# What's your guilty pleasure?



## xtine (Feb 17, 2011)

Which books are you almost embarrassed to enjoy?
The ones that are so popular for reasons big readers can't understand?

For me, the Twilight books.

When I put them up on Goodreads, one of my friends emailed me just to make sure I was still the same person she knew.

Nothing I could do convinced her that the books had a single worthwhile element. Then she (and she is a lovely person BTW) told me she still liked me despite the fact that I read and enjoyed all four of them.


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## Connor Dix (Mar 27, 2011)

xtine said:


> Which books are you almost embarrassed to enjoy?
> The ones that are so popular for reasons big readers can't understand?
> 
> For me, the Twilight books.
> ...


I don't know if "embarassed" is the word, but I'm the only one I know who read the new Tom Clancy book. I work with a bunch of people who turn their nose up to that sort of thing an they gave me a hard time for reading it. But I liked it. (Mostly because he had someone else write it.)


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

xtine said:


> Which books are you almost embarrassed to enjoy?
> The ones that are so popular for reasons big readers can't understand?


RPG-related science fiction and fantasy. Shadowrun, Forgotten Realms, Birthright... a couple others. With very few exceptions (Greenwood, Weis) they're not very well written, but I love'em.


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## Henry WK (Apr 3, 2011)

Basilius said:


> RPG-related science fiction and fantasy. Shadowrun, Forgotten Realms, Birthright... a couple others. With very few exceptions (Greenwood, Weis) they're not very well written, but I love'em.


Same here. These books aren't the most original. They aren't great books compared to the more lauded examples of the genre. I grew up with them. There are some gems amongst this pile of colorful glass beads. I see them as a modern day variant of the pulps.


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## Tris (Oct 30, 2008)

I guess mine would be mainly sci-fi and fantasy genre books...was BIG on Star Wars novels as a high school-er.  Now it's branched away from Star Wars, but still very much sci-fi and various fantasy books.  Though I don't know if my love for thrillers and adventure novels are considered a guilty pleasure as I don't feel guilty or really ashamed about reading them.

Tris


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

I occasionally review erotic romance -- once you do that, there's no room left for embarrassment.


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

I think the Black Dagger Brotherhood series is my guilty pleasure.  Reading them reminds me of a girlfriend I had.  She was from the Netherlands and every time we went out to eat she ordered chicken fried steak and complained about how "Texans" were horrible eaters because they put gravy on everything.  I sit there reading my trashy vamp joint saying, "this is horrible!".  

I made the mistake one time of pulling my headset plug out of my kindle before turning off my audio book and guess what came blasting out of my kindles speakers?  A real nasty part of one of the BDB novels.  And I had to open my kindles cover, wake it from sleep, and turn the book off before it would stop squawking about some male body parts.  Not much I could do but say ooops, and leave the room.


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## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

MichelleR said:


> I occasionally review erotic romance -- once you do that, there's no room left for embarrassment.


I don't know. After reading Monique's experience with her dad editing her sex scenes, I think that embarrassment is still very much possible.

http://www.stella-exlibris.com/2011/02/my-most-embarrassing-moment-as-author.html

Try discussing what you are reading with your father. That may help elevate the levels of embarrassment.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

rexjameson said:


> Try discussing what you are reading with your father. That may help elevate the levels of embarrassment.


Monique's story is embarrassing and I did cringe on her behalf, but it's not a concern in my case.


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

I don't really have one. But my wife keeps calling Matthew Reilly a "B-Grade Action Movie in Book Form" which makes me think I should feel guilty for loving every one of his books.


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## SimonWood (Nov 13, 2009)

Dr Who novels.  My wife says I should have grown out of my obsession with timelords...


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

SimonWood said:


> Dr Who novels. My wife says I should have grown out of my obsession with timelords...


Don't worry. Our wives are wrong, we are right.


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## Connor Dix (Mar 27, 2011)

SimonWood said:


> Dr Who novels. My wife says I should have grown out of my obsession with timelords...


When I met my wife she saw my roughly five million Star Trek novels on a shelf in my old room in my parents house. I told her I didn't read them any more (I think I read too many) and she was relieved. I don't think she wanted them in her house.


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## SimonWood (Nov 13, 2009)

tim290280 said:


> Don't worry. Our wives are wrong, we are right.


Is it wrong that I have a sonic screwdriver, a tardis UBS dock and timelord money clip--or its that going too far...


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## MeiLinMiranda (Feb 17, 2011)

Baens. It's ridiculous. I read Dickens, Trollope, O'Brian...and endless Baens.


