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Hey everyone... this is a really interesting discussion. Let's stay positive with everything. Wrt PKFFW's original comment, I thought it was a good one and I appreciated what was shared. Even the most dedicated pursuit of life's goals will (usually) leave some time for much needed recreation, and that fits with reading as well.
Seems to me that books are a lot like other activities in life - we choose them for a purpose. But books have a way of really efficiently adding to our lives. Books entertain, teach and expose us to experiences of others in a way that adds to our own understanding of this world we live in. It's pretty cool if you think about how much we can receive from others (the authors) in a very personal way. And it's quite an opportunity for a widely read author to impact a lot of people that they would never be able to so openly talk with in person. But, as has been pointed out, there is balance in book reading just like everything.
I tend to mentally categorize the books I'm reading. For work, for fun, spiritual, to learn/grow from, etc. Which one I read at various times depends on my mood and purpose which one I read at what times.
My feeling is that books do influence us, just like friends influence us, so it's good be aware of that. But it also doesn't mean that we can't read any "junk" for fun (I certainly do), or even books that we disagree with in order to understand different points of view. And certainly, because everyone has a different view of what is a good or bad book, nobody wants any kind of broad censorship that would prevent us from each being able to choose for ourselves what we read.
But keep the thoughts coming - it's been a much more interesting discussion than I had expected. It's always interesting to get such varied thoughts and opinions and to hear what people are thinking.
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