Taking it easy.
Posted on: December 18, 2013
Wow, where did the beginning of December go? Christmas is right around the corner, and then January. . . and then, well, January is sort of the start of some explosions for me. So in preparation for that, I won’t be doing much in the way of formal book reviews and expected blog posts for the rest of the year. Sure, I’ve got another read along post (N.K. Jemisin is holy shit AMAZING btw), a “best of the year” post, and one more book review in the works, but I’m taking the rest of December easy. Taking a breather to mentally prepare for January.
That said, let’s just have some fun discussions. I’ll shamelessly steal discussion questions from i09, Sunday Salon posts, and discussion memes, and we can just sit around and chat in the comments.
First random discussion question:
What’s your guilty pleasure in books?
this was on my mind recently, because I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that super hot sex scenes is a major guilty pleasure of mine. No thanks to reading The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, which for not having a ton of actual sex, has a ton of insanely steamy scenes.
I also have a major weakness for snarky, swear word filled dialog. But that’s not so much a guilty pleasure, as I can find it just about anywhere.
Your turn! Take it over in the comments!
18 Responses to "Taking it easy."
December 18, 2013 at 8:59 am
As far as guilty pleasure in reading, I’m not sure that I have any in regards to specific elements in books…I would say my guilty pleasure, which I don’t really feel guilty about, is that I really do love many of the science fiction novels of my youth like the Brian Daley Han Solo books and the Stainless Steel Rat books. Books that critics and more seasoned readers would probably consider beneath them, and perhaps for good reason, but those books, and new-to-me ones like them still give me such a thrill.
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December 18, 2013 at 9:02 am
Trashy Warhammer books. The ones feature giant space marines crashing against strange insect type creatures. It is like reading an old Starcraft match at times, but occasionally that is what I want.
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December 18, 2013 at 9:47 am
Honestly, I love Terry Brooks’ Shannara series. I know it’s seen as just mediocre by most, especially the first book, but I love it. I feel comfortable reading them.
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December 18, 2013 at 11:19 am
Pern. I grew up on those and I am still keeping up with the series, despite my utter horror at many of the ickier bits and my adult realization that they are pretty junky.
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December 18, 2013 at 2:05 pm
I really want to reread Pern myself. I think parts of it should hold up, but ya, some stuff may make me a bit crazy.
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December 18, 2013 at 11:55 am
The year is definitely flying by! hm… I have no idea what my guilty pleasure is. I will have to think about it!
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December 18, 2013 at 2:39 pm
MilSF involving deeply honorable, valorous men and women blowing crap up while they agonize about said honor and valor. (Or at least it is when the author keeps the inevitable right-wing politics under control.) This is doubly guilty as I am nominally a pacifist; perhaps it’s the wicked thrill from violence I otherwise abhor?
Also 100% in with Nathan on Warhammer. Space Marines are the coolest thing ever.
My Puritanical upbringing interferes with any enjoyment of SF sexytimes, so I generally leave those to Andrea. Maybe once I’ve grown up a bit more.
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December 18, 2013 at 8:35 pm
I tend to have different guilty pleasures when I’m in different moods. Right now I’m really in the mood for utter soap opera crazysauce/ridiculous drama. Elements that would normally make me roll my eyes and throw out a book like secret babies and improbable love affairs.I think because it feels so silly that I don’t really have to take the books seriously, and I’ve definitely been taking too many books seriously lately.
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December 18, 2013 at 9:09 pm
My guilty pleasures used to be Star Wars books, but my interest has really waned in them. Comics are more of a guilty pleasure for me now. Particularly The Walking Dead (can’t believe I’m actually caught up on the close to 20 volumes of them!) and anything by Brian K Vaughn, who knows how to perfectly blend story, tension, and comedy.
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December 19, 2013 at 9:25 am
Oo, I can’t think of what my reading guilty pleasures are! I surely have some because not everything I read is good — oh, you know what it is? It’s young adult novels from the 1980s or so by Caroline B. Cooney. They are oftener silly than not silly, but I love them so much.
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December 19, 2013 at 3:39 pm
Time was I would have said Star Wars books, but I really don’t feel guilty about that anymore….so I’m going to go with John Dies At The End as my most recent guilty pleasure.
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December 19, 2013 at 6:26 pm
I’m with you on the sexy scenes and creative cursing – but – I don’t bother feeling guilty any more about those two particular ‘likes’. I suppose my guilty pleasure would be reading trashy pulp type of books that aren’t particularly well written, well explored, well planned but are just quick, cheap thrills – and, yeah, I end up hating them in the morning!!
Lynn 😀
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December 21, 2013 at 1:42 am
Snarky foul mouthed dialogue I LOVE it….yeah it might be able to be found anywhere – but doing it right is harder.
Sexy steamy scenes??? Ok yes that is totally a guilty pleasure I rarely indulge in unless I happen across it in a book I didn’t realize would have it!
I admit right now I think I have a weakness for YA sci fi romance…and I usually hate romance. I blame it on These Broken Stars and the fact that right now half of what I’ve been reading has been YA for some reason.
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December 28, 2013 at 3:27 pm
My guilty pleasure are usually crank-em-out mysteries. Honest-but-flawed cop. Mistaken suspect. Get the guy in the end.
They’re like palate cleansers for me between “real” books.
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December 31, 2013 at 12:00 am
Guilty pleasures… there are so many! There’s the unholy combination of S&M with sci-fi/fantasy, which for some reason appeals to me. Also sword & planet pulpy novels that have no real depth, but badass heroes who somehow manage to save the day despite incredible odds. I alternate between “real” books and escapism, and it makes me appreciate both all the more.
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the Little Red Reviewer 
December 18, 2013 at 8:56 am
Yes, this month has whooshed by in a flash, it is crazy. I’m seeing plans I had for various posts and finishing certain books being whisked away, so I’m at the point of wanting to start easing off as well.
Very much looking forward to January, but would like to have things slow down a bit for the rest of this month to be able to savor the holiday.
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