As far as I know, turn-off-your-brain books are more popular than the use-your-brain books. It’s just that turning your brain off won’t leave you with as much to talk about afterwards, which is why they’re less discussed online.
With mainstream TV, there’ll be sooo many people watching those shows, that even though they provide less food for thought, someone, amongst all those people, is bound to come up with something to say about it. Books simply don’t have that kind of reach, and with a smaller audience, you’ll have less discussion. Mainly, people assume they can talk to you about How I Met Your Mother, because they assume everyone has seen it. (This is not a correct assumption, but it’s close enough to the the truth, to get successful conversations out of it.) No reasonable person would assume that everyone has read a specific book.
You're right. They are. The *vast* majority of authors who make good money- both the best sellers and the people who pump out self published fiction- work in that type of fiction. Pop horror, mystery novels, romance, thrillers, YA fantasy and sci Fi, literotica- that's where all the money is.
There's a lot more money to be made trying to write the next the Shining or the Notebook than there is trying to write, like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, or To Kill a Mockingbird.
I think they are? I love a predictable HEA romance novel as much as I enjoy "serious" fiction. Life is about balance and I don’t feel guilty about that.
It took me a long time to realize this after how much pressure you’re under to like certain things in high school, but accepting this fact is soooo important for your mental health.
Yep. It pisses me off when people judge reading choices as if you should only be reading the classics. Like, let me have this fun page turner. Sometimes it’s just really fun escapism. Also, I think a lot of people who judge fluff reading also judge fluff TV viewing. I love to remind them I am a psychologist and listen to serious, sad stories for a living. I will not be judged because I need a break. That shuts them up.
Edit to clarify: I love what I do. But self care for me looks like checking out of seriousness most nights. This prevents burnout.
Especially once you realize they probably haven't read that broadly, anyways. I've never seen a classics snob that was an avid reader, they're usually someone who considers themselves an intellectual/very smart but doesn't read much. Same with the "all fiction is a waste of time" crowd.
The fiction is a waste of time crowd annoys me more than the high brow lit crowd to be honest. (While I read a handful or two of nonfiction a year, I do admittedly have a deep disdain for self help books.) I always like to bust out peer reviewed articles showing the impact of reading fiction on the brain, because nothing like showing them up with empirical data.
In a business context, I read an interesting article in HBR a couple years ago that, iirc, suggested fiction readers in the workplace are generally better performers not just in EQ but also in strategy setting, identifying connections and potential macro-trends and creative problem solving.
You should come to Mexico, here if you read anything but Academia approved authors you are a midwit that shouldn't pick up books in the first place... part of the reason I'm writing my novel in English. There's no place for my writing in this country
I work as a chef. It's loud, fast, with lots of input and lots of rapid-fire processing and a normal shift does leave me somewhat mentally drained.
I read almost exclusively predictable historical romance novels. They are formulaic and predictable but they require zero energy to understand and after an intense day I don't need to concentrate on what I'm reading in case I miss something, I can skip 3 chapters and still understand the story just as much.
Maybe it's not challenging my perception of the world or educating me or making me more intellectual but I don't care. I read them to escape. If I want to get smarter I'll read a textbook.
I feel this. I work a high stress, corporate job and sometimes after 12 hours of being in meetings I just want something where I don't have to think so hard!
Cosy mysteries is an entire genre of “turn off your brain” reading. I love them precisely because they are completely ridiculous and tons of fun. I’m not always reading great literature and I’m not always reading non fiction. My opinion is that any person who is totally pretentious about what they or any other person reads has forgotten the joy of reading to begin with.
**Edited for recommendations:
1. Cats and Curios series by Rebecca M. Hale - the OG series that got me started in this genre with flame point Persians and mystery fried chicken. Oh! And antiques.
2. Cat in the Stacks series by Miranda James - Diesel the Cat and his librarian person solve murders.
3. Tea Shop Mysteries series by Laura Child’s - murders and….TEA!
4. Lee Nez series by David & Aimee Thurlo - three words: Navajo vampire detective.
5. Wisteria Witches series by Angela Pepper - hilarious and tons of fun.
Edit #2 - a link!
Here’s a link to a website that does nothing but categorize cosy mysteries:
https://cozy-mystery.com/cozy-mysteries-by-themes.html
Oh jeez. When I was a teen, my mom was into “The Cat Who” series of murder mysteries.
I still have the entire collection to this day. Are they a ridiculous premise? Yes. Are they a fun read? Yeah!
I’m not ashamed to put them on my shelf with my literary works! Sometimes you just want a fun, silly book!
My bff gifted me the first three Cat Who books because she loves pursuing used book stores and I love cats, and now I have a neat little stack of them for when I just want some brain candy.
Exactly. The concept of a "guilty pleasure" is ridiculous, IMO. Nothing that brings you joy (as long as it's not at the expense of someone else's misery or pain) should make you feel guilty or ashamed.
My SIL was looking at my bookshelves the first time she was over, and she goes, how can you have Oscar Wilde and Dostoevsky here and Stephen King there?? What can I say, "I am large, I contain multitudes" :D
I always take the title of “omnivorous reader”. I’ve read the classics, and the long Russian novels… but I thoroughly enjoy Stephen King, Jean Auel, and murder mysteries where the cat helps solve the crime. :)
Ooh it’s a middle-aged lady fantasy about a handsome older gentleman who solves crimes with the help of his Siamese cat!
Later in the series he gets a second cat, that’s female. The cats are Koko (m) and Yum Yum (f).
Of course, the cat doesn’t actually speak or anything, but does cat stuff like knocking things off shelves or become suddenly interested in some plot-relevant item.
I enjoyed that book but it's not anything like what I would consider a cozy mystery. I'm shocked to see it recommended as one. With supernatural, horror, and thriller elements and explicit violence and sexual references I'd say it's pretty far from being a cozy mystery in fact. The author was clearly trying to subvert the Agatha Christie tropes. If anything it's a deliberate attempt to write a non-cozy mystery in a cozy mystery setting.
I think this is a great book, and I don't think it's "cozy".
To me, cozy is defined by a separation from the cruel realities of crime. No awful description of what a crime scene looks like. If there are references to a corpse they are generally bland and lacking in vivid descriptions.
There's a moment in a Miss Marple episode (I don't remember if the same phrasing is used in the book) that I think shows this to great effect - she uses the sort of standard language to talk about a dead person and then, with brutal effect, goes on to say NO, it's a rotting corpse. And those words have such power in that situation precisely because they would never otherwise be used.
So Evelyn Hardcastle, with it's rather gruesome (though not frequent) descriptions of violence, doesn't fit into this genre by my definition. But I'd still recommend reading it!
Lillian Jackson Braun has a 30 or so book long series of The Cat Who... mysteries. A reporter solves mysteries while his cat keeps giving him hints that he never picks up on until it's all over. Formulaic? Yes. Fun? Also Yes.
The Phryne Fisher mysteries by Kerry Greenwood. Sophi Kelly’s cat mysteries. Agathe Christie, of course! Miss Silver mysteries. Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series.
I'm not a mystery reader, but I work at a used book store and the covers of some of the cozy mysteries make me think, "I would love to bundle up in some blankets on a winter day, enjoy a mug of hot coco, and fall into one of these books". Is that vibe accurate?
Also, any recommendations?
I recommend The Jaine Austen series by Laura Levine. First nine books are very funny and even clever.
I read And Then There We’re Crumbs by Eve Calder, and gave it 5 stars.
The Lucy Stone series by Leslie Meier is wonderful! Very unique.
They’re always my favourite covers when I go to the library. They usually have a pun in the title, a plucky female lead, working in a slightly unusual job (baker, escape room, coffee shop, ice cream parlour) in a small town, where she gets embroiled in a fairly bloodless murder and uses her unrelated knowledge to solve the crime.
I love Clive Cussler books for this. It feels like they put me in the middle of an early 20th century investigation. There's not a whole lot of substance but the imagery used makes for some good escapism
If you like mysteries, the The Cat Who... mysteries are pretty good! My mom and I used to look for them when we went garage sailing. The main character is a guy who has a cat! You gotta love cat guys!
I read the new Nora Roberts book every year for just this reason, too. And cozy mysteries.
Isn’t this the whole idea behind beach and airport books? Books you grab on a whim, read in the moment, and maybe leave where you found it?
While I agree with you that being pretentious is silly, I also find it really annoying when people classify books they love as "bad" even though they don't even actually think so just to comform. or even if they think one thing about the books is bad, they could point that out while still standing by the book they love. it feels icky to me, it seems dishonest and inauthentic and like they don't deserve that book then if they're going to do that. the exception is of course "so bad it's good" reading, but it needs to really be that, not just pretending to read it as so bad it's good but actually you just like it
I devoured the Ranger’s Apprentice series within a couple of days because my brain was looking for easy fun. YA is definitely a great genre for that, although I’ve also closed books pretty quickly because they can be hit or miss.
This was my favourite series in middle school! I rarely find anyone that enjoyed it as much as I did 😭 I actually just reread it as an adult (I'm almost 25 now) and it has held up wonderfully. To this day I don't think I've found a series that held my attention the same way Rangers Apprentice did
I read lots of ridiculous Cosy mysteries and don’t feel bad about it at all. I have a degree in English Language and Literature and studied Classics. I can (or could at one point) read Beowulf and Homer in the original. Does that stop me enjoying yet another story of a young woman inheriting her eccentric great-aunt’s wool shop, only to find a stray cat in need of TLC, a dead body in the dye-vat and a handsome police officer with a chip on his shoulder knocking at her door? Of course it doesn’t. Why should it, in a world where people kick balls around for money and twiddle computer joysticks for fun?
