It's OK to read a quick & dirty paperback

It's happened to everybody at one time or another. You've walked into a waiting room with a book, or checked out a book from the library, or something, and suddenly, you feel like you have to justify the fact you're reading that book. You feel like maybe you should be reading literature, not whatever quick and dirty paperback you have in your hands.

I used to have that problem. I'd be a little embarrassed buying, checking out or reading something that wasn't of "Lord of the Rings" quality.

"I just decided to go with something light today!" I'd tell the nearest person. "My favorite book is 'Lord of the Rings,' but I also quite enjoy a good Jane Austen novel now and again!"

It's true - I love "Lord of the Rings," and I liked the one Jane Austen novel I had to read for school ("Pride and Prejudice"), and I was one of the few that did. In fact, I've read a lot of "literature" in my time, and I've enjoyed a lot of it. I haven't liked every "classic" I've read or tried to read - I could and probably someday will write a post about how much I despised "The Grapes of Wrath" in high school - but I have a better track record than most with enjoying "The Classics."

But starting in late high school and through college, I began reading more and more popular fiction. Stephen King became a favorite standby. I read all of Dan Brown's novels. I even spent a summer where, on my mother's suggestion, I read mostly Sidney Sheldon and Jackie Collins. And I started reading young adult books, which I had mostly missed out on in my young adulthood because I was reading things like "Lord of the Rings."

I had to come to terms with this switch in the things I read. I had always prided myself on my ability to read really difficult books, and I still did sometimes. But it was much easier to read - and tote around - a silly paperback. It was easier to concentrate on while sitting in waiting rooms or on a train or plane. It was easier to set down when things got busy and pick back up five days later. Because, let's face it - life is tough, and you don't always need a big difficult book hanging over your head.

The important thing was that I kept reading, because reading is an important skill, a great escape and a wonderful way to stimulate your brain. That's what I think is important for everyone. I think it sometimes people stop reading because they don't like reading the "good" books and they're a little embarrassed to read books that don't have as much social stature attached, so they stop reading altogether. Sadly, this tends to be compounded in school, when children are forced to read more "literature" and less of whatever they want. It's important to appreciate the classics (though I think they should be taught differently a lot of the time but, again, that's a post for another time), but there should be ample opportunities in school for children and teens to read whatever they want, even if it's a Star Wars novel or a Stephen King book or "Twilight" or something else that isn't considered high literature.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go read "Moon Called" by Patricia Briggs now - a quick and dirty paperback if I ever saw one!

What do you think? Do you agree with me? Should people be trying to read more "literature?" Do you have quick & dirty paperbacks you like to read?