Recently NPR aired a Guilty Pleasures episode where writers talked about the books they loved but were embarrassed to be seen reading. It got me thinking about all those books I love but don’t necessarily want other people to know I love them. Given that the holiday season is filled with eating the foods we love (but shouldn’t eat), parties that last far into the evenings (way past our bedtimes), sipping those holiday drinks (fat with calories but oh so delicious), and curling up in front of our fireplaces with books that take us away from the holiday stresses…I thought it might be fun to share our guilty pleasures with other readers. So, for this week’s Weekly Geek post share:
- The Books that you Love but are Embarrassed to be Seen Reading
- Tell us WHY you love them
- And (just for fun) tell us your favorite guilty snack that goes perfectly with all that guilty reading
I don’t really have guilty pleasures, as in I don’t feel guilty while reading any specific genre. Of course, when I read romances, I’m a little weary of the covers, so I might hide them sometimes, but I would never ‘not’ tell anyone that I’m reading a specific book. I had people laugh when I tell them I am reading a specific book. In fact I had a colleague who laughed when he saw me carrying a different book with me everyday. He called me weird. And it didn’t bother me, because I knew it was an ignorant comment. I feel bad for such people.
I’m cool with people not loving to read, but I wish some people respected that others do. The only time I felt a little guilty was when I was in the Young Adult section of the library and saw all these school kids picking out books. I thought maybe I was depriving them of something. But that didn’t last long. Now I don’t think anything about it.
I wish people didn’t judge others on their reading choices.
Note: The above pic is from the site PostSecret and although I don’t relate to it, I do like it.
Book-Shelved 
I hear you when you said that you sometimes hide the cover while reading a romance book .. i do that too.. especially if i am reading in a public place. I read lots of chicklits and am not really ashamed of it ..most of the times:-)
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I think I would very very embarrassed to read a book with the Racy covers… apart from that I don’t think there would be anything that could bother me.
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I can totally relate to your statements about people giving you strange looks for reading so much. I don’t read as much as I used to because life is busier now, but it still bugs me when people seem to discount reading.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a guilty pleasure book but I’ve been thinking Stephanie Plum might be a good one after a long reading/blogging break!
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I’m the same as you–I don’t feel guilty about anything I read. My interests are pretty wide open. I do love the PostSecret item, though–cute.
I agree with Veens, though, in that some of the newer covers, espescially with the seemingly-naked people, are over the top. Why do that?? I’m more apt to not buy them.
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I’m not embarrassed by anything I read either.
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That’s good that you don’t feel guilty about anything you read! I swear every time I read a chick lit book with a pink, frilly cover I get looks and that makes me feel guilty but I love them too much to really care!
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Hello Violet,
I don’t think that I have ever been ashamed of anything I might be reading, after all, it was my choice in the first place and I wasn’t ashamed enough not to buy it!!
Sometimes other bloggers seem a little more refined in their reading genre and reviews and it makes me feel a little uncomfortable posting reviews of some of my mainstream fiction reads, which may not always be the most up to date releases.
Also, the speed at which some bloggers read and post reviews, is a bit mind boggling. I guess if you are a professional reviewer on a time schedule, then you learn to speed read and skip over some of the irrelevant sections. But other ‘hobbie’ bloggers out there seem to get through tens of books to my one.
I have tried to ignore this, read at my own pace and just post on my log when I feel I want to, but it is so difficult when you see others posting several times a day, as well as reading and reviewing.
Still, both reading and blogging are supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable, so my New Year’s resolution should be, not to get so hung up about it all.
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I feel we shouldn’t judge people by what books they are reading, after all it isn’t fair. I don’t feel guilty about the books I read, but then I feel that some covers can be so misleading, lol.
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I definitely have guilty pleasure TV shows, where I know they’re absolutely stupid but I enjoy watching them. But not so much with food or books, I don’t think.
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I love a good romance too, but some of the covers ARE embarrassing!
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Nah… no guilty pleasures for me. I read all kinds and even flipped some “adult” magazines while I was in Singapore. So yeah, I’m not embarrassed. LOL
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