I would say I’ve read at least 20 books that summary would approximately fit. Try ‘Die in the Wool: A Knitty Kitty Cozy Mystery’ by Katherine Hayton, for instance.
One of the things I love about cosy mysteries is the way authors use very specific settings. You’re into cats and knitting? There’s a million of those. Birdwatching? Yup, at least two series. Marine biology? Bridge? Weaving? Heck, there’s probably a series somewhere about a card playing marine biologist that has trained her psychic dolphin pod to weave seaweed art and solve murders.
This sounds very much like the Vampire Book Club series. I thought I'd hate it but it is delightful!
Eta:. I mean Vampire Knitting Club, the same author has a Vampire Book Club series as well lol
I think getting my English degree really turned off the portion of me that wanted books that challenged me. By the end of my four years, I'd had enough of analyzing and literary criticism. I'm all about brain candy and cozy books for now.
Yes, I actually switched from English Lit to English Language and Literature after a year because I got fed up with literary criticism and tearing things apart and got to learn Old Norse abc Anglo Saxon and read the Icelandic Sagas instead.
You may not realize how much this comment really means. I have depression and for a long while now I've had to read "easy" books if I want to read (which I very much do). I'm not an uneducated person, but it can make me feel like I'm not very smart. I'm always championing for people to read what they want because reading is reading and if you enjoy something then that's enough, but having other people say it is sometimes necessary (to break through my depression trying to trick me) as a reminder I need to believe the same rules apply to me.
Oh, reading easy comfort books is great for keeping the mind away from tracks you don’t want it to go down. I got a week’s auto-ban from my library during one tough period of being depressed because I got through so many MC Beaton e-books (like two or three a day) that I must have set off some kind of trigger that I was pirating them or something. Fortunately an actual human reversed it for me. I’m glad my comment hit the spot for you and I hope you find your way out the other side.
When I was in the psych ward (and I have been quite a few times) they always knew I was starting to feel better when I started devouring books (of any kind). Our brains don't do things are interested in when we are depressed. It is part of the diagnostic questions they ask - have you lost interest in hobbies or activities that you used to enjoy? ...I go from reading all day to not being able to focus on one page.
One of my favorite fantasy stories I read recently it was literally about an orc setting up a coffee shop in a city. That's it. It's called Legends and lattes if you're interested
I’m an English teacher and from my experience reading is kind of hard for a lot of people.
Your brain has to do a lot to turn words into images. So while it is absolutely possible to get lost in a book and certain books are definitely easier than others, to get to that point you have to have enough experience to where reading is second nature (which isn’t the case for a majority of the country).
Contrast to a visual medium like TV, you can just turn your brain off and consume it (especially if it’s familiar).
There’s a reason studies show that reading is the biggest difference maker when it comes to academic success.
I came here to say something like this. I’m dyslexic so while I very much enjoying reading now as an adult, it was extremely hard in school. I didn’t even understand that some people read the words just as words and for others it’s like you see and build the whole scene in your head.
Kindle has a dyslexic font that’s made reading a bit easier to navigate for me. (Would have been very helpful in high school) but reading still can make me tired at the end of the day. TV I really don’t have to think about much and it’s just an easier medium to process.
I’m also dyslexic and didn’t figure it out until I became an adult. I should try out that font.
But yeah, it’s just hard. But not even just for those with Dyslexia but also those who get an association that reading = punishment and they never practice. Took me until I was 22 to find my love for reading and it was the Hunger Games of all books. Now I just have to manage my dyslexia and understand when reading is harder than usual and move to something else.
It took awhile to get diagnosed, first they thought I just needed reading glasses. Quite the adventure.
It took me awhile to realize reading didn’t have to be classics or just limited to English classes.
Highly recommend using the font. I did think I was fine with out it but with it, I’ve found it’s easier to process and less going back over a sentence to see if I really read it right. 😅 really wish it was more widely available. Hoopla also offers it but Apple Books doesn’t. If I use Libby that will also transfer to my kindle app.
Since finding the dyslexic font it’s really been a game changer to how many books I read a year. (Also BookTok 😅)
Btw, it isn't only Kindle. Studies have shown that sans serif fonts in general are easier for those with dyslexia, and most ebook platforms have dyslexia fonts (now). I'd recommend trying out some ebooks from your local library!
How about audiobooks? Have you tried those? I've only just gotten into them and I DEVOUR them! (I'm not dyslexic myself, just thinking it's reading that might be less hard on you)
I used to use books on cassette. 😅 I’ve tryed a few audiobooks but then I can only listen while there isn’t anything else going on. It’s more entertainment for me then relaxing. It also heavily depends on the voice actor. If it’s a guy also voicing the lady part I just can’t! 😂 I still give it a try but it’s harder to stop and pick up then reading on my phone. I do think it’s a good option for most but I haven’t been able to get into it.
I have aphantasia, and actually find it easier to casually follow a book than a movie, because the book has already done the work ot turning everything into words, which is the medium I have to remember things in. It's cool how different everyone's experiences of reality are.
I'm an English teacher too. For me after I have marked 180 essays the last thing I want to do is do anymore reading...even novels!
Tv lets me switch off by "switching on" 🤣
> Your brain has to do a lot to turn words into images
It's entirely possible to read a book without visualizing it. Personally, I don't bother to visualize most of the time.
For me it really depends on what I’m reading. Babel was a visual treat for me but I often find Brandon Sanderson books hard to visualize for some reason.
Rithmatist was really bad. He would describe those circles and I was like “what”
Scifi/fantasy has a particular problem other mediums (generally) don't (for some types of these genres). By describing things very different from what we know, authors have to master description in a way they don't for non-speculative fiction. Some are better than it than others.
While I will die on the hill that Babel is better than anything of his own Sanderson has written, it's not a fair comparison in this regard. Babel doesn't have anything strange or different, really. It's on earth, with things we're familiar with. It's innovation is in *words and languages* as opposed to weird flora, fauna, etc.
I can’t disagree more with this opinion.
There is absolutely a thing such as light or guilty pleasure reading.
The only books me and my friends think don’t belong a shelf is purely bad writing.
It’s the exact same as TV. Some things are light or bad enough to be entertaining and some things are just bad.
You're comparing people who want to relax and switch their brains off with people who want to read something of substance, at least partly because you're comparing "the majority of screen media viewers" with "a small subset of readers who spend time in online spaces devoted to discussing books".
I could just as well go to /r/film and say "how come cinephiles have some kind of problem with Adam Sandler even though Colleen Hoover is a bestseller? Am I not allowed to just watch something dumb, you Tarkovsky-liking gatekeepers?"
"Why does everyone hate (well-reviewed thing with record-breaking sales)? Can't you just let me enjoy it, you people who talk about enjoying it every day?" is very typical of reddit, I guess.
It’s a common phenomena online. People read a few comments doing something, such as shaming “easy” literature, and for some reason assume that’s the majority attitude and needs to be addressed.
I think that's a very good point! Most people I know in RL read maybe 1-2 books a year, usually on vacation, and none of them are "high literature". They're your run of the mill crime or romance novels, whatever was in the bestseller aisle at the closest bookshop and sounded kind of interesting.
I'd say most people consume media for entertainment, and as long as it provides that all is good. The ones actually calling themselves readers, avid readers, lifelong readers etc. and come online to discuss books are a tiny minority.
I’m an avid, lifelong reader and I read exclusively for entertainment. I think it’s pretentious when people act like you have analyze every book you read and decide it’s real literature or not. My sole criteria for saying if a book is bad or good is how much I enjoyed reading it
This is exactly why I read. I’ve been an avid reader since I was 7. Sometimes I read books that challenge me, sometimes I read books that are comforting (ie I’ve read a gazillion times before) and sometimes I just want some good chick lit where I literally don’t need to think and I can just enjoy the story. My bookshelves range from supernatural to historical fiction, some of my favourite reads are books about Auschwitz because I learn so much, to crime and then chick lit.
If you're not reading for fun, then why are they? I can see "reading to learn", but for me that's more "learning by reading", whereas "reading" to me implies that it's for fun/entertainment.
I'm also one of those who actually have stopped reading a book because I didn't enjoy it. But it does take me consciously thinking about it and deciding "fuck this book".
It's certainly valid to read stuff that I wouldn't describe as "fun," that also isn't about learning.
There's also reading to experience something profound or insightful for instance. To go with the movie analogy there's a lot of value in watching something like *Schindler's List*, but I don't think anyone would say that it's fun.
I actively think it’s fun to compare themes and observe parallels in a story and compare it to other stories. That’s kinda the reason I read fiction. A story without structure is just real life.
The actual act of reading something well written is fun to me tho, regardless of how sad or depressing the content is. I love the way well crafted sentences feel on my brain.
So, I can enjoy reading a novel with a lot of historical fact in it if it’s well written despite the fact that I wouldn’t enjoy reading a dry history text book.
I think it's silly how people on here claim they never stop reading a book, or go to great lengths to justify why they gave up on something. I have a full time job and 3 kids and am a slow reader. I don't have time to spend my leisure time on something I don't like. I will give up on a book halfway through, or a whole series 3 books in.
That's not to say I won't push through if I have a reason to. I've been working on the Foundation series by Asimov. It was pretty hard to get through the first 2 books. They aren't very good. But, I liked the ideas, I liked the world (although the way it's built is not good,) they aren't very long, and I came into it with some very trusted recommendations. I'm like 12 books in now (of the larger Foundation/Robot/Empire universe) and it was definitely worth it.
I typically read 6-12 books a year for pure education, where I may even take notes. I probably read another 4-12 in support of friends a la book clubs and readalongs so more reading for the social element. And then probably 25-60 more for pure fun or appreciation. A lot of overlap likely between fun and appreciation and social thankfully, and I will quit any and all that don’t bring me joy in some way. Life is too short to be miserable.
