Friday, June 10, 2011

Are You a Light Reader?

Do you do any "light" reading?

A friend of mine made a joke the other day when I mentioned I was reading The Color Purple saying "oh, just a little light reading to start your summer?" (and if you've read The Color Purple you'll get the joke). Well, it got me to thinking that I never actually do any light or breezy type of reading. I mean, even my "light" reading is usually a thriller or murder mystery of some sort. Even the books that I pick up thinking it's supposed to be just a fun ride (i.e. Bossypants) turn out to be really thought-provoking in ways I never expected. Those books that are described as just "fun" reads or "beach" reads don't seem to ever be on my TBR. I always seem to sway towards the heavier stuff, or at least more gritty. Stuff with a punch!

Am I alone? Am I missing out?

10 comments:

Karen Wojcik Berner said...

No, you are not the only one. I tend to do the same thing. A few months ago, I read a light comedy/mystery book for the first time in years, and I thought, "Hey, this is refreshing and even fun." I am going to try to incorporate a few each year, just to change things up.

sawcat said...

I don't know. My fun reads are either a YA fantasy or Kathy Reichs, but the former can be thought provoking (His Dark Materials and Harry Potter for example), and the Reichs books are usually centered on a murder or two.

I got a sample of James Patterson's YA novel. If that's characteristic of his work, I'd skip the 'fun' or 'beach' reads

Wall-to-wall books said...

I read light fluffy stuff all the time!!! LOL
My favorite is Chick-Lit, Love it!
I love love beach reads, etc.
Life is hard enough, I like my reading to be fun.

Unknown said...

I like to mix it up. Mostly I read the heavier stuff but once in awhile I like to sit down with a book I know I'll finish before I have to get back up.

Anonymous said...

I'm a shameless light reading indulger. I go through reading moods and I don't try to change them. Sometimes it's classics, sometimes it's chick lit, sometimes it's myster, sometimes it's women's fiction. Most of it is just what I need at that exact time. And I usually don't regret it.

Teacher/Learner said...

I'm not even sure what I would categorize as a light read--is it the author, content, genre, or all of the above? I would think some authors, like Nicholas Sparks, Jennifer Weiner, Alexander McCall Smith strike me as "light reads," but as you pointed out with Bossypants, light reads can provide thought-provoking insights, as do the the 3 authors I just noted. Hmmm...

llevinso said...

Yeah, it's hard to categorize them. I think of them mostly as chick-lit or James Patterson-type stuff. And I literally NEVER read that stuff. It just doesn't appeal to me. Which is a shame because it seems that that is most of the stuff I am offered for free for reviews so I always turn them down.

Jenn said...

I usually read more serious fare. But every now and then I break it up with what I consider "light reading" chick lit, bubbly ya (there's plenty of serious ya out there that I read often). What I love about mixing it up, is that I find those books so fun and the page numbers are usually significantly less, making reading them a breeze.

Anonymous said...

What's surprising to me about chick lit is how the genre has changed. Back in 2000, chick lit was equated with simpering heroines, bad writing, and unbelievable plot twists.

Then you have writers like Bridget Asher, which is a pen name for Julia Baggott, a well respected, serious LITERARY writer, and you know the ballgame's changed. Writers like Claire Cook (author of Must Love Dogs) and Allison Winn Scotch are also wonderful writers who write about what it means to be a woman in today's world and do it with perception and insight that wasn't common even ten years ago. Now, there are still the simpering heroine novel writers, like Sophie Kinsella, but if you're looking for well written, thoughtful novels, that are thought provoking, you WILL find them.

llevinso said...

Oh yeah, I’m sure there are many good chick-lit-type books out there. For some reason though those books have never appealed to me. And right now I have a TBR pile that is about a mile high so I have no room for insert anything else into it unless it’s supposed to be like the second coming or something, haha.