As you might have noticed from my reviews I have an eclectic taste in books so I’m not really embarrassed by any books I’ve read and liked. I think people go through cyclical phases of reading highbrow, lowbrow and middlebrow books and anyone who makes it seem like they only read fancy pants literature is probably lying. And really, in this time of iPads, big screen TVs, Netflix and copious other distractions from reading, I believe that anyone reading any book is a great thing. That being said, if you only read one kind of book (be it high or low brow), I probably won’t be able to contain my urge to gently shove you in the direction of other great things I’ve read. Just spreading the book love man.
Here’s a list of 3 series I unabashedly admit I liked:
1. The Twilight Series
That’s right, I devoured these train wrecks. I’m pretty sure I didn’t speak to Steveo or Sir O in full sentences for a week until I finished the series. There’s just something about all consuming love (especially between a really weak, sort of stupid girl and the two hot boys who are fighting over her) that draws me in. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a huge fan of teenaged girls reading these books (like they need more reinforcement that cute boys make the world go round), but for adults they’re just mindless fantasies and we need that sometimes.
2. Circle of Friends and other Mauve Binchy books
My mom had these books lying around the house and as a teenager I ate them up. Who doesn’t love a good, trashy romance once in a while? It felt like forbidden reading fruit with all the adult circumstance and sexy bits. Looking back on it I doubt I’d be overly shocked by anything in Binchy’s novels but at the time I definitely felt I was flying my rebel flag. I bet I even hid it under the bed all sneaky style so my mom wouldn’t know I was reading it.
3. Outlander Series
These books are the grown up version of Twilight. Once I got started on the sexy escapades of Claire and her Jamie I couldn’t stop. Well, that’s not true, I eventually stopped after book four when I realized Claire was going to just keep not listening to Jamie’s warnings, getting into trouble and then waiting for him to rescue her – she really is the adult Bella. But it was fun while it lasted, Gabaldon gave me everything I needed: romance, historical fiction and just enough sex to make me feel embarrassed that I was reading these at the same time as my in laws.
Are you embarrassed by your book choices? (If so, you should probably buy a Kindle
I’ve never read the Twilight books, but I know I’d enjoy them as a guilty pleasure. What I need is a really long plane (sans kids) ride so I can read them with no interruption…
That or some kid free time by the beach! I believe I chose to lock myself in my bedroom and growl at anyone who interrupted me. It wasn’t a popular strategy but it was effective. If you do end up reading them I’d be interested in knowing what you thought.
I just did a quick check on my 30 Day Book List, and this was not a topic I picked for my list. I read all sorts of books, and I don’t think I’ve ever come across a book that I’d be embarrassed to say that I like. There aren’t any books that I try to hide on my bookshelf, and I review every book that I read, so I don’t try to hide the fact that I enjoy a book.
This question would almost be easier for me to flip and ask the opposite of: is there a book you’re embarrassed to say that you don’t like? The first thing that comes to mind when I ask that is anything by Neil Gaiman. I read Fantasy novels all the time, and as I go through different blogs or other things online I really start to feel like I’m the only person who doesn’t love his novels (Gaiman had 4 novels show up on the NPR top 100 SciFi/Fantasy list that came out a few months ago). It’s not that I hate them, I just don’t think they’re that great.
As for Twilight (which I haven’t read and probably never will) I’ll say the same thing here that I’ve said on other blogs and in other conversations when talking to people. If the book is that popular, it’s doing something right. If nothing else Meyer just got really lucky with the time her books were released and caught the market perfectly (i.e. kids who all read Harry Potter grew up a little, and some of the girls started looking for romance novels, it was a perfect storm that led to the books selling in absolutely huge numbers).
I am definitely much more likely to fake liking a book than to fake disliking a book. To this day I can’t figure out what the big deal is about Catcher in the Rye. Holden Caufield has to be one of the most annoying characters ever written!