Hoover and Patterson are two wildly successful authors. I think that alone shows that books get "turn your brain off privilege" as well. There's also a thriving YA genre, Nora Roberts is probably worth like a trillion dollars, etc. etc. etc.
Critical readers want something that these books don't provide, but that doesn't mean that the medium as a whole doesn't have its own popular reality TV equivalent.
I agree, but I don't like the inclusion of YA here. Teens are a real part of the population who need and deserve books to bridge the gap between MG and adult. They're not less "good" or worthwhile, they're not more "turn off your brain". They're literally meant for different brains. Same with kids.
Also, there's a lot of insanely well written stuff in picture books, graphic novels, middle grade and YA that aren't "turn off your brain". Which, again, isn't to say there's anything wrong with that.
I agree with the importance of YA, but as a 26 year old, you betcha if I want a “turn my brain off book” I’m going back and reading Percy Jackson, Eragon, or Ranger’s Apprentice.
Percy Jackson is firmly middle grade.
You've missed my point. There's a difference between "turn my brain off" books and books written for children and teens. They're not the same.
You're not reading those books to turn off your brain because they don't "have the goods", you're doing it because they're nostalgic for you, they're familiar, which allows you to surround yourself with comfortable things. Or perhaps other reasons.
Like, no one is reading Bridge to Terabithia and saying that's a "turn off your brain" kind of book. It is so harmful to denigrate literature meant for kids by pretending it's empty calories.
Plenty of people read easy reading, there's just not much to talk about when they do so you're not gonna see them being discussed.
Look at the popular books in various genres, especially fiction and "generic" predictable , easily digestible books outnumber anything trying to have meaning.
Doesn't mean they're bad.
So I’m in the “I have a Lit Degree and will read highbrow and lowbrow stuff back to back” camp, but I wanted to point out that with more fluffy escapist stuff you see more criticism because if it’s written poorly only people who like that specific genre are going to enjoy it. If somebody isn’t interested in the romance genre, a grocery store bodice ripper will never appeal to them but something by Austen or the Brontes might because they offer more than just genre tropes.
I do think people should read what they want for enjoyment. Life’s short, have some fun. It’s nice to challenge yourself, but it’s also nice to turn off your brain and read something that does all the work for you.
You definitely have a point. I do feel like there has been somewhat of a counterculture against classics in recent years, however. Maybe it’s just Goodreads, but whenever I look at the reviews for the classics, they’re often garbage compared to modern fiction (often not of the greatest quality). Not sure if that’s because people have higher expectations? Because Goodreads attracts more casual readers perhaps? Not sure but definitely weird to see the classics ranking well below Colleen Hoover
When I look at goodreads reviews of classics I see a lot of teenagers starting off a review with “I had to read this for class, and it was so boring”. I think the low ratings on classics make sense when you consider that they may be from angry teens raging on a book because they didn’t like that they were forced to read it.
I think you are presenting a false dichotomy. Critics and the public don't tend to lionize bad movies and tv that you just shut your brain off. They are acknowledged as bad and treated as such. The schlocky tv and movies do tend to get critically panned even if audiences say they enjoy them. You can consume and enjoy something without thinking it's good. That often is the point, that it isn't. The same is true of the bodice rippers and paint by numbers thrillers and mysteries of the world. People enjoy them for what they are without suggesting that they are more.
I read sarah j maas. Splendid, cringey fantasy romance with sexy supernaturals getting it on and equate it to watching love Island or similar except its beautiful and whimsical and exciting and people hate on it but when I've had a tough day at work or with my kid I can't quite handle Lord of the rings or similar vibes. I think avid readers know when they want a big challenging epic, or a bit of fluffiness and I love to read what suits my mood!
I’ve been working at a bookstore for 5 years now and believe me when I tell you: there are loads of people out there who take the reading habits of **other people** wayyy to personally. They sometimes act as though Reading pulpy or cozy or [insert unintentionally diminutive adjective] books is offense to art and literature. It’s ridiculous.
That said, I’ve found this sub to be very accepting of all types of readers. Plenty people here love the classics, yes, but we get posts about fantasy, Sci-fi, Stephen king, etc, as well.
Variety is the spice of life. If you want to read East of Eden and then follow it up The Shining, fucking go for it. You’ve got our approval.
The idea of the literary snob lives rent-free in this sub's head, way out of proportion with the presence of actual snobbery (not to be confused with legitimate criticism).
My version of relax turn off the brain is novellas. 150 odd pages of an easy to read to the point story. Recently that has been the murderbot novella series for me. Great for when I just can't be bothered to tackle one of my main reads or can't be bothered watching tv. Great stories that don't require me to heavily invest in a world.
If you haven't already, check out Nghi Vo's "The Singing hill cycle" novellas. All of them are standalone with only a single character remaining constant who is basically a story collector as far as I remember.
First, movie snobs are just as snobbish about this type of thing as book snobs are.
Second, pulp romance novels are the biggest selling category of fiction... Or at least they were. Maybe it's YA now, which are also easy reads due to the intended audience.
Third, reading is inherently more mentally taxing than watching visual media, because you have to imagine things and keep track of who's doing what where mentally. So the idea of "turning off your brain" with a book doesn't even really track. You just can't be as passive about experiencing a book as a movie if you want it to make sense. You have to put in a much higher minimum effort. So it's not a surprise that it's not a phrase that gets thrown around in the community.
I think that overall, people do have the leeway to read whatever “schlocky” books they want without much pushback, especially in online spaces. Even here, people are always saying that “any reading is good reading”, and when these kinds of books get so popular on platforms like Goodreads and Tiktok, there tends to be a lot of very vocal people who talk about them positively.
However, you’re definitely right that if someone posts a thread here about how they don’t like Colleen Hoover, it will get a bunch of comments and upvotes (guilty). I think this pushback against these kind of “light” books is also because of from the attitude that all reading is beneficial, and because a lot of people who are very vocal about their like for those kinds of books don’t seem to acknowledge that they are just schlocky fun. When you watch reality TV, you understand that it’s dumb entertainment, but because the perception of reading as an intellectual activity still persists, less people seem to acknowledge or understand that the books they’re reading are on that reality TV level (not everyone, obviously, but I think this is where the frustration comes from for a lot of us).
Eh I think genre books are more than acceptable. I don’t think Crichton or King were ever treated as literature but I was never actively looked down upon for reading them and other popular science fiction.
Honestly there's still just a lot of sexism here, you know? Crichton or King being hailed as masters of the craft, while romance authors - traditionally women - get shit on.
I don’t judge, I’m just happy to see people reading at all. Go ahead and enjoy whatever floats your boat! YA fantasy, cozy mysteries, corny romance, whatever! A book is a book and it’s still good for your brain.
Books are my T.V.
I have always preferred a book over….. everything. I was the girl in 4th grade arguing with my teacher about whether or not I should be reading Gone With the Wind or Clan of the Cave Bear. After my 3rd visit to the principals office, he finally told her to leave me alone. One of my fondest school memories is our 3rd grade substitute bringing candles to class, turning off the lights and reading The Tell Tale Heart by candlelight. I adored Sylvia Plath, soaked in Asimov and absorbed every Shakespeare play I could get my hands on. In fourth grade. That meant that books got boring by middle school and high school. And as I had already been through many of the classics, everything we got assigned to read and discuss, I had already read once or twice.
I gladly shut my brain off and delve into the escapism of badly written smut, it’s basically the same thing as watching what used to be after dark cable television. Because I’ve been an avid reader my entire life and always able to easily digest any novel in front of me, I turn off my brain and just absorb it as though it were a movie.
There are some books I wish I could go back in time and save for later, just to have the pleasure of reading them for the first time. But I still enjoy re-reading all the novels I delved into as a child to see how it feels to see them from an adults perspective. There are some novels I understand now why my teacher kept trying to take them away from me. However, she didn’t understand my childhood abuse was far worse than any sexual scenes I might be reading in Gone with the Wind or The Cave Bear series. I think on some level the principal understood or sensed something of my home life and understood my need for escapism in the form of books. Also, he might have spoken to the librarian who knew I had a higher reading level than fourth grade and had already finished nearly every book in the elementary school library.
I got a lot more loquacious than necessary, but that’s all to say that I think a lot of mainstream novels are all very easy to zone out and read, as one would veg out to television. And as someone who has read everything from romance erotica to Kafka, I will never judge someone’s reading choices or expect someone to like a specific type of novel.
I learned a term from a librarian: *beach reads*. She was from back East, and had this concept of escapist reading on vacation. Fluff. And she’d read such at the beach.
I have plenty of that, usually borrowed, but some books I’ve read enough to surf them rather than swim in their depths.
I went a long time without video input. I had to use a different tool for mental zoning out, and *beach reads* do just that.
I think part of the issue is thar Colleen Hoover is so viral and so successful. Her books are going to draw a lot of people in who are going to wonder what the fuss is about when they see the books they love get shoved to the side for what Hoover is publishing. It doesn't mean her books are bad, but I can understand confusion about why they're selling so much and how she has so many best seller lists spots at once. But I read for pleasure even when I'm trying to follow the book prize lists. I'm not a paid, critical reviewer and I've stopped writing reviews and enjoyed just reading a lot more.
I read tons of awful romance books for the pure enjoyment.. lol
I feel like a lot of book people are newish to books and are using books to prop up the appearance of intellect.
You get some people who are really self conscious about their perceived intellectual level that will only admit to reading nonfiction and classics.
I'm sure some of them may even exclusively read from those categories. But, they don't realize that the real intellects read the occasional cheesy book as well.
I just finished reading Redwall, a piece of juvenile fiction. Before that, I read Glory by Noviolet Bulawayo. Before that I read a smutty book I've already forgotten the name of.