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## Daphne (May 27, 2010)

I read and enjoyed The Princess Diaries - in fact I read the first three books. I loved the film and adored Hector Elizondo as Joe. If I feel a bit down, I will re-watch the film to cheer myself up. When the second film was released, I took my daughter - Oh, OK, she kindly accompanied me!


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## Courtney Cantrell (Mar 16, 2011)

Reading-wise: zombie novels.  I used to think it was a ridiculous genre, but a friend challenged me to read some -- and I realized that the good ones are all character-driven in an absolutely brilliant way.

But even though I see their value, they're still "guilty pleasures" because so many other people still think the way I used to! 

And on TV, the current guilty pleasure is Dexter.


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## Jon Olson (Dec 10, 2010)

MichelleR said:


> I occasionally review erotic romance -- once you do that, there's no room left for embarrassment.


There's not enough readers, so anybody reading anything has my plaudits.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Have you SEEN the JD Robb thread? HAHAHHAHAHH 

ok honest? I have no "guilty" pleasure. I could care less about what other people think of my reading habits. My parents are on my Kindle account, and my dad tried to make me feel embarrassed by some of the books on there once. I just told him, "I'm 40, deal with it."


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## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

Daphne said:


> I read and enjoyed The Princess Diaries - in fact I read the first three books. I loved the film and adored Hector Elizondo as Joe. If I feel a bit down, I will re-watch the film to cheer myself up. When the second film was released, I took my daughter - Oh, OK, she kindly accompanied me!


My MIL loves the movies too. On her birthday after one of the movies (it may have been the 2nd one) came out, we kidnapped her and took her to see it. We drove up, knocked on her door, blindfolded her (she kept giggling) and led her to our car. Her neighbors saw us and DH was waving and telling them (they knew us, thankfully) that it was MIL's bday and we were kidnapping her. She really enjoyed that bday and enjoyed seeing the movie. Of course, she enjoyed bragging about how sweet her son is as well.


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## Glenn Bullion (Sep 28, 2010)

Not so much anymore, but young adult novels.  In my mid twenties, used to read a lot of Christopher Pike.  I'd say his novels were what got me into writing hardcore.


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

SimonWood said:


> Is it wrong that I have a sonic screwdriver, a tardis UBS dock and timelord money clip--or its that going too far...














My sister has a Dr Who action figure, K9 figurine, and all the 8-11th Doctors' DVDs. I used to hide behind the couch to watch the Daleks and Cybermen when I was a kid. I also had a crush on Sarah Jane and Romana.

Don't worry it is fine to be a nerd. Well I hope it is. Because I'm definitely a nerd.


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## lstrange (May 21, 2010)

tim290280 said:


> Don't worry. Our wives are wrong, we are right.


I'm not a huge Dr. Who fan by any stretch, though I do enjoy the re-boot. I am however a complete and totally obsessed Torchwood fan.

Liz


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

'fess up Modwitch.. The computer screen is not what is in flames in your house...


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## TaniaLT (Oct 16, 2010)

Mine is harlequin/mills and boon books. Now I have my kindle, no one will ever know. Except you.


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## Daphne (May 27, 2010)

Alle Meine Entchen said:


> My MIL loves the movies too. On her birthday after one of the movies (it may have been the 2nd one) came out, we kidnapped her and took her to see it. We drove up, knocked on her door, blindfolded her (she kept giggling) and led her to our car. Her neighbors saw us and DH was waving and telling them (they knew us, thankfully) that it was MIL's bday and we were kidnapping her. She really enjoyed that bday and enjoyed seeing the movie. Of course, she enjoyed bragging about how sweet her son is as well.


Glad I'm not alone in this "guilty pleasure". Sounds like a fun birthday.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Basilius said:


> RPG-related science fiction and fantasy. Shadowrun, Forgotten Realms, Birthright... a couple others. With very few exceptions (Greenwood, Weis) they're not very well written, but I love'em.


They knew what readers wanted them to be, and they delivered. I still have a soft spot for both Raistlin and Drizzt. I'd probably list The Dark Elf Trilogy as my guilty pleasure, but only a little guilt.


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## Jack Wallen (Feb 9, 2011)

Mine isn't so much what I'm reading, it's that what I'm reading (Bare Bones) I am not liking nearly as much as I enjoy the TV show that was based on the book. Bones (the TV show) has so many levels of charm associated with it that the books do not have.

That is a guilty pleasure.


