Guilty Pleasures?

I find a lot of people like to talk about the literary masterpieces they have read.  The mean ornery side of myself likes to poke sometimes at these discussions, as sadly a lot of times the people may have read the books (Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, Moby Dick) but they didn’t really read them.  They read the words and the sentences, but they have no idea what they were about.  Sadly, that was how I felt reading Wuthering Heights.  What the heck was that melancholy book of sadness about really?  I have no idea! 

It’s not that those types of books aren’t worth reading. It’s that I don’t think reading those types of books makes you any better than someone who hasn’t.  Maybe more patient as in my opinion it takes a lot of brainpower and patience to get through some of the older fiction.  The Lion in Winter, for instance…there were scenes in that play that I swear I had to read several times just to figure out what was going on. 

So…what types of books do I read?  Everything.  Anything.  Fiction.  Non-fiction.  Romance.  Horror.  Childrens.  Teens.  Mystery.  You name I will read it if I’m in the mood for it.  I have gone through Bronte, and Shakespeare, and Stephanie Myers, and King, and Rice.  I read everything.  Poor amazon has no idea what to recommend me as I read whatever I’m in the mood for.  I once ordered a book based upon seeing the cover from a man reading the book at a Panda Express.  Yes, really.

I have gone through an entire romance section at the library just by going in and grabbing a handful of books at a time without looking at the covers or the titles.  I started at one end and worked my way through the rack.  I am voracious when it comes to reading.  I tend to read two books at a time.  One fiction and one non-fiction.  The fiction is for fun.  The non, is for education.  I am currently in a history mood.  I have realized my historical knowledge is severely lacking.  I’m correcting that.  Russian history is a prime example.  Aside from where Russia is located, I couldn’t tell you much about it, but for what I saw in a Rocky movie.  Sad, I know. 

I guess what I am trying to say here is that you should read what you want to read, not what you think you should be reading.  What fun is that?  If you like romance, enjoy it!  If you want a good scare, go to it.  Don’t let the adult world guilt you into reading.  Read what you want.  That’s it.