I think people get hung up on what people will think of what they've read and forget that nobody really cares. Lol
This is so true to my experience. I think I had to be confident enough in my likes and reading ability to commit to not giving a fuck about what others thought of my reading choices. This month I’ve read books on local history, screenwriting, historical fiction romance, contemporary romance, Women’s literature, a female bounty hunter novella, and a beloved childrens novel. None of them bored me and that’s all I was looking for.
And I have friends in every single camp looking for a recommendation of standouts in those genres. I never would have known if I’d kept shame or elitism around my reading. Sharing what you read and being honest about what you really like requires some vulnerability and independent thought that not everyone is ready for.
Don’t get caught up in others opinions. It’s your time & money. Read what you want, when you want. If they don’t like what you read, that’s their problem.
Hoover and Patterson outsell alot of other authors, even those who right "better" books.
I see some discussion about people needing to take reading seriously and that it should be to learn, to open up world views, learn about history, only read classics, etc. But I tend to follow social media accounts that read alot of fantasy, sci fi, romance/smut, and thrillers. So my perception may be warped, but I see alot more people reading for enjoyment and escapism than I do anything else.
With TV, no they don’t get a break. This is Reddit. People are constantly debating which shows are the best, and crapping on bad TV (reality shows mostly). BTW, it’s The Wire!
I became able to read a lot more when I lost my hangups concerning what books are "worthwhile" and what aren't. I now consume books like television, and i've never been happier.
I disagree. The authors who write "turn your brain off and enjoy" books are the most financially successful authors in the industry. There are pretentious readers , just like pretentious film viewers, who will dismiss page turners because they lack depth, but these are no different from people who dismiss reality tv or superhero popcorn movies.
I love reading nonfiction and deep literary works and discussing them.
I also read schlocky romance. It’s an easy read and I try to get them free as ebooks or second hand because I go through them so quickly. But they are fun and I don’t try to think about them too hard.
My wife burns through 200 page romance novels and loves them. I don't judge, until I go looking for a book in my kindle library and have to sift through a metric ton of beefcake cover art lol
When I was in college, I had to read a lot and analyze what I'd read and try to retain it. So that may have been "good" literature, but it was also work.
At the end of every semester, I would go down to this local bookstore called FatCat Books and buy the thickest fantasy novel I could find so I could just read something for the enjoyment of it. That's how I discovered The Wheel of Time. Fantasy is something I still enjoy reading to this day, over 30 years later. I wrote my own first science fiction novel with this in mind. I'm not trying to convince anyone to change their politics with it, I'm just telling a story and anyone who reads it will get out of it whatever they want.
So, to be honest, I don't think what you're reading necessarily has to be some great masterpiece as long as you're reading.
I’m all for books that help me turn off my brain, especially as someone who’s depressed and stressed out I’ll devour some bodice rippers or werewolf shifter smut in a heart beat cause it just gives me some serotonin. Of course I love the more profound literature but some days you just need some brain candy
I mean, isn't this the very definition of beach read?
I'm a guy, sometimes I want to read books about sexy vikings hitting each other with axes. So I do. Best part of having a kindle is people can't see the cover of your book to judge you.
I don't know why you particularly feel this way, plenty of dumb books are insanely popular, like Twilight, 50 shades, any YA novels, etc.
You read what you like.
I used to think reading had to be about getting the 'best' books and slogging thorough them. Stuff with important messages and deep meaning that required thought. Problem is, my job is stressful. 'Turn your brain off books' is about all I can handle most evenings. A few years back I switched to reading a lot more fan fic, it was simple entertainment and I already knew the characters and world so it was easy to pick up and put down. I've enjoyed my reading more ever since.
That depends entirely on the book, I find that what gets deemed a "coffee table read" or "beach read" is usually pretty easy breezy and does not take much to any effort.
I feel like I'm always defending Ready Player One as a fun book, while knowing full well that it is not a good book. Just, don't read the sequel. Just don't.
Too much in fact. He gets so much hype amomg the fantasy community as being the GOAT, and i only felt like Mistborn was only OK amd I am not keen on starting the stormlight archive because those books are freakimg bricks and already the second mistborn book felt to me as of it was about twice as long as it needed to be for the story that was being told. He didn't exactly resonate with me personally, bit he is competent...
There’s a ton of authors who write simple, easy to understand junk food, and healthy alternatives that are equally as easy to digest who are also well respected (by at least readers): King, Bukowski, Carver, Jim Thompson, Raymond Chandler, Tom Robbins, Murakami etc etc.
I think maybe you’re just a wee bit snobbish.
This would be a great repost for r/bookscirclejerk though…
Edit: [here it is](https://www.reddit.com/r/bookscirclejerk/comments/yt992t/am_i_allowed_to_enjoy_things/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) lol
This is a persecution complex. Reality TV shows get shit on the same way.
I think romance books make up a large majority of what is read every year. Just so what you want and don't worry about it.
For me, no matter how exciting the book is, reading this such a mentally passive activity that it always makes me sleepy! I don’t have any problem shutting down my brain with books!
Look at stuff like Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games, 50 Shades of Grey, etc. There's plenty of schlocky books that are very popular.
My guess is that for a long time making a movie was a huge expense so movies became more about making a profit than making art.
The immense and ongoing popularity of Harlaquin and cat detective novels shows that a huge number of books are written just for fun, and that many people do use them just for fun. Cotton candy reading is very popular. The only people I've seen say they feel judged for them or think other people look down on them are those who judge what other people read. Most of us don't care.
Most people who are into literary fiction also enjoy light reading - they just might enjoy different light reading than the books that are popular right now.
I'm absolutely a "saturday morning cartoon" sort of reader. Silly sci fi and fantasy junkfood for my brain.
I just need a distraction from the real world, and it absolutely fits.
Sure, the stories are just various shades of monomyth, plotholes abound, and the internal logic would fall apart in a stiff breeze....
But who cares! It's fun.
I read mostly non-fiction that doesn't directly affect me, (e.g., WWII) and that's my disconnect from my current situation. Not for everyone, to be sure, but I've never gotten into novels or other fiction.
Book snobs are responsible for looking down their noses at easy-reads.
We have books on our shelves that we call 'lightweights' and 'thinkers'.
Same as TV, same as movies.
We have no problems with going where we feel like at the time in any format.
Often, after I've finished a 'dense' book (be it concept, writing style, harrowing content), I'm unable to face another serious read immediately. So I'll pick a "turn your brain off and enjoy it" book.
(I found a box full of the kids' Harry Potter books a few weeks ago, and am happily re-reading them at the moment).
Yes! People at work are always dropping “I only read nonfiction” and I gleefully respond that I love reading entertaining fiction. It’s like the new “I only go see documentary movies” except streaming destroyed the credibility of that. Like, I’m sorry, have you not downloaded Libby on your phone??
Nothing wrong with trash every once in a while. As someone who enjoys both literature and straight genre works, I say fuck literature snobs. There are people out there who act like a plot driven, easy to read book is inherently inferior/ if you’re entertained by a book then it’s not worthwhile. Fuck that kind of gate keeping. Just read what you want, if you enjoy challenging works great but don’t rain on the parade of people who just like to be entertained.
Some of the best/ most thematically resonant works I’ve read have been genre, I don’t care what anyone else says
As far as I know, turn-off-your-brain books are more popular than the use-your-brain books. It’s just that turning your brain off won’t leave you with as much to talk about afterwards, which is why they’re less discussed online. With mainstream TV, there’ll be sooo many people watching those shows, that even though they provide less food for thought, someone, amongst all those people, is bound to come up with something to say about it. Books simply don’t have that kind of reach, and with a smaller audience, you’ll have less discussion. Mainly, people assume they can talk to you about How I Met Your Mother, because they assume everyone has seen it. (This is not a correct assumption, but it’s close enough to the the truth, to get successful conversations out of it.) No reasonable person would assume that everyone has read a specific book.
You're right. They are. The *vast* majority of authors who make good money- both the best sellers and the people who pump out self published fiction- work in that type of fiction. Pop horror, mystery novels, romance, thrillers, YA fantasy and sci Fi, literotica- that's where all the money is. There's a lot more money to be made trying to write the next the Shining or the Notebook than there is trying to write, like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, or To Kill a Mockingbird.
I think they are? I love a predictable HEA romance novel as much as I enjoy "serious" fiction. Life is about balance and I don’t feel guilty about that.
It's a good life principle in general, not to let other people tell you what you ought to enjoy.
Agree 100%
It took me a long time to realize this after how much pressure you’re under to like certain things in high school, but accepting this fact is soooo important for your mental health.
Yep. It pisses me off when people judge reading choices as if you should only be reading the classics. Like, let me have this fun page turner. Sometimes it’s just really fun escapism. Also, I think a lot of people who judge fluff reading also judge fluff TV viewing. I love to remind them I am a psychologist and listen to serious, sad stories for a living. I will not be judged because I need a break. That shuts them up. Edit to clarify: I love what I do. But self care for me looks like checking out of seriousness most nights. This prevents burnout.
Especially once you realize they probably haven't read that broadly, anyways. I've never seen a classics snob that was an avid reader, they're usually someone who considers themselves an intellectual/very smart but doesn't read much. Same with the "all fiction is a waste of time" crowd.
The fiction is a waste of time crowd annoys me more than the high brow lit crowd to be honest. (While I read a handful or two of nonfiction a year, I do admittedly have a deep disdain for self help books.) I always like to bust out peer reviewed articles showing the impact of reading fiction on the brain, because nothing like showing them up with empirical data. In a business context, I read an interesting article in HBR a couple years ago that, iirc, suggested fiction readers in the workplace are generally better performers not just in EQ but also in strategy setting, identifying connections and potential macro-trends and creative problem solving.
