If you like it…

Recently, Slate.com published an article that basically said adults should be ashamed reading “Young Adult” books because they were meant for kids/teens. I don’t normally peruse random websites looking for touchy articles that could get the masses riled up. This just happened to fall into my lap as my Twitter feed exploded in outrage. Probably doesn’t hurt that my feed is filled with geeks, authors, publishers, bloggers and librarians…all AVID readers…off ALL types of books!

Do we really need to feel ashamed about what we read? Really?

The paper bag…used by many…

I’ll admit it here…

I love to read.

Duh.

😉

I also admit that some of my choices in books has made me feel judged by others.

The name of my blog, The Book Hipster, actually came from such an instance. I was told by someone, that I considered a friend, my book choices were not “mainstream” enough for her liking. At the time, I had been reading a lot of “indie” books, some of them Young Adult. *gasp* At the time, I was hurt and upset because she basically was dissing my book choices in favor of her own. While talking to a different friend, they stated the obvious, “Who wants to be mainstream?” There may have also been some other things said, but that’s not important…

Thus…The Book Hipster moniker was born! 🙂

Awwww…look! My first post!

For the record, while I tend to lean toward new up and coming authors, indie or otherwise, I still like some of the “mainstream” stuff, too.

I’m no book snob.

The article mostly discusses the upcoming movie, based on the Young Adult novel of the same name, THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green. I read it a few months ago…and it was fantastic! Most of my book choices are made from recommendations from others, so when I had a friend tell me that I had to read it…now…I knew that I had to…now.

Simple book cover, but not a simple book.

I’m not embarrassed or ashamed to admit that I read it…and cried. And I want to see the movie, now, too.

I also read a lot of books with the Kidlet (8 years old). Children’s books! And get this…I enjoy them!

Ever read an AMELIA BEDELIA book? I love that crazy lady! She cracks me up!

She literally takes things literal. 😉

There are also many, many more children’s books out there that are fantastic, including newer and older publications.

Yes, I know I’m reading these books with my kid…so what? It still counts, and I’m not just reading them for me. I’m helping develop her love of reading. Right?

One of my all time favorite books is a children’s book…BRIDGE TO TEREBITHIA by Katherine Patterson. If you have not read it at least once in your life, you are missing out.

Mr. Stinson agrees…see?

I obviously don’t read just children’s books. You can see the book reviews I’ve written here on the blog, as well as look on my Goodreads “Read” list (you may have to friend me to see it…sorry). Some are also Young Adult, some Adult, and some are…uh…very Adult (is that even the right word? *blush*).

Here is where I admit that I’ve read a book with a certain number of shades of a certain color in the title. 😉 While the writing wasn’t award winning by any stretch of the imagination (hey, none of us are perfect!) I did enjoy the book…and no, I’m not talking about THOSE parts of the book. I found myself able to connect at times with the main character and wishing her only the love she longed for and deserved.

…and maybe a good book and some chocolates.

And no…I didn’t not end up reading the other two books in the series.

So…again I say…Do we really need to feel ashamed about what we read?

Maybe if we think about it differently, it might not seem like such a big deal what kind of books people are reading.

More and more people are reading now. Maybe it is Romance or Young Adult…does it matter? They are reading and that is the most important part.

So if you like it…

Read it.

Okay?

I totally say this all the time, but I was doing it before I read the book. Does that make me a Hipster about the word “Okay”? Ha ha ha!