BUMP:) Having just devoured the newest Laurell K Hamilton book, I had to bump this thread up. She's still mine, so who, or what, is your guilty pleasure for reading???;)
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BUMP:) Having just devoured the newest Laurell K Hamilton book, I had to bump this thread up. She's still mine, so who, or what, is your guilty pleasure for reading???;)
My guilty pleasure is probably stealing my sisters library books (especially Roald Dahl). Although I guess there's nothing wrong with attempting to recapture the innocence I had when I first read these books. It brings it all back :). Madhuri, My grandma id very proud of her love of Mills and Boon :)
I don't feel guilty about anything I read, but I do read alot of stuff that's not going to survive for more than ten years after publication. Case in point: I'm a HUGE metalhead, so I have tendency to devour almost anything published on the subject. Not those horrible magazines you find at grocery stores, but alot of books about the genre's history, encyclopedic band lists, biographies, books about the specific sub-genres, etc. All this stuff isn't really a valuable use of my time, and most of it doesn't tell me anything I don't already know, but, inexpicably, I keep reading it anyway.
That and almost any non-fiction related to the mafia and other organized crime. If reading is food for your mind, then reading that type of thing is the equivalent to a deep fried grilled cheese sandwich.
[QUOTE=mkhockenberry;402638]You can count me in too :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Bakiryu
Unfortunately this isn't all. it's my obsession with vampire novels. Even if they are just awful I have to read them. It's incredibly stupid, but what could you expect from an obsession? :lol: :lol: :lol:
[QUOTE=Alexei;469930]I wont mention that I just picked up a couple of paranormal romance books just because I couldn't resist;)Quote:
Originally Posted by mkhockenberry
hmmm other that Harry Potter... I read a Dianne Steele book once and enjoyed it.
I'd also say Stepehn King. When I was a teenager, King was my favorite author. But as I got into my 20s' (I'm now mid 20s') I began to become more interested in classic literature and in the last year or two, I have really latched on to modern and postmodern literature. I now feel that authors like William Faulkner, James Joyce, Don DeLillo, etc. blow the stuff I used to read out of the water, but I still enjoy a King novel every now and then, even if I do find his plot devices to be asinine at times.
Alright, here goes nothing. All I'm asking is that you give the name of your biggest "guilty pleasure," and a little reason why. Thanks folks, and I hope you enjoy this one!
by the way, mine is the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer, since it is quite juvenile and its characters are two dimensional at best, yet I still find the writing quite entertaining.
How do you find the characters two dimentional? I love those books. I've been reading them since the first one originally came out. And as for juvenile...Well they are for children.
Ooooh, the Artemis Fowl series.
I love those books so much! :blush: I've been reading them since I was about 12 or so.
I like reading the Anita Blake series.
It's not really good. But sexy vampires and werewolves, who could miss that?
I also liked Stephen King as a teenager....I think Salem's Lot is a darn good book....Not only is it scary but a perfect microcosm of small town life.
The Dead Zone I like even more....Quite moving in its own way....And Night Shift is just a great collection of scary stories.
Unfortunately I think since the late 80's, he has been turning out books like McDonald's turns out cheeseburgers and I haven't cared for much he has done since then.
These days if I want a break from literature, I read the Steve Alten MEG series....I'm a sucker for books about giant prehistoric man-eating sharks.
I would have to say my guilty pleasure is my lust for vampire novels. I will pick up and read just about anything with vampires even if it perhaps really is not that good of a novel really, or if the writing is perhaps simplistic or lacking in some areas.
Also I would have to say horror in genreal, I will read almost any sort of horror, though I have gotten a little better about that one, mostly just because I remind myself that I don't really need any more books right now so I should be a tad more selective.
My guilty pleasures: Piligrim's Progress, some smutty fiction and some trashy mags. That is all. Oh and I've never EVER read King. :)
Hehe Harry Potter. :D
When i read the books (that is, when i gulp the books down!) i find innumerable points that can be held against the story being a good one. And yet, i find myself visualising stuff (me playing quidditch, or making people's ears the size of elephants', etc....) and ...erm... (ears going red) it feels effing gooood ya know! :blush:
Oh the wonderful feeling of "if only i could..."! :nod:
And oh the teenager in me! :D
Suetonius’ Twelve Caesars. It’s trashy, it’s flashy, it’s widely recognised as completely inaccurate and therefore unfair but I just love it. The best bit is the because it’s written by a genuine Roman, and Penguin has been kind enough to give it a ‘serious book’ cover, many out there actually think one is oh-so-intellectual for reading it.
I’m just devastated that his Lives of Famous Whores is lost.
QFE big time.Quote:
Originally Posted by HomeSkool
My other guilty pleasure is Watchmen, the greatest graphic novel of all time. In fact, I've got the quote that it's based on under my forum handle. The quote is from Juvenal's satires.
I've read it three times, and every subsequent reading it impresses me more. I'd go as far as saying that Alan Moore (the creative genius behind Watchmen), deserves a spot on this site, along with his work. I mean it to, and I'd honestly wager that Watchmen is more conceptual, complex, and layered then a good portion of the literature on this site.
It truly is an amazing work, in my opinion.
PS. I've got a feeling that my youthful enthusiasm is getting to me.
My guilty pleasure would have to be reading the Little House on the Prairie books. :) Not anywhere as deep as the classics I usually read, but so fun to read and muse on. Plus it makes you appreciate modern appliances so much more!