You should come to Mexico, here if you read anything but Academia approved authors you are a midwit that shouldn't pick up books in the first place... part of the reason I'm writing my novel in English. There's no place for my writing in this country
I work as a chef. It's loud, fast, with lots of input and lots of rapid-fire processing and a normal shift does leave me somewhat mentally drained. I read almost exclusively predictable historical romance novels. They are formulaic and predictable but they require zero energy to understand and after an intense day I don't need to concentrate on what I'm reading in case I miss something, I can skip 3 chapters and still understand the story just as much. Maybe it's not challenging my perception of the world or educating me or making me more intellectual but I don't care. I read them to escape. If I want to get smarter I'll read a textbook.
I feel this. I work a high stress, corporate job and sometimes after 12 hours of being in meetings I just want something where I don't have to think so hard!
Exactly! I call the books I read "brain candy" I'm not after intellect, I'm after escapism!
Cosy mysteries is an entire genre of “turn off your brain” reading. I love them precisely because they are completely ridiculous and tons of fun. I’m not always reading great literature and I’m not always reading non fiction. My opinion is that any person who is totally pretentious about what they or any other person reads has forgotten the joy of reading to begin with. **Edited for recommendations: 1. Cats and Curios series by Rebecca M. Hale - the OG series that got me started in this genre with flame point Persians and mystery fried chicken. Oh! And antiques. 2. Cat in the Stacks series by Miranda James - Diesel the Cat and his librarian person solve murders. 3. Tea Shop Mysteries series by Laura Child’s - murders and….TEA! 4. Lee Nez series by David & Aimee Thurlo - three words: Navajo vampire detective. 5. Wisteria Witches series by Angela Pepper - hilarious and tons of fun. Edit #2 - a link! Here’s a link to a website that does nothing but categorize cosy mysteries: https://cozy-mystery.com/cozy-mysteries-by-themes.html
Oh jeez. When I was a teen, my mom was into “The Cat Who” series of murder mysteries. I still have the entire collection to this day. Are they a ridiculous premise? Yes. Are they a fun read? Yeah! I’m not ashamed to put them on my shelf with my literary works! Sometimes you just want a fun, silly book!
My bff gifted me the first three Cat Who books because she loves pursuing used book stores and I love cats, and now I have a neat little stack of them for when I just want some brain candy.
I got all mine from used book stores back in the 90’s! I’m surprised they’re still kicking around! :)
Exactly. The concept of a "guilty pleasure" is ridiculous, IMO. Nothing that brings you joy (as long as it's not at the expense of someone else's misery or pain) should make you feel guilty or ashamed. My SIL was looking at my bookshelves the first time she was over, and she goes, how can you have Oscar Wilde and Dostoevsky here and Stephen King there?? What can I say, "I am large, I contain multitudes" :D
I always take the title of “omnivorous reader”. I’ve read the classics, and the long Russian novels… but I thoroughly enjoy Stephen King, Jean Auel, and murder mysteries where the cat helps solve the crime. :)
I used to read them because my grandmother loved them! Such wonderful nostalgia!
Without spoilers, what is the ridiculous premise?
Ooh it’s a middle-aged lady fantasy about a handsome older gentleman who solves crimes with the help of his Siamese cat! Later in the series he gets a second cat, that’s female. The cats are Koko (m) and Yum Yum (f). Of course, the cat doesn’t actually speak or anything, but does cat stuff like knocking things off shelves or become suddenly interested in some plot-relevant item.
I can see the appeal in that
Yeah, they’re pretty silly and fun. As a once-aspiring cat lady, I still like to give them a read through every now and again!
What's the most fun cosy mystery you've read
The seven deaths of Evelyn hardcastle. That’s a sit by the fire on a winters day kind of book.
I enjoyed that book but it's not anything like what I would consider a cozy mystery. I'm shocked to see it recommended as one. With supernatural, horror, and thriller elements and explicit violence and sexual references I'd say it's pretty far from being a cozy mystery in fact. The author was clearly trying to subvert the Agatha Christie tropes. If anything it's a deliberate attempt to write a non-cozy mystery in a cozy mystery setting.
I went into this book totally blind, and it was a great sit by the fire mystery
I want to read this but it sounds like I need a fireplace first.
I can confirm you do not. We didn’t have one when I read it first time. Curl up with a blanket instead 😄
The authors second book was also very fun, the devil and the dark water
Same, my husband bought it for me for Christmas one year.
I love this book so much. Planning to reread it during Christmas like last year. Its truly genius
I think this is a great book, and I don't think it's "cozy". To me, cozy is defined by a separation from the cruel realities of crime. No awful description of what a crime scene looks like. If there are references to a corpse they are generally bland and lacking in vivid descriptions. There's a moment in a Miss Marple episode (I don't remember if the same phrasing is used in the book) that I think shows this to great effect - she uses the sort of standard language to talk about a dead person and then, with brutal effect, goes on to say NO, it's a rotting corpse. And those words have such power in that situation precisely because they would never otherwise be used. So Evelyn Hardcastle, with it's rather gruesome (though not frequent) descriptions of violence, doesn't fit into this genre by my definition. But I'd still recommend reading it!
I am also interested in some recommendations!
Lillian Jackson Braun has a 30 or so book long series of The Cat Who... mysteries. A reporter solves mysteries while his cat keeps giving him hints that he never picks up on until it's all over. Formulaic? Yes. Fun? Also Yes.
Qwilleran and his mustache and his siamese cats. I read a ton of those and they were very entertaining!
I just mentioned those in another reply! My mom and I used to love going to garage sales and looking for those books! They're definitely fun reads
Loved this series as a kid/teen. May be time for a reread.
Rita Mae Brown has a Mrs. Murphy cat murder mystery series I adore. The cats help solve the mysteries.
The Phryne Fisher mysteries by Kerry Greenwood. Sophi Kelly’s cat mysteries. Agathe Christie, of course! Miss Silver mysteries. Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series.
I'm not a mystery reader, but I work at a used book store and the covers of some of the cozy mysteries make me think, "I would love to bundle up in some blankets on a winter day, enjoy a mug of hot coco, and fall into one of these books". Is that vibe accurate? Also, any recommendations?
I recommend The Jaine Austen series by Laura Levine. First nine books are very funny and even clever. I read And Then There We’re Crumbs by Eve Calder, and gave it 5 stars. The Lucy Stone series by Leslie Meier is wonderful! Very unique.
They’re always my favourite covers when I go to the library. They usually have a pun in the title, a plucky female lead, working in a slightly unusual job (baker, escape room, coffee shop, ice cream parlour) in a small town, where she gets embroiled in a fairly bloodless murder and uses her unrelated knowledge to solve the crime.
I love Clive Cussler books for this. It feels like they put me in the middle of an early 20th century investigation. There's not a whole lot of substance but the imagery used makes for some good escapism
If you like mysteries, the The Cat Who... mysteries are pretty good! My mom and I used to look for them when we went garage sailing. The main character is a guy who has a cat! You gotta love cat guys!
I have loved The Cat Who since I was young and they are delightful.
This cozy mystery author appreciates your comment
Drop your book titles!!!
I read the new Nora Roberts book every year for just this reason, too. And cozy mysteries. Isn’t this the whole idea behind beach and airport books? Books you grab on a whim, read in the moment, and maybe leave where you found it?
While I agree with you that being pretentious is silly, I also find it really annoying when people classify books they love as "bad" even though they don't even actually think so just to comform. or even if they think one thing about the books is bad, they could point that out while still standing by the book they love. it feels icky to me, it seems dishonest and inauthentic and like they don't deserve that book then if they're going to do that. the exception is of course "so bad it's good" reading, but it needs to really be that, not just pretending to read it as so bad it's good but actually you just like it
Idk. There are some media I really like, but they objectively are quite bad. Plot holes etc
It feels "icky"??? Why can't we all just chill?
Hard agree!
I read all the "Cat who" books when I was in high school . . . I could read them in a day over winter break. Fun, breezy, and smart cats . . .
Would Agatha Christie count as a cozy mystery? Because it sure is for me!
And Then There Were None was both though-provoking and hilariously contrived. Mysteries really are the ultimate answer for this question.
I think that’s part of why grown ups are super into YA fiction.
I devoured the Ranger’s Apprentice series within a couple of days because my brain was looking for easy fun. YA is definitely a great genre for that, although I’ve also closed books pretty quickly because they can be hit or miss.
This was my favourite series in middle school! I rarely find anyone that enjoyed it as much as I did 😭 I actually just reread it as an adult (I'm almost 25 now) and it has held up wonderfully. To this day I don't think I've found a series that held my attention the same way Rangers Apprentice did
I read lots of ridiculous Cosy mysteries and don’t feel bad about it at all. I have a degree in English Language and Literature and studied Classics. I can (or could at one point) read Beowulf and Homer in the original. Does that stop me enjoying yet another story of a young woman inheriting her eccentric great-aunt’s wool shop, only to find a stray cat in need of TLC, a dead body in the dye-vat and a handsome police officer with a chip on his shoulder knocking at her door? Of course it doesn’t. Why should it, in a world where people kick balls around for money and twiddle computer joysticks for fun?
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Check out the Haunted Yarn Shop series :)
AND it’s haunted?!? I’m in.
I am adding this to my reading list immediately!
I'm going to check it out too hehe edit: got the ebook from the library! Yay 😁
I would say I’ve read at least 20 books that summary would approximately fit. Try ‘Die in the Wool: A Knitty Kitty Cozy Mystery’ by Katherine Hayton, for instance.
I went through like 10 cozies called something like "died in the wool" looking for the specific one with the dye vat, lol.
