Guilty Pleasure: "Bad" Books & Why I Read Them II

By Kristin Bivens

If you've read my previous post, you know I like my bookshelf to make me look like a cool cat.

Well, here's an honest confession, and that is…

I have a lot of books that most people would consider LAME sitting on my shelf. I typically put those on the bottom shelf, where the cool people that wander into my office, can't see.

You know Sara's post about her guilty pleasure of reading Twilight? That was my doing. I made her read that book, because I finally gave into the craze, though I held out as long as I possibly could.

And don't worry, all four Twilight books are sitting on my shelf, displayed. For everyone to see.

I usually will confess to someone that I read some "awful" books. But admitting it is half the battle, in my opinion.

I have some pretty hefty, classical literature sitting on my bookshelf, most of which I have gotten around to reading. But the books that really do it for me, the ones that I just can't seem to get enough of are Young Adult books. You got it. I am now twenty seven and I still read books made for teenagers. And, frankly, I'm totally okay with it.

Because those things are good reads.

I think a book should take you somewhere else. It should get you interested in people that are both like and unlike you, lives that are similar and yes completely different than yours. I like the easy flow of young adult books. I like the ability to actually understand what is going on the first time I read the book (ahem: Wuthering Heights made more sense the second time around). And the covers, what really draws me in at the bookstore, are usually pretty bright, colorful and quirky.

I'm not even going to lie, Sarah Dessen takes up about a whole shelf worth of my bookshelf. I hide her books if I take them out in public, and a lot of them have similar story lines, but dammit, I get attached to her characters and her stories. Although, her covers, I am not a fan of at all. It's her stories, not her covers that draw me in there.

Oh, and I may be completely in love with the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Those books were some of my favorite books. The scenery of the south, all the strong women in the story. I'm a huge fan of Southern set literature. I try to keep that series on the down low, though, mostly because I feel like people automatically think of the movie (which, I liked) and that looks to be set for old women. I am not an old woman, though twenty seven I may be.

I just think guilty pleasures tend to be easier to read. They may not always be the most intricate writing or story lines, they may not win awards or by hailed on the NY Times Bestseller's List, but someone wrote them. Someone put their time and heart and sweat and tears into them, and they deserve to be recognized for it.