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When I was little, I knew exactly what I wanted, bookwise. Christopher Pike, and sometimes R.L. Stine, but not the Goosebumps series because I didn't like the TV series based on the books. Add in a few others from that same shelf in the bookstore, like The Face on the Milk Carton, and Tomorrow, When the War Began, and you have my elementary school reading career. Vampires. Witches. Kidnapping. Etc.
I always question the argument that some books are too inappropriate for kids to read. I do realize that I probably shouldn't have read Sleepers in the seventh grade, but I don't think kids are going crazy because they read Harry Potter or the Twilight Series. Sorcerers and Vampires are nothing compared to the demon possessed Fear Street cheerleaders or the murderers that Christopher Pike invented, both of which have the potential to be very real... but really, I spent days reading those types of books and I turned out okay.
As an adult, reading feels a little more tricky. Is it okay to read my beloved horror/suspense books, or would that make me an unsophisticated reader? I can't just re-read the books I grew up reading, so what else is out there? I'm the one paying for books now, so have I wasted my money if I don't finish a book (Well, actually, I consider this a sunk cost, but that is a different post)? And it takes forever to just pick one out; just because the cover is neat doesn't mean the book is good. I have personally fallen into the trap of finding one good author and reading all of their books before I move on to something else.
So when I saw the "best books of the summer" list on the cover of this month's O magazine, I picked it up fast, never mind the little voice at the back of my mind that kept whispering "old people magazine, old people magazine..." Maybe Oprah had the answer. I flipped through the pages, expecting to find paragraphs and charts that would tell me what books to read depending on my demographic status (ie: Books for your 20's!) but instead I found O's Declaration of Reader Independance. It debunked the little man, sitting in the old dusty room, writing all those book rules that I thought I had to follow. I hope it is as freeing for you as it was for me.
O's Declaration of Reader Independence
With thousands of books landing in stores every year, it's all too easy to go with the flow and let group-think choose what you'll read and treasure next. But here's one thing about reading: It's very personal (at least if you're doing it right!). In other words, there are no rules beyond the ones you care to make—and choose to follow. With that in mind (and with July Fourth upon us), we propose that you declare your independence from common wisdom, lore, and the opinions of others, and that you hold as self-evident your right to:
With thousands of books landing in stores every year, it's all too easy to go with the flow and let group-think choose what you'll read and treasure next. But here's one thing about reading: It's very personal (at least if you're doing it right!). In other words, there are no rules beyond the ones you care to make—and choose to follow. With that in mind (and with July Fourth upon us), we propose that you declare your independence from common wisdom, lore, and the opinions of others, and that you hold as self-evident your right to:
1. Not finish a book, whether you've read to page 10, 50, or 250. (But if it's Ulysses, you get points just for getting past page 1.)
2. See the movie first—especially if you've heard the book is kind of lousy; the movie just has to be better.
3. Read two books at once—and occasionally get the plots mixed up.
4. Reread a childhood favorite. But be forewarned: Charlotte still dies.
5. Judge a book by its cover. Or its title. We defy you, for example, not to pick up Mary Roach's Bonk,which, um, scores on both counts.
6. Wish that Cormac McCarthy would use a little punctuation now and then.
7. Be miffed if your friend doesn't like a book you recommend. On the other hand, you have our permission to be miffed if she gets miffed when you don't like the one she recommends to you.
8. Ignore memoirs by people who have barely cracked their 30s.
9. Declare yourself unmoved by the existential struggles of vampires, zombies (even those in league with Jane Austen), talking dogs, or what we worry is the next trend: scary-smart monkeys.
10. Believe that books can be magic carpets to enchanted lands, even while realizing that they're inanimate objects made of ink and paper. (Unless they're e-books. And it's okay to love those, too.)
2. See the movie first—especially if you've heard the book is kind of lousy; the movie just has to be better.
3. Read two books at once—and occasionally get the plots mixed up.
4. Reread a childhood favorite. But be forewarned: Charlotte still dies.
5. Judge a book by its cover. Or its title. We defy you, for example, not to pick up Mary Roach's Bonk,which, um, scores on both counts.
6. Wish that Cormac McCarthy would use a little punctuation now and then.
7. Be miffed if your friend doesn't like a book you recommend. On the other hand, you have our permission to be miffed if she gets miffed when you don't like the one she recommends to you.
8. Ignore memoirs by people who have barely cracked their 30s.
9. Declare yourself unmoved by the existential struggles of vampires, zombies (even those in league with Jane Austen), talking dogs, or what we worry is the next trend: scary-smart monkeys.
10. Believe that books can be magic carpets to enchanted lands, even while realizing that they're inanimate objects made of ink and paper. (Unless they're e-books. And it's okay to love those, too.)
2 comments:
11. Refuse to give something a chance if your sister (or someone else whose taste you equally mistrust) liked it WAY too much.
:)
Agreed!
12. Admit that you're not exactly sure you know who Cormac McCarthy is.
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