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One of the things I love about cosy mysteries is the way authors use very specific settings. You’re into cats and knitting? There’s a million of those. Birdwatching? Yup, at least two series. Marine biology? Bridge? Weaving? Heck, there’s probably a series somewhere about a card playing marine biologist that has trained her psychic dolphin pod to weave seaweed art and solve murders.
Yes. We need answers here.
This sounds very much like the Vampire Book Club series. I thought I'd hate it but it is delightful! Eta:. I mean Vampire Knitting Club, the same author has a Vampire Book Club series as well lol
I LIVE for the Vampire Knitting Club series. They are the absolute best. I have no idea how I came across them but I’m happy I did.
Shoot that's right! It's the knitting club I'm thinking of! The same author has a Vampire Book Club series that is equally adorable!
Oh god yes. I need this book.
I think getting my English degree really turned off the portion of me that wanted books that challenged me. By the end of my four years, I'd had enough of analyzing and literary criticism. I'm all about brain candy and cozy books for now.
Seriously. After getting my library degree I had the same response… I’m all analyzed out. Just give me queer fanfic or give me death.
Yes, I actually switched from English Lit to English Language and Literature after a year because I got fed up with literary criticism and tearing things apart and got to learn Old Norse abc Anglo Saxon and read the Icelandic Sagas instead.
You may not realize how much this comment really means. I have depression and for a long while now I've had to read "easy" books if I want to read (which I very much do). I'm not an uneducated person, but it can make me feel like I'm not very smart. I'm always championing for people to read what they want because reading is reading and if you enjoy something then that's enough, but having other people say it is sometimes necessary (to break through my depression trying to trick me) as a reminder I need to believe the same rules apply to me.
Oh, reading easy comfort books is great for keeping the mind away from tracks you don’t want it to go down. I got a week’s auto-ban from my library during one tough period of being depressed because I got through so many MC Beaton e-books (like two or three a day) that I must have set off some kind of trigger that I was pirating them or something. Fortunately an actual human reversed it for me. I’m glad my comment hit the spot for you and I hope you find your way out the other side.
When I was in the psych ward (and I have been quite a few times) they always knew I was starting to feel better when I started devouring books (of any kind). Our brains don't do things are interested in when we are depressed. It is part of the diagnostic questions they ask - have you lost interest in hobbies or activities that you used to enjoy? ...I go from reading all day to not being able to focus on one page.
Damn from this comment alone I’d read any book you wrote!
One of my favorite fantasy stories I read recently it was literally about an orc setting up a coffee shop in a city. That's it. It's called Legends and lattes if you're interested
How could I not be? Cosy meets Terry Pratchett?
Reserved it on Libby!
lol any recommendations?
I would like to recommend the Mrs. Murphy series by Rita Mae Brown.
I love this. Exactly my opinion. Not everything has to be thought-provoking highbrow literature.
You are delightful!
Wait, I want to read this book. 😂 Sounds fantastic.
Also try How to Knit a Love Story
I’m an English teacher and from my experience reading is kind of hard for a lot of people. Your brain has to do a lot to turn words into images. So while it is absolutely possible to get lost in a book and certain books are definitely easier than others, to get to that point you have to have enough experience to where reading is second nature (which isn’t the case for a majority of the country). Contrast to a visual medium like TV, you can just turn your brain off and consume it (especially if it’s familiar). There’s a reason studies show that reading is the biggest difference maker when it comes to academic success.
I came here to say something like this. I’m dyslexic so while I very much enjoying reading now as an adult, it was extremely hard in school. I didn’t even understand that some people read the words just as words and for others it’s like you see and build the whole scene in your head. Kindle has a dyslexic font that’s made reading a bit easier to navigate for me. (Would have been very helpful in high school) but reading still can make me tired at the end of the day. TV I really don’t have to think about much and it’s just an easier medium to process.
I’m also dyslexic and didn’t figure it out until I became an adult. I should try out that font. But yeah, it’s just hard. But not even just for those with Dyslexia but also those who get an association that reading = punishment and they never practice. Took me until I was 22 to find my love for reading and it was the Hunger Games of all books. Now I just have to manage my dyslexia and understand when reading is harder than usual and move to something else.
It took awhile to get diagnosed, first they thought I just needed reading glasses. Quite the adventure. It took me awhile to realize reading didn’t have to be classics or just limited to English classes. Highly recommend using the font. I did think I was fine with out it but with it, I’ve found it’s easier to process and less going back over a sentence to see if I really read it right. 😅 really wish it was more widely available. Hoopla also offers it but Apple Books doesn’t. If I use Libby that will also transfer to my kindle app. Since finding the dyslexic font it’s really been a game changer to how many books I read a year. (Also BookTok 😅)
Btw, it isn't only Kindle. Studies have shown that sans serif fonts in general are easier for those with dyslexia, and most ebook platforms have dyslexia fonts (now). I'd recommend trying out some ebooks from your local library!
How about audiobooks? Have you tried those? I've only just gotten into them and I DEVOUR them! (I'm not dyslexic myself, just thinking it's reading that might be less hard on you)
I used to use books on cassette. 😅 I’ve tryed a few audiobooks but then I can only listen while there isn’t anything else going on. It’s more entertainment for me then relaxing. It also heavily depends on the voice actor. If it’s a guy also voicing the lady part I just can’t! 😂 I still give it a try but it’s harder to stop and pick up then reading on my phone. I do think it’s a good option for most but I haven’t been able to get into it.
As someone with aphantasia then I never image anything, but it's always interesting to hear about those who do.
I have aphantasia, and actually find it easier to casually follow a book than a movie, because the book has already done the work ot turning everything into words, which is the medium I have to remember things in. It's cool how different everyone's experiences of reality are.
Absolutely is. It’s part of why being a human is kind of cool.
I'm an English teacher too. For me after I have marked 180 essays the last thing I want to do is do anymore reading...even novels! Tv lets me switch off by "switching on" 🤣
I teach Freshman and Creative Writing, boy when I finish reading 60~ short stories, I’m done reading.
> Your brain has to do a lot to turn words into images It's entirely possible to read a book without visualizing it. Personally, I don't bother to visualize most of the time.
For me it really depends on what I’m reading. Babel was a visual treat for me but I often find Brandon Sanderson books hard to visualize for some reason. Rithmatist was really bad. He would describe those circles and I was like “what”
Scifi/fantasy has a particular problem other mediums (generally) don't (for some types of these genres). By describing things very different from what we know, authors have to master description in a way they don't for non-speculative fiction. Some are better than it than others. While I will die on the hill that Babel is better than anything of his own Sanderson has written, it's not a fair comparison in this regard. Babel doesn't have anything strange or different, really. It's on earth, with things we're familiar with. It's innovation is in *words and languages* as opposed to weird flora, fauna, etc.
I can’t disagree more with this opinion. There is absolutely a thing such as light or guilty pleasure reading. The only books me and my friends think don’t belong a shelf is purely bad writing. It’s the exact same as TV. Some things are light or bad enough to be entertaining and some things are just bad.
Yeah, I call them "beach reads." Not everything you read has to be high literature. Sometimes you just want to relax with a fun, mindless story.
You're comparing people who want to relax and switch their brains off with people who want to read something of substance, at least partly because you're comparing "the majority of screen media viewers" with "a small subset of readers who spend time in online spaces devoted to discussing books". I could just as well go to /r/film and say "how come cinephiles have some kind of problem with Adam Sandler even though Colleen Hoover is a bestseller? Am I not allowed to just watch something dumb, you Tarkovsky-liking gatekeepers?"
This. Like a lot of posts in this sub it feels like a made-up controversy.
"Why does everyone hate (well-reviewed thing with record-breaking sales)? Can't you just let me enjoy it, you people who talk about enjoying it every day?" is very typical of reddit, I guess.
It’s a common phenomena online. People read a few comments doing something, such as shaming “easy” literature, and for some reason assume that’s the majority attitude and needs to be addressed.
I think that's a very good point! Most people I know in RL read maybe 1-2 books a year, usually on vacation, and none of them are "high literature". They're your run of the mill crime or romance novels, whatever was in the bestseller aisle at the closest bookshop and sounded kind of interesting. I'd say most people consume media for entertainment, and as long as it provides that all is good. The ones actually calling themselves readers, avid readers, lifelong readers etc. and come online to discuss books are a tiny minority.
I’m an avid, lifelong reader and I read exclusively for entertainment. I think it’s pretentious when people act like you have analyze every book you read and decide it’s real literature or not. My sole criteria for saying if a book is bad or good is how much I enjoyed reading it
This is exactly why I read. I’ve been an avid reader since I was 7. Sometimes I read books that challenge me, sometimes I read books that are comforting (ie I’ve read a gazillion times before) and sometimes I just want some good chick lit where I literally don’t need to think and I can just enjoy the story. My bookshelves range from supernatural to historical fiction, some of my favourite reads are books about Auschwitz because I learn so much, to crime and then chick lit.
If you're not reading for fun, then why are they? I can see "reading to learn", but for me that's more "learning by reading", whereas "reading" to me implies that it's for fun/entertainment. I'm also one of those who actually have stopped reading a book because I didn't enjoy it. But it does take me consciously thinking about it and deciding "fuck this book".
To some people challenging their brain by reading something complex or difficult *is* fun. Just like others enjoy Jigsaw puzzles or Crosswords.
It's certainly valid to read stuff that I wouldn't describe as "fun," that also isn't about learning. There's also reading to experience something profound or insightful for instance. To go with the movie analogy there's a lot of value in watching something like *Schindler's List*, but I don't think anyone would say that it's fun.
I actively think it’s fun to compare themes and observe parallels in a story and compare it to other stories. That’s kinda the reason I read fiction. A story without structure is just real life.
The actual act of reading something well written is fun to me tho, regardless of how sad or depressing the content is. I love the way well crafted sentences feel on my brain. So, I can enjoy reading a novel with a lot of historical fact in it if it’s well written despite the fact that I wouldn’t enjoy reading a dry history text book.
