Is all reading good?

[Lemurion]

I love old-style science fiction - the pulpier the better. I thought Edmond Hamilton's "Crashing Suns" had a great title. A lurid cover of starships blasting away at each other is something that draws me in, rather than pushes me away.

I don't go much for romances - but Harlequins are basically the same thing - pure pleasure reading. Both Harlequins and pulp SF are written for the same reason - people enjoy reading them and are willing to pay for the privilege. As a parent, I want my kids to read pulp SF and Harlequins.

If they are reading "good books" it may be an assignment, or maybe someone told them they "had to read it."

If they are reading pulps and Harlequins it means they like reading, and that means I succeeded.

[Sydney's Mom]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Why should you be embarrassed by it? If you like reading romances, then good for you!

I agree with Kazbates, part of the reason is the covers. When I used to request the books online and pick them up at my local library, I always imagined the librarian making judgements based on the covers, and the ridiculous titles, e.g., The Sicilian Billionaire's Reluctant Mistress.

But I think underneath it all it is because I make judgements about people based on books I see them reading. Actually, if I see them reading at all. If I see a young person on the train reading an evidence casebook, I figure they are in law school, and probably pretty smart. But if they were reading a bodice ripper, I would assume they were a secretary.

But that is my prejudice. Just saying, it always comes back to bite you.

[Sydney's Mom]

Originally Posted by Lemurion

As a parent, I want my kids to read pulp SF and Harlequins.

If they are reading "good books" it may be an assignment, or maybe someone told them they "had to read it."

If they are reading pulps and Harlequins it means they like reading, and that means I succeeded.

Absolutely! My daughter says she doesn't like to read. But I think it is just because she hasn't found her genre. I always buy her books without question, cause I figure any reading is good for a child. I even tell her I read crap, but at least I am reading.

[doreenjoy]

I've done an extensive segmentation study into people who read e-books. There is a huge segment that reads e-books purely to have privacy about 1. what they are reading and 2. how many books they are buying.

1. is a concern about the general public making judgments.
2. is a concern about spouses harboring resentment; the spouse can't see the "pile" of e-books growing.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by kazbates

I don't know about anyone else, but it's not the genre itself that I find embarrassing but the ridiculous covers they put on some of the romance books. The term "Bodice ripper" was coined as a reasonable description of the book covers. Until I started using cloth book covers on my paperbacks, people would ask what I'm reading, take a look at the cover and do the whole Groucho Marx up and down eyebrow thing. It was annoying. Although, thankfully, in recent years publishers have started putting less titillating (pun intended ) covers on romance novels.

Maybe that's an additional reason the genre works even better as an E-Book!

[FlorenceArt]

I bought my reader mostly because it's a nice alternative to a 10-kg handbag. Guess what? My handbag is still as heavy as before, but now I can read romance books that I never would have read in the subway. Talk about collateral benefit

[PKFFW]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

In my mind, entertainment is good for people who have the time to be entertained.
I have plenty of time, but not enough to be 'wasted' on entertainment books...

I also find that a lot of unmotivated people love to read entertainment books,while motivated people, if they are reading, are often reading stuff that will help them in their course of life.
I know what I just did was make a very strong statement, but hopefully you'll see there's some truth in it.

Sorry, I don't see much if any truth in that statement at all.

I am a very motivated person and I have risen to a highly placed officer ranking in my profession and intend to continue rising. I have begun my own little futures trading business to generate extra income, I am learning a language and the saxophone, I train daily in kung fu.

Yet I still find plenty of time to read entertainment books along with plenty of other books.

Further to that, I wonder what life would be like if we all thought time spent on entertainment was a "waste". No time spent reading, visiting art galleries, watching movies, playing sport, listening to music or playing an instrument, visiting with friends and family, celebrating birthdays. What a boring life that would be.

Cheers,
PKFFW

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by PKFFW

I am a very motivated person and I have risen to a highly placed officer ranking in my profession and intend to continue rising. I have begun my own little futures trading business to generate extra income, I am learning a language and the saxophone, I train daily in kung fu.

And yet remained so modest!

[fugazied]

I think even the books that are 'bad' give me something. A new perspective or point of view. But yeah the value of reading those bad books is very very small at times.

Some pieces of fiction I've read have left me wishing I could get back the 10 hours I put into them (as well as my money). A Dean Koontz book I read last year was like that (Twilight Eyes). It just seemed to be written for teenagers and I just didn't get anything out of it. Not much intellectual value in reading that kind of stuff.

[davidspitzer]

Originally Posted by kazbates

I don't know about anyone else, but it's not the genre itself that I find embarrassing but the ridiculous covers they put on some of the romance books. The term "Bodice ripper" was coined as a reasonable description of the book covers. Until I started using cloth book covers on my paperbacks, people would ask what I'm reading, take a look at the cover and do the whole Groucho Marx up and down eyebrow thing. It was annoying. Although, thankfully, in recent years publishers have started putting less titillating (pun intended ) covers on romance novels.

my Aunt call them "puff and pant" novels, which is pretty funny but not as funny as my daughter who misunderstood and thinks thier called "puffy pants" novels (which kinda fits to)

[doreenjoy]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

In my mind, entertainment is good for people who have the time to be entertained.
I have plenty of time, but not enough to be 'wasted' on entertainment books...

Leaving the judgmentalism aside, despite great temptation...

There is measurable value in being entertained. Studies have shown that relaxation is very important in absorption of new information.

Life is about more than learning and self-improvement. It would be a sad waste of time if all one ever did was study, learn, and work on mental improvement, without finding time to pursue hobbies for pure pleasure, go to a museum, lounge about, and read smutty novels.

Personally my time is far too valuable to spend working. I'm successful enough that I no longer need to constantly strive for more. I work in moderation; and I entertain myself in moderation.

[PennyPie]

Further to that, I wonder what life would be like if we all thought time spent on entertainment was a "waste". No time spent reading, visiting art galleries, watching movies, playing sport, listening to music or playing an instrument, visiting with friends and family, celebrating birthdays. What a boring life that would be.

Well rounded person...does it all

Personally my time is far too valuable to spend working. I'm successful enough that I no longer need to constantly strive for more. I work in moderation; and I entertain myself in moderation.

Success isn't measured by the possesions we own, but what we do with our lives. We work so we can buy 'stuff' & pay for a place to put it all. We get more 'stuff', we need a bigger place for it. Stuff doesn't bring happiness.

[PKFFW]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

And yet remained so modest!

Modest - having or showing a moderate or humble estimate of one's merits, importance, etc.; free from vanity, egotism, boastfulness, or great pretensions.

There is nothing vain, egotistical, boastful or pretentious in merely stating ones accomplishments in order to illustrate a point.

Doing so could only be considered any of the above if one were comparing oneself to others and finding oneself to be better than those compared to.

Of course if one routinely confuses false modesty with true humility then I can understand how stating ones accomplishments might be seen as being boastful and egotistical.

Cheers,
PKFFW

[ahi]

Originally Posted by PKFFW

Modest - having or showing a moderate or humble estimate of one's merits, importance, etc.; free from vanity, egotism, boastfulness, or great pretensions.

There is nothing vain, egotistical, boastful or pretentious in merely stating ones accomplishments in order to illustrate a point.

Doing so could only be considered any of the above if one were comparing oneself to others and finding oneself to be better than those compared to.

Of course if one routinely confuses false modesty with true humility then I can understand how stating ones accomplishments might be seen as being boastful and egotistical.

Cheers,
PKFFW

If you keep rolling your eyes, they're going to stay like that! And cross-eyed won't look all that impressive at the end of that nice list!

- Ahi

[Bob Russell]

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.