I agree with you on Twilight. We can all talk about how horrible it is but, if it’s really that horrible, why is she selling copies and making money hand over fist? I think the series has two major flaws (neither of which would slow down sales): Meyer’s writing is atrocious and a bit cheesey (which is where the “I only read literature” crowd comes in to mock it) and it sets a really bad example for teenaged girls about being dependent on boys to make you feel worthwhile (plus Bella gives up her life to be with Edward). That being said for the less impressionable adults I think it’s a quick and addictive read. Also, great insight on the timing of Harry Potter ending and Twilight coming out, I had never thought of it but I’d be my bottom dollar you’re right!
I can’t claim that insight as my own, if I remember correctly it was David Farland who was talking about it during one of the Writing Excuses podcasts. He didn’t specifically mention Twilight, but he talked about how adult Fantasy novels would probably take off in years to come as a result of kids who read Harry Potter growing up. The first Harry Potter book came out in 1997 and Twilight came out in 2005, that’s 8 years of kids growing up and getting into fantasy novels (and adults as well, I was a little older when I first read the Harry Potter books).
I am not a Twilight fan, I find Bella too mopey. However, while I know I shouldn’t I really love Jude Devereaux. Her historicals pull me in and I love the metaphysical stuff as well.
I had never heard of Jude Devereaux but looked her up on Goodreads after reading your comment and it looks like she’d be a combination of Mauve Binchy and Diana Gabaldon so I bet I’d like her stuff. And yes, Bella is the worst, especially in New Moon!
I haven’t read much Jude Devereaux, but one of my favorite books is her A Knight in Shining Armor. I HIGHLY recommend it. It’s total fluff but sooooo good. I need to reread it again.
That’s two votes for Devereaux, I’ll have to check her out. Thanks for stopping by!
I too read the Twilight series, mostly because I was curious about what my teen was reading and what all the hoopla was about. I read all 4 books in 10 days, which was a bit like a junk food marathon. I enjoyed the obsessive feeling of reading them like that, but tired of the characters- mostly Bella- reading others’ emotions and minds. Also book 4 was completely over the top ridiculous. These are the kind of books my friend Diane calls “chip dip lit”- good with chips, but definitely a phenomenon, worth reading especially to get a pulse on what’s alluring to teens. I was happy to see that they were discussing Twilight with some intelligence in my daughter’s high school English classes; they talked about Bella’s passivity and her being “stalked” by Edward, and questioned whether his behaviour was abusive. As for the films, I liked Twilight. It had an indie, quirky, campy feel. Twilight was directed by Catherine Hardwicke, one of a few female directors in Hollywood. After the first film, they wanted a male to direct, even though Twilight grossed $400 million! Go figure. If that’s not discrimination against women, I don’t know what it is.
Maureen I love your analogy of Twilight being like a junk food binge, that’s exactly how I feel! I’m glad to see that LFAS has some great teachers willing to be flexible and discuss popular young adult fiction rather than sticking with the old classics. Sometimes it’s good to set aside your plans and just go with the flow, I bet those kids were very interested in their English lessons that week!
I read Twilight, but not the other three. I’ve been told to skip New Moon (saw the movie), and pick up with the later two. It is on my life plan somewhere, but not any time soon. But my girlfriend has an unapologetic love for the books, so I guess there must be something there worth reading!
Also, I totally used to read sexy romance books as a kid and hide them from my mother under the bed. I felt like she could see through the pages to know about the dirty bits AND that she could read my mind. Now I realize she probably didn’t care because the scenes weren’t all that bad!
New Moon was definitely one of the weaker books (not as weak as Breaking Dawn in my opinion) but it does show how much Bella is under Edward’s spell. I think this was also the book where I decided Bella was a bit of a whiny loser. Eclipse was pretty good though.
I don’t know if my mom cared about the Mauve Binchy books under my bed or not, I doubt it though as I suspect she knew they were there the whole time!