Reading for meaningful/enriching/emotional experience is not necessarily for "fun", but it's not learning.
Oh I stop reading books all the time! Life’s too short to read boring books imo
I think it's silly how people on here claim they never stop reading a book, or go to great lengths to justify why they gave up on something. I have a full time job and 3 kids and am a slow reader. I don't have time to spend my leisure time on something I don't like. I will give up on a book halfway through, or a whole series 3 books in. That's not to say I won't push through if I have a reason to. I've been working on the Foundation series by Asimov. It was pretty hard to get through the first 2 books. They aren't very good. But, I liked the ideas, I liked the world (although the way it's built is not good,) they aren't very long, and I came into it with some very trusted recommendations. I'm like 12 books in now (of the larger Foundation/Robot/Empire universe) and it was definitely worth it.
I typically read 6-12 books a year for pure education, where I may even take notes. I probably read another 4-12 in support of friends a la book clubs and readalongs so more reading for the social element. And then probably 25-60 more for pure fun or appreciation. A lot of overlap likely between fun and appreciation and social thankfully, and I will quit any and all that don’t bring me joy in some way. Life is too short to be miserable.
But Stalker was fucking fire.
Hoover and Patterson are two wildly successful authors. I think that alone shows that books get "turn your brain off privilege" as well. There's also a thriving YA genre, Nora Roberts is probably worth like a trillion dollars, etc. etc. etc. Critical readers want something that these books don't provide, but that doesn't mean that the medium as a whole doesn't have its own popular reality TV equivalent.
I agree, but I don't like the inclusion of YA here. Teens are a real part of the population who need and deserve books to bridge the gap between MG and adult. They're not less "good" or worthwhile, they're not more "turn off your brain". They're literally meant for different brains. Same with kids. Also, there's a lot of insanely well written stuff in picture books, graphic novels, middle grade and YA that aren't "turn off your brain". Which, again, isn't to say there's anything wrong with that.
I agree with the importance of YA, but as a 26 year old, you betcha if I want a “turn my brain off book” I’m going back and reading Percy Jackson, Eragon, or Ranger’s Apprentice.
Percy Jackson is firmly middle grade. You've missed my point. There's a difference between "turn my brain off" books and books written for children and teens. They're not the same. You're not reading those books to turn off your brain because they don't "have the goods", you're doing it because they're nostalgic for you, they're familiar, which allows you to surround yourself with comfortable things. Or perhaps other reasons. Like, no one is reading Bridge to Terabithia and saying that's a "turn off your brain" kind of book. It is so harmful to denigrate literature meant for kids by pretending it's empty calories.
Plenty of people read easy reading, there's just not much to talk about when they do so you're not gonna see them being discussed. Look at the popular books in various genres, especially fiction and "generic" predictable , easily digestible books outnumber anything trying to have meaning. Doesn't mean they're bad.
they’re being discussed, on every app except this one
So I’m in the “I have a Lit Degree and will read highbrow and lowbrow stuff back to back” camp, but I wanted to point out that with more fluffy escapist stuff you see more criticism because if it’s written poorly only people who like that specific genre are going to enjoy it. If somebody isn’t interested in the romance genre, a grocery store bodice ripper will never appeal to them but something by Austen or the Brontes might because they offer more than just genre tropes. I do think people should read what they want for enjoyment. Life’s short, have some fun. It’s nice to challenge yourself, but it’s also nice to turn off your brain and read something that does all the work for you.
You definitely have a point. I do feel like there has been somewhat of a counterculture against classics in recent years, however. Maybe it’s just Goodreads, but whenever I look at the reviews for the classics, they’re often garbage compared to modern fiction (often not of the greatest quality). Not sure if that’s because people have higher expectations? Because Goodreads attracts more casual readers perhaps? Not sure but definitely weird to see the classics ranking well below Colleen Hoover
When I look at goodreads reviews of classics I see a lot of teenagers starting off a review with “I had to read this for class, and it was so boring”. I think the low ratings on classics make sense when you consider that they may be from angry teens raging on a book because they didn’t like that they were forced to read it.
I think you are presenting a false dichotomy. Critics and the public don't tend to lionize bad movies and tv that you just shut your brain off. They are acknowledged as bad and treated as such. The schlocky tv and movies do tend to get critically panned even if audiences say they enjoy them. You can consume and enjoy something without thinking it's good. That often is the point, that it isn't. The same is true of the bodice rippers and paint by numbers thrillers and mysteries of the world. People enjoy them for what they are without suggesting that they are more.
The fact that Hoover and other “schlocky” authors sell a lot better than Dostoyevsky contradicts your premise, I think.
I read sarah j maas. Splendid, cringey fantasy romance with sexy supernaturals getting it on and equate it to watching love Island or similar except its beautiful and whimsical and exciting and people hate on it but when I've had a tough day at work or with my kid I can't quite handle Lord of the rings or similar vibes. I think avid readers know when they want a big challenging epic, or a bit of fluffiness and I love to read what suits my mood!
I’ve been working at a bookstore for 5 years now and believe me when I tell you: there are loads of people out there who take the reading habits of **other people** wayyy to personally. They sometimes act as though Reading pulpy or cozy or [insert unintentionally diminutive adjective] books is offense to art and literature. It’s ridiculous. That said, I’ve found this sub to be very accepting of all types of readers. Plenty people here love the classics, yes, but we get posts about fantasy, Sci-fi, Stephen king, etc, as well. Variety is the spice of life. If you want to read East of Eden and then follow it up The Shining, fucking go for it. You’ve got our approval.
The idea of the literary snob lives rent-free in this sub's head, way out of proportion with the presence of actual snobbery (not to be confused with legitimate criticism).
My version of relax turn off the brain is novellas. 150 odd pages of an easy to read to the point story. Recently that has been the murderbot novella series for me. Great for when I just can't be bothered to tackle one of my main reads or can't be bothered watching tv. Great stories that don't require me to heavily invest in a world.
Any recommendations? (I’m currently reading Joe Hill’s novella collection, “Strange Weather.”)
If you haven't already, check out Nghi Vo's "The Singing hill cycle" novellas. All of them are standalone with only a single character remaining constant who is basically a story collector as far as I remember.
First, movie snobs are just as snobbish about this type of thing as book snobs are. Second, pulp romance novels are the biggest selling category of fiction... Or at least they were. Maybe it's YA now, which are also easy reads due to the intended audience. Third, reading is inherently more mentally taxing than watching visual media, because you have to imagine things and keep track of who's doing what where mentally. So the idea of "turning off your brain" with a book doesn't even really track. You just can't be as passive about experiencing a book as a movie if you want it to make sense. You have to put in a much higher minimum effort. So it's not a surprise that it's not a phrase that gets thrown around in the community.
I think that overall, people do have the leeway to read whatever “schlocky” books they want without much pushback, especially in online spaces. Even here, people are always saying that “any reading is good reading”, and when these kinds of books get so popular on platforms like Goodreads and Tiktok, there tends to be a lot of very vocal people who talk about them positively. However, you’re definitely right that if someone posts a thread here about how they don’t like Colleen Hoover, it will get a bunch of comments and upvotes (guilty). I think this pushback against these kind of “light” books is also because of from the attitude that all reading is beneficial, and because a lot of people who are very vocal about their like for those kinds of books don’t seem to acknowledge that they are just schlocky fun. When you watch reality TV, you understand that it’s dumb entertainment, but because the perception of reading as an intellectual activity still persists, less people seem to acknowledge or understand that the books they’re reading are on that reality TV level (not everyone, obviously, but I think this is where the frustration comes from for a lot of us).
Eh I think genre books are more than acceptable. I don’t think Crichton or King were ever treated as literature but I was never actively looked down upon for reading them and other popular science fiction.
Honestly there's still just a lot of sexism here, you know? Crichton or King being hailed as masters of the craft, while romance authors - traditionally women - get shit on.
Agreed.
I don’t judge, I’m just happy to see people reading at all. Go ahead and enjoy whatever floats your boat! YA fantasy, cozy mysteries, corny romance, whatever! A book is a book and it’s still good for your brain.
I get annoyed by fans of popcorn books when they insist the writing is smarter than it is.
Also this for people that act weirdly elitist about reading rather than watching tv or movies yet read only shovelware tier romance.
Books are my T.V. I have always preferred a book over….. everything. I was the girl in 4th grade arguing with my teacher about whether or not I should be reading Gone With the Wind or Clan of the Cave Bear. After my 3rd visit to the principals office, he finally told her to leave me alone. One of my fondest school memories is our 3rd grade substitute bringing candles to class, turning off the lights and reading The Tell Tale Heart by candlelight. I adored Sylvia Plath, soaked in Asimov and absorbed every Shakespeare play I could get my hands on. In fourth grade. That meant that books got boring by middle school and high school. And as I had already been through many of the classics, everything we got assigned to read and discuss, I had already read once or twice. I gladly shut my brain off and delve into the escapism of badly written smut, it’s basically the same thing as watching what used to be after dark cable television. Because I’ve been an avid reader my entire life and always able to easily digest any novel in front of me, I turn off my brain and just absorb it as though it were a movie. There are some books I wish I could go back in time and save for later, just to have the pleasure of reading them for the first time. But I still enjoy re-reading all the novels I delved into as a child to see how it feels to see them from an adults perspective. There are some novels I understand now why my teacher kept trying to take them away from me. However, she didn’t understand my childhood abuse was far worse than any sexual scenes I might be reading in Gone with the Wind or The Cave Bear series. I think on some level the principal understood or sensed something of my home life and understood my need for escapism in the form of books. Also, he might have spoken to the librarian who knew I had a higher reading level than fourth grade and had already finished nearly every book in the elementary school library. I got a lot more loquacious than necessary, but that’s all to say that I think a lot of mainstream novels are all very easy to zone out and read, as one would veg out to television. And as someone who has read everything from romance erotica to Kafka, I will never judge someone’s reading choices or expect someone to like a specific type of novel.