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## JustDucky83 (Mar 20, 2011)

My guilty pleasure will always be Maniac Mcgee, and Where the sidewalk ends. I have loved them since I was in third grade and still to this day I do! lol


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Basilius said:


> RPG-related science fiction and fantasy. Shadowrun, Forgotten Realms, Birthright... a couple others. With very few exceptions (Greenwood, Weis) they're not very well written, but I love'em.


This. I love the Forgotten Realms games and enjoy the books in spite of generally less-than-sterling writing.

I love going back to the Realms. It brings back memories of many pleasurable hours spent playing there. I no longer feel I can devote huge blocks of time to playing games so a book is a nice substitute.


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## Stephen T. Harper (Dec 20, 2010)

BTackitt said:


> I have no "guilty" pleasure. I could care less about what other people think of my reading habits.


I agree completely. That said, I'm thoroughly embarrassed by the occasional Star Trek novelizations I enjoy. Oh... and American Idol, too. Love that.


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

Jack Wallen said:


> Mine isn't so much what I'm reading, it's that what I'm reading (Bare Bones) I am not liking nearly as much as I enjoy the TV show that was based on the book. Bones (the TV show) has so many levels of charm associated with it that the books do not have.
> 
> That is a guilty pleasure.


My wife and I are huge fans of the TV show (although we think they jumped the shark during the writers' strike). To be quite honest we can't stand the Kathy Reichs books. I tried reading one and it was like being bludgeoned with potatoe. My wife has tried two and didn't get much past the first third of either.


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## John M. Dow (Apr 14, 2011)

Stephen King. I'd read the guy's shopping list if he published it. I know a lot of his work is stuffed full of pointless filler, but that's partly what I enjoy. "It", for example, is just so steeped in 1950s Americana that it makes me go all tingly just thinking about it. It's all the irrelevant stuff, the bits that give you insight into his version of American life (alien to me, naturally, not being American) that I enjoy.

I did enjoy the Twilight books a little too much too. They weren't terribly well written (in my opinion) and the central relationship was frighteningly abusive; not to mention the unrealistic expectations it was setting with regards to relationships for young girls everywhere. But there was something about them that just worked.

Having said that, I know I'll never re-read them.

John


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## Michael Scott Miller (Sep 2, 2010)

For me, I still like some kids' books, particularly those that have humor that works at an adult level like the Wayside School series.  I could read those over and over.  For now, I can get away with it by reading them with my daughter, but eventually...


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## Courtney Cantrell (Mar 16, 2011)

Stephen T. Harper said:


> I agree completely. That said, I'm thoroughly embarrassed by the occasional Star Trek novelizations I enjoy. Oh... and American Idol, too. Love that.


Stephen, I'll admit to occasional ST novelizations, too! No need for embarrassment! 

American Idol, on the other hand...  (Just kidding. I used to enjoy it a lot, but then got too disillusioned by what I perceive as a lack of true talent in some of the winners.  )


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## joanhallhovey (Nov 7, 2010)

I can't resist reading the Enquirer in the grocery line.  

Joan


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## julieannfelicity (Jun 28, 2010)

I guess mine would have to be the Da Vinci Code. I really liked it. I couldn't wait for the movie to come out. Then I was really let down. 



John M. Dow said:


> Stephen King. I'd read the guy's shopping list if he published it.


And what ^ he said!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

I like really well-written vampire novels. I don't know why I am embarrassed to admit that I'm reading them, but I am. I suppose part of it has to do with the fact that I've taught elementary school for 31 years, and I always hope that people who discover that I'm reading vampire novels won't think that I spend my time staring at people's jugular veins.


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## Elizabeth Black (Apr 8, 2011)

I can't believe I'm admitting this. An old guilty pleasure of mine was Harry Potter fan fiction. Most of it was horrible but it had a train wreck appeal I couldn't resist.   I loved the Harry Potter books so the fan fiction was a demented treat.


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## Elizabeth Black (Apr 8, 2011)

Connor Dix said:


> When I met my wife she saw my roughly five million Star Trek novels on a shelf in my old room in my parents house. I told her I didn't read them any more (I think I read too many) and she was relieved. I don't think she wanted them in her house.


My husband still has his Star Trek novels. This is reminding me I need to tease him about them again. LOL


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## Elizabeth Black (Apr 8, 2011)

SimonWood said:


> Is it wrong that I have a sonic screwdriver, a tardis UBS dock and timelord money clip--or its that going too far...


I have two weeping angel action figures so no, it's not going too far.


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## Mcfergeson (Apr 3, 2011)

I still read the occasional Star Trek novel, as well. Been a Trek fan since I was a kid, so I need to revisit that universe every now and then.


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