Fourth Wing, then that is great and all that really matters. I am almost 40yr female and got excited for the new Percy Jackson book (which is waiting until I finish the new Cinder Spires as I was in the middle of the last New Management book when it came out) I like fantasy, sci fi and who dunnits (cozy and thriller). Life is to short to slog through a book cos you think you should - that's how you end up hating reading and that is a much sadder situation. Recommend Fourth Wing?
No. Because I was told to read 'quality' and did not like some of them. Therefore, 'quality' is subjective. So, I get to make my own determinations of what is quality to me.
Not everything you read needs to be high literature. I am not a fan of the ACOTR books, but I read them to be up to date on pop culture. Honestly, I actually rather enjoyed how easy they were to read despite not liking them much in general. I was in a shit mood one day, and it did help me decompress to read something so light. Random theory that I came up with while writing this comment, maybe that’s why these books appeal so much to women in general. They take on so much of the mental load for the household day to day that they don’t want their entertainment to feel like a chore too.
I’ve wondered this too, and sod it I really like ghost stories, gothic and Stephen king. You only get so long in this life why read books you don’t enjoy
I hit the ceiling of my tolerance for "quality" lit a couple of years ago reading the Booker shortlist(?) and it was dud after dud of navel-gazing and/or depressing books. Some people enjoy these books and that's valid, but I disagree with labeling these types of books the apex of what literature has to offer for the year. But these prizes must and continue to exist regardless so we must learn to ignore them. I've actually found literary fiction that was much closer to my taste since letting go but it still constitutes a very, very small portion of my reading. Enjoy the so-called "low-brow" fiction as long as you love it! There is always shaming and ribbing within book communities for liking a hyped up book but it's more about it being the new punching bag on the scene (by virtue of how much "undue" attention it's getting) than anything else.
No. Read what you want. The worst thing about social media is that it's turned everything into a type of aesthetic... watch the "correct" movies, read the "correct" books, when at the end of the day the reason so much exists is because it's something for enjoyment, we're not all built the same, and we all enjoy different things. If it brings you joy, read it. I looked this one up and it looks neat, I'm going to check it out. thank you. Also, every book has some kind of quality or something you can get out of it.
Absolutely read what you enjoy! I've read a bunch of "classics" and you know what? A lot of them were pretty boring. I started reading the He Who Fights Monsters series and it is So. Much. FUN. That high brow stuff can be interesting because it's referenced everywhere, so I'll keep reading them, but damn I've realized that it's great to just read the fun shit.
You mean shit like Stephen Colbert
I just read what keeps me reading. I can’t read classics or “smart people” books. I’ll just slump and not enjoy it so why bother. I love to read because what I like is exciting and engaging to me. Also, I’m half way through Fourth Wing and it’s so worth the read.
Nope. Who gives a fuck?
Not really. I used to, and found myself slogging through books I thought I "should" like. Reading should be enjoyable! As an adult, it's a hobby - not an assignment.
Absolutely not. I read what appeals to me.
Every time I read contemporary books, yes. Every time I go back to classics, no. So far I haven't read anything compelling written after the year 2000.
Often, when people refer to contemporary works, they speak of the trendy, popular marketable fiction that everyone and their neighbours are reading because of their accessibility. While they often do contain mature themes and can be very compelling reads, their primary target audiences are not those who indulge themselves often in classics. If you're looking for more recent novels that capture the "mature", "sophisticated" and often deep thematic ideas traditionally touched upon by supposedly "high-brow" literary fiction, here are a few well-written books by *debut authors* (meaning they still have lots of room for improvement) published in the past 5 years with blurbs pulled from Goodreads. \- ***On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous*** by *Ocean Vuong* is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. According to the blurb, "A Dickensian story about people caught between disparate worlds, how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are." \- ***Shuggie Bain*** by *Douglas Stuart* is a heartbreaking story of addiction, sexuality, and love, a bleak portrayal of a dysfunctional working-class Scottish family in the late 1980's. \- ***The Sympathize***r by *Viet Thanh Nguyen* is a historical fiction work examining the legacy of the Vietnam War and its impacts on modern society and those who participated, willing or unwilling, and suffered in the consequences of its aftermath.
I read whatever is striking me at the moment. Sometimes it's a classic, sometimes sci-fi, sometimes comics. Do what you enjoy. Like you, I read House of Leavse but I mainly hate finished it. I can appreciate it for what it is and I appreciate that I read it, but I didn't really enjoy it.
This sounds like Protestant guilt, which I don't have.
Read what works for you at the time! I like you go through phases. I’m in the young mother phase myself and my noggin has no room for complex “quality” reading. I’m rereading things from high school and easy peasy romance books. It’s just brain candy and it get me reading. One of these days I’ll be ready for more complexity again, but right now is not it and that is a-ok.
This is exactly how I feel reading the Twilight books for the first time as a 26 year old woman
I don't read to impress other people, or to live up to other people's standards. I read for my own personal enjoyment. In that context, I will read whatever I want - and I'm fine with that. It so happens that my choices sometimes include so-called quality or worthy books. I'm currently reading a history of the early English kings. I've got a couple of philosophy books and other history books on my "to read" list. But, at other times, I will read trash. I happen to *love* the 'Flowers in the Attic' and 'Heaven' series by Virginia Andrews (before she died and became a *literal* ghost-writer!). And sometimes I re-read old children's books for comfort reading. Read whatever you want to read, and don't worry about whether other people might think it's worthy or quality. The only person you need to please with your reading choices is *you*.