Oh, I love the "Little House" books!!! They are right up there on the top of my list of most enjoyable stories ever! I most definitely never feel an ounce of guilt for reading them! :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Lady19thC
Actually, I never really feel guilty about anything that I truly enjoy reading, listening to or watching! :)
As a teenager, I find that the Scarlet Letter is quite a guilty pleasure as well.
the Wheel of Time series
it's like watching a romance/comedy, or listening to linkin park.
you realize its garbage, but its still entertaining.
excuse me?!Quote:
Originally Posted by mayneverhave
I don't mean to intrude, but did you just call Linkin Park garbage?
Hah, i mean c'mon. I admit i've tapped my foot to a few linkin park songs, but you can't really take them seriously. Maybe garbage was a strong word, but...
then again, don't get me started on evanescence
I personally think it was an understatement.Quote:
Originally Posted by mayneverhave
No guilty pleasures here, I'm innocent as a lamb in this matter, in fact I define good taste :yawnb: :p
I'll admit finding those dancing bananas pretty exciting though :banana:
uhhh...I don't count my infatuation with the King novels a "guilty pleasure"; they have lots of philosophical references and whatnot...
i'm ashamed :)
Oh boy... where to start... well... manga, for one. Any manga. Then there's Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness. Those are my comfort books. >.> <.< >.< <.> I get them out when I'm depressed and want to hear about the heroine who made her dreams come true. But I didn't tell you this! Shhh.
I can't bear to mention any others right now. Maybe later... *slinks sheepishly away*
Yes, garbage is too strong a word to use for their songs.Quote:
Originally Posted by mayneverhave
yes, it was a bit harsh.Quote:
Originally Posted by mayneverhave
I'll just ease silently out of this thread, since I don't want to argue, even though those are two of my favorite bands. :(
I have to see I did enjoy the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. It's pop literature basically, it has no literary value but it's something to read during your spare time. Much like, say, Chingy has no musical value but is fun to dance to if you've had a few drinks.
Guilty? Yes. Pleasurable? You bet. Reading? Er, not exactly...
Same here, I love the King.Quote:
Originally Posted by crazefest456
Most scholarly individuals who study english would think so, but he's deeper then I'd give alot of the other supermarker paperbacks credit for. Other then him its actually the young adult/teen section I like to raid. When we'd go to the bookstore, its set up like Fiction, Sci-fi, Young Adult. I start at fiction, he's in sci-fi, and then if I can successfully creep by him and make it to the YA section, I win, and get to pick a few from there.
If I'm caught I just act like I didn't know my section ended. Priceless.
Star Wars. I have at least seven star wars novels staring me down on my bookshelf. Honestly, I don't even think they're that great. I only read them because I've been an avid Star Wars fan for most of my life.
Okay, nobody tell, but...:blush: *whispers* Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books. I am so hooked, they actually make me laugh out loud, they are so funny! I was mortified to find out that Ms. Evanovich is a romance writer. I didn't know until the 3rd book.
I love Clive Cussler and Matthew Reilly novels. Most people seem to think of them as books for the boys but I love them.
I also include Harry Potter on that list but seeing there will be no more of them I guess I will have to live with only seven.
I've noticed that the majority of this forum concerns itself with authors like Dostoevsky and Proust, so I feel like a pariah around here. While everyone else extols the virtues of Iliad, I hide in my closet and read Bad Magic.
So I'm wondering:
Do you read any books that most people frown upon? Which titles do you defend against the cruel decrees of high-brow critics (and your friends)? I want to hear about the less-than-tasteful books you secretely admire.
The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey. I keep it turned facing inward on my bookshelf in fact. I just like the bold faced cheek of him extolling the virtues of sin, mocking the hypocracy of religions but having said that, The Church of Satan is more than happy to take money off you if you want to join THEIR club. I originally bought it as a secret santa gift for someone at work, but....well I have it now!
i thought american psycho was entertaining, it has no dept and is garbage with no real value
My guilty pleasure is celebrity autobiographies, about which I feel thoroughly guilty and thoroughly pleased. Is anybody else willing to admit reading these? My favorites are the ones by:
Shelley Winters (my all-time favorite)
David Niven
Kirk Douglas
Michael Caine
John Phillips
Julia Phillips
Cybill Shepherd
Nancy Reagan
Joan Fontaine
Tallulah Bankhead
The Duchess of Windsor
Ingrid Bergman
Gelsey Kirkland
Mary Martin
Christopher Isherwood
Gore Vidal
Tennessee Williams
And honorable mention to the book about Marlene Dietrich written by her daughter...
I agree, they're great. They're also the only books that my sister and I have in common, alas...Quote:
Originally Posted by Trillian
I probably have alot of guilty pleasures but i read for pleasure so i generally dont feel guilty about them... trash like the Da Vinci Code and other such junk.
My biggest though would have to be children's books. I dont see them as trash because they are written really well for children, but obviously they have loopholes little character development and always predictably happy endings. nonetheless i read and reread them, Emily Rodda and Enid Blyton are favourites particularly the Deltora Quest series, which I've read probably 5+ times since i first read it back when i was 9 or 10
My biggest guilty pleasure in reading are historical novels. Though I do not allow myself to devour too many, I still read more of them than I probably should.
Tuesdays With Morrie.