Erin Wooddell
You've received an invite to attend a dinner party with some very hip and intellectual people. As the dinner unfolds, topics range from education to politics and eventually to entertainment.
You sip your wine as you listen to those around you proclaiming things such as Catcher in the Rye being untouched by time and unsurpassed by modern-day literature. Slinking further in your seat, you nod your head in mock agreement, while really inside you're thinking about how The Hunger Games really tested the limits of fiction and film and you can't wait to go home to read the next book in the Divergent series.
When asked what kinds of books you like to read, you avoid answering directly. You don't want to be judged by these purists of the written word who will look down at their noses at you because you'd much rather read anything that isn't considered—by their terms—to be sophisticated.
You've received an invite to attend a dinner party with some very hip and intellectual people. As the dinner unfolds, topics range from education to politics and eventually to entertainment.
You sip your wine as you listen to those around you proclaiming things such as Catcher in the Rye being untouched by time and unsurpassed by modern-day literature. Slinking further in your seat, you nod your head in mock agreement, while really inside you're thinking about how The Hunger Games really tested the limits of fiction and film and you can't wait to go home to read the next book in the Divergent series.
When asked what kinds of books you like to read, you avoid answering directly. You don't want to be judged by these purists of the written word who will look down at their noses at you because you'd much rather read anything that isn't considered—by their terms—to be sophisticated.
How many of you have found yourselves in this position before? I don't know about you, but it happens to me a lot. When posed with the question, I often find myself at a crossroads: do I lie, or tell the truth?
As a former English minor and lover of our language, it seems only natural that the classics would be my go-to genre when choosing something to read. Natural, maybe, but completely false. In reality, I dislike most of the classics.
Reading is, after all, a form of entertainment, and reading books that are either grossly boring or that cause me to research every other long and unheard-of word don’t exactly translate—in my mind—to ‘entertaining.’
More often than not, I avoid the question altogether by making it sound like I read anything and everything—another falsehood. (That pertains more to my brother; a constant reader, voracious for knowledge, who once read a book titled, Salt: A World History, that—you guessed it—was entirely about the history of salt.)
But I'm tired of being embarrassed by the kind of books I like. Too long have I avoided answering the dreaded question as I listen to others discuss their preferences. So here goes nothing...
I, Erin Wooddell, am a lifelong fan of chick lit. In middle school, I read Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary’s made-for-teen books like, Just as Long as We're Together and Fifteen. In high school I pored through every Nora Roberts book I could find, and in college I even read through the Twilight series to see what all the fuss was about (and was actually quite entertained).
As a former English minor and lover of our language, it seems only natural that the classics would be my go-to genre when choosing something to read. Natural, maybe, but completely false. In reality, I dislike most of the classics.
Reading is, after all, a form of entertainment, and reading books that are either grossly boring or that cause me to research every other long and unheard-of word don’t exactly translate—in my mind—to ‘entertaining.’
More often than not, I avoid the question altogether by making it sound like I read anything and everything—another falsehood. (That pertains more to my brother; a constant reader, voracious for knowledge, who once read a book titled, Salt: A World History, that—you guessed it—was entirely about the history of salt.)
But I'm tired of being embarrassed by the kind of books I like. Too long have I avoided answering the dreaded question as I listen to others discuss their preferences. So here goes nothing...
I, Erin Wooddell, am a lifelong fan of chick lit. In middle school, I read Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary’s made-for-teen books like, Just as Long as We're Together and Fifteen. In high school I pored through every Nora Roberts book I could find, and in college I even read through the Twilight series to see what all the fuss was about (and was actually quite entertained).
Favorites range from Robin McKinley’s Beauty and Cecelia Ahern’s P.S. I Love You (pre-movie, btw), to Adriana Trigiani’s Very Valentine and Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler’s Wife. All these books have exactly what I love—stories about women, for women. Give me romance, mystery, friendships, fashion and intrigue, all focused on a heroine, anytime.
However, people still judge, and sometimes you find yourself in a professional situation where the answer to this question matters. So I found a loophole.
Within the genre of chick lit, I’ve always really enjoyed books that focus on characters and stories that take place in the past. I’m drawn to the way authors can intertwine true aspects of a particular time period with the fiction of their story.
While talking to a friend recently about some of these books, it hit me—this sub-genre could be referred to as 'historical fiction;' a term that may enable me to truthfully answer the dreaded question in sophisticated circles while possibly avoiding judgment for my love of chick lit.
Eureka!
But really, I should stop being silly and just own my preference, no matter what other people say.
However, people still judge, and sometimes you find yourself in a professional situation where the answer to this question matters. So I found a loophole.
Within the genre of chick lit, I’ve always really enjoyed books that focus on characters and stories that take place in the past. I’m drawn to the way authors can intertwine true aspects of a particular time period with the fiction of their story.
While talking to a friend recently about some of these books, it hit me—this sub-genre could be referred to as 'historical fiction;' a term that may enable me to truthfully answer the dreaded question in sophisticated circles while possibly avoiding judgment for my love of chick lit.
Eureka!
But really, I should stop being silly and just own my preference, no matter what other people say.
What are some of your favorite genres? Comment below or tweet me @adventuringMISS using hashtag #bibliofiles.