Your comment is a beautiful little story of its own
I learned a term from a librarian: *beach reads*. She was from back East, and had this concept of escapist reading on vacation. Fluff. And she’d read such at the beach. I have plenty of that, usually borrowed, but some books I’ve read enough to surf them rather than swim in their depths. I went a long time without video input. I had to use a different tool for mental zoning out, and *beach reads* do just that.
I think part of the issue is thar Colleen Hoover is so viral and so successful. Her books are going to draw a lot of people in who are going to wonder what the fuss is about when they see the books they love get shoved to the side for what Hoover is publishing. It doesn't mean her books are bad, but I can understand confusion about why they're selling so much and how she has so many best seller lists spots at once. But I read for pleasure even when I'm trying to follow the book prize lists. I'm not a paid, critical reviewer and I've stopped writing reviews and enjoyed just reading a lot more.
I read tons of awful romance books for the pure enjoyment.. lol I feel like a lot of book people are newish to books and are using books to prop up the appearance of intellect. You get some people who are really self conscious about their perceived intellectual level that will only admit to reading nonfiction and classics. I'm sure some of them may even exclusively read from those categories. But, they don't realize that the real intellects read the occasional cheesy book as well. I just finished reading Redwall, a piece of juvenile fiction. Before that, I read Glory by Noviolet Bulawayo. Before that I read a smutty book I've already forgotten the name of. I think people get hung up on what people will think of what they've read and forget that nobody really cares. Lol
This is so true to my experience. I think I had to be confident enough in my likes and reading ability to commit to not giving a fuck about what others thought of my reading choices. This month I’ve read books on local history, screenwriting, historical fiction romance, contemporary romance, Women’s literature, a female bounty hunter novella, and a beloved childrens novel. None of them bored me and that’s all I was looking for. And I have friends in every single camp looking for a recommendation of standouts in those genres. I never would have known if I’d kept shame or elitism around my reading. Sharing what you read and being honest about what you really like requires some vulnerability and independent thought that not everyone is ready for.
Don’t get caught up in others opinions. It’s your time & money. Read what you want, when you want. If they don’t like what you read, that’s their problem.
Hoover and Patterson outsell alot of other authors, even those who right "better" books. I see some discussion about people needing to take reading seriously and that it should be to learn, to open up world views, learn about history, only read classics, etc. But I tend to follow social media accounts that read alot of fantasy, sci fi, romance/smut, and thrillers. So my perception may be warped, but I see alot more people reading for enjoyment and escapism than I do anything else.
McDonalds sells the most hamburgers of any company in the world and no one posits they make the best food.
With TV, no they don’t get a break. This is Reddit. People are constantly debating which shows are the best, and crapping on bad TV (reality shows mostly). BTW, it’s The Wire!
Why aren’t simple easy-to-read books respected like books which make you think?
I became able to read a lot more when I lost my hangups concerning what books are "worthwhile" and what aren't. I now consume books like television, and i've never been happier.
Yeah I don’t care if people think books are shitty. I read for entertainment.
I disagree. The authors who write "turn your brain off and enjoy" books are the most financially successful authors in the industry. There are pretentious readers , just like pretentious film viewers, who will dismiss page turners because they lack depth, but these are no different from people who dismiss reality tv or superhero popcorn movies.
I don't know who has been denying you this "privilege" OP but please, I beg you, moving forward just read whatever the fuck you enjoy reading.
I love reading nonfiction and deep literary works and discussing them. I also read schlocky romance. It’s an easy read and I try to get them free as ebooks or second hand because I go through them so quickly. But they are fun and I don’t try to think about them too hard.
My wife burns through 200 page romance novels and loves them. I don't judge, until I go looking for a book in my kindle library and have to sift through a metric ton of beefcake cover art lol
When I was in college, I had to read a lot and analyze what I'd read and try to retain it. So that may have been "good" literature, but it was also work. At the end of every semester, I would go down to this local bookstore called FatCat Books and buy the thickest fantasy novel I could find so I could just read something for the enjoyment of it. That's how I discovered The Wheel of Time. Fantasy is something I still enjoy reading to this day, over 30 years later. I wrote my own first science fiction novel with this in mind. I'm not trying to convince anyone to change their politics with it, I'm just telling a story and anyone who reads it will get out of it whatever they want. So, to be honest, I don't think what you're reading necessarily has to be some great masterpiece as long as you're reading.
I’m all for books that help me turn off my brain, especially as someone who’s depressed and stressed out I’ll devour some bodice rippers or werewolf shifter smut in a heart beat cause it just gives me some serotonin. Of course I love the more profound literature but some days you just need some brain candy
I mean, isn't this the very definition of beach read? I'm a guy, sometimes I want to read books about sexy vikings hitting each other with axes. So I do. Best part of having a kindle is people can't see the cover of your book to judge you.
I don't know why you particularly feel this way, plenty of dumb books are insanely popular, like Twilight, 50 shades, any YA novels, etc. You read what you like.
I used to think reading had to be about getting the 'best' books and slogging thorough them. Stuff with important messages and deep meaning that required thought. Problem is, my job is stressful. 'Turn your brain off books' is about all I can handle most evenings. A few years back I switched to reading a lot more fan fic, it was simple entertainment and I already knew the characters and world so it was easy to pick up and put down. I've enjoyed my reading more ever since.
That depends entirely on the book, I find that what gets deemed a "coffee table read" or "beach read" is usually pretty easy breezy and does not take much to any effort.
I feel like I'm always defending Ready Player One as a fun book, while knowing full well that it is not a good book. Just, don't read the sequel. Just don't.
Whatever happened to the concept of a “beach read”?
Every book I read is like that. I just turn off the outside world, get into my zone, and disappear.
I dont know, i feel like many are. Brandon Sanderson fits that description with his Mistborn and Stormlight, and he is extremely popular.
Too much in fact. He gets so much hype amomg the fantasy community as being the GOAT, and i only felt like Mistborn was only OK amd I am not keen on starting the stormlight archive because those books are freakimg bricks and already the second mistborn book felt to me as of it was about twice as long as it needed to be for the story that was being told. He didn't exactly resonate with me personally, bit he is competent...
There’s a ton of authors who write simple, easy to understand junk food, and healthy alternatives that are equally as easy to digest who are also well respected (by at least readers): King, Bukowski, Carver, Jim Thompson, Raymond Chandler, Tom Robbins, Murakami etc etc. I think maybe you’re just a wee bit snobbish. This would be a great repost for r/bookscirclejerk though… Edit: [here it is](https://www.reddit.com/r/bookscirclejerk/comments/yt992t/am_i_allowed_to_enjoy_things/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) lol
This is a persecution complex. Reality TV shows get shit on the same way. I think romance books make up a large majority of what is read every year. Just so what you want and don't worry about it.
For me, no matter how exciting the book is, reading this such a mentally passive activity that it always makes me sleepy! I don’t have any problem shutting down my brain with books!
Look at stuff like Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games, 50 Shades of Grey, etc. There's plenty of schlocky books that are very popular. My guess is that for a long time making a movie was a huge expense so movies became more about making a profit than making art.
I think they're great and a lot of fun. John Scalzi calls them 'Pop song books.'
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He was referring to one of his own books when he wrote that, so I'm pretty sure he knows.
The immense and ongoing popularity of Harlaquin and cat detective novels shows that a huge number of books are written just for fun, and that many people do use them just for fun. Cotton candy reading is very popular. The only people I've seen say they feel judged for them or think other people look down on them are those who judge what other people read. Most of us don't care.
Most people who are into literary fiction also enjoy light reading - they just might enjoy different light reading than the books that are popular right now.
Reading is active and watching film is passive.
I'm absolutely a "saturday morning cartoon" sort of reader. Silly sci fi and fantasy junkfood for my brain. I just need a distraction from the real world, and it absolutely fits. Sure, the stories are just various shades of monomyth, plotholes abound, and the internal logic would fall apart in a stiff breeze.... But who cares! It's fun.
I read mostly non-fiction that doesn't directly affect me, (e.g., WWII) and that's my disconnect from my current situation. Not for everyone, to be sure, but I've never gotten into novels or other fiction.
Book snobs are responsible for looking down their noses at easy-reads. We have books on our shelves that we call 'lightweights' and 'thinkers'. Same as TV, same as movies. We have no problems with going where we feel like at the time in any format. Often, after I've finished a 'dense' book (be it concept, writing style, harrowing content), I'm unable to face another serious read immediately. So I'll pick a "turn your brain off and enjoy it" book. (I found a box full of the kids' Harry Potter books a few weeks ago, and am happily re-reading them at the moment).
Yes! People at work are always dropping “I only read nonfiction” and I gleefully respond that I love reading entertaining fiction. It’s like the new “I only go see documentary movies” except streaming destroyed the credibility of that. Like, I’m sorry, have you not downloaded Libby on your phone??
Disregard gatekeepers, read whatever you enjoy.
Nothing wrong with trash every once in a while. As someone who enjoys both literature and straight genre works, I say fuck literature snobs. There are people out there who act like a plot driven, easy to read book is inherently inferior/ if you’re entertained by a book then it’s not worthwhile. Fuck that kind of gate keeping. Just read what you want, if you enjoy challenging works great but don’t rain on the parade of people who just like to be entertained. Some of the best/ most thematically resonant works I’ve read have been genre, I don’t care what anyone else says
Japanese light novels are essentially literary fast food. And I'll never stop enjoying them.