Sometimes books are just meant to be fun.
By megamatt
@megamatt (14291)
United States
April 15, 2011 11:58am CST
Books that have a deeper meaning are great and engaging, but obviously it does cheapen the reading experience if that is what reading is completely about. I read to escape from real life, not to deal with things that could potentially hit a little closer to home. Some authors can really teach us a lesson and not really seem like they are beating it into our heads with the sledgehammer of doom. Other authors, just need to really stick to entertaining us for a few hundred pages.
4 people like this
11 responses
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
15 Apr 11
I think you need to point that out to a few English teachers I butted heads with back in high school. lol
I always felt that too much life-lessons and symbolic ho-ha just ruins what reading is really all about. And that's a GOOD STORY! A good story doesn't put a message first. I read to get lost in a new epic quest and to make friends with fictional characters. I have learned a whole lot from reading, but I think the most important thing a good book can do is be a good story.
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
16 Apr 11
Half of the time, I didn't even get the message. I'm going to cite The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald for that, though there are quite a few more that I could name in which I simply did not get the point. There wasn't much story, and the story that was there I just wasn't at all interested in. The writing was beautiful, as in they strung words together well, but I don't just read books for pretty verbage. I want a good story! Didn't find it there.
I always LOVED reading and school never discouraged me from it, but I can only think of two books that I was required to read and actually enjoyed. Out of like a dozen. And even then only just barely. (To Kill a Mockingbird and Pride and Prejudice)
@megamatt (14291)
• United States
17 Apr 11
I think really a good rule of thumb for school was this. Mostly everything that came directly out of the textbook, was likely going to be a drag. With a couple exceptions. If it did not come out of a textbook, there was about a forty percent chance that it was going to be not painful, and in some cases good.
1 person likes this
@megamatt (14291)
• United States
16 Apr 11
That is a problem with a lot of the work assigned from school. In their attempts to teach some of the things that we need and to get children to read, they have turned so many people off from reading in adults. It's not to say that every piece of literature assigned was bad but there were some well...there were some that I would rather bash my head into my desk for the entire period than read it. I get the lesson that they were teaching, I really, really did. A story can have a message, but the message should not be the story. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
1 person likes this
@wiggles18 (2506)
• Canada
15 Apr 11
Yeah- school really ruined read for me- probably for the rest of my life.... Whenever I am reading something- no longer do I just take it in, but I analyse it and try to find hidden meaning in it and what-not. Stupid Schooling, ruins reading for everyone. And not just reading, movies and TV shows- it is just a habbit to analyze and compare, etc now...
And, I did not like how EVERYTHING was shown to have a symbolic meaning to it- For instance, teachers would probably say "Johnny ran away from the Clown, after eating his cream pie" is symbolic for, and I am just making this up: America going into the Middle East to steal oil, and then leaving. When in fact, it is just about a boy running away from a clown after eating his pie!!!
Maybe in a few years my brain will forget those mindless habits.I really hope so.
@megamatt (14291)
• United States
16 Apr 11
I think a lot of people who absolutely refuse point blank to read anything, it was because of school. Teachers forced us or perhaps it would be better stated, required to make us read some stuff that I was baffled. Some people are put off by many bad experiences and while not everything that I read in school was bad, there was a lot of it that was not to my taste. That is really the perils of fitting something like literature into a lesson plan. You have to teach something and its a lesson plan formed by adults who have no idea what interests children and teenagers. That's why a lot of people are put off from reading after school. I'm just glad I managed to work past that, but many others were far from working past that point. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
1 person likes this
@wiggles18 (2506)
• Canada
16 Apr 11
Yes, it is like a behavioral modification- especially when assignments and tests follow, after reading... Like hitting a dog atop the head whenever they sit on command: that dog just won't want to sit after that...
I have been able to read a few things- I've only managed to read 1 novel in the two years after finishing school though- the rest of what I read is usually factual information(I'm glad my mind doesn't have to habit to symbolize that sort of stuff with other stuff ;|)
I'm going to try and give reading novels a go again soon though- In the meantime I am mentally noting novels that I intend to read when I decide to start up again
1 person likes this
@megamatt (14291)
• United States
17 Apr 11
I do find that I acquire a stack of them, waiting to be read. So many, books, so little time. Still I try and make the time when I can, although to be fair, it is less time than I would like on sometimes. Sadly, that is the nature of life. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@abbiemaldonado (288)
• United States
17 Apr 11
Yes I agree. I started reading to escape from my life for a bit. I would get so sucked in to some books that I would dream about it being my life. I would hate putting it down and getting back to real life... Now though with a baby I dont get thew chance to read much... I miss it greatly, but I am hoping that as soon as he is sleeping through the night at a reasonable bed time I will be able to start again
@megamatt (14291)
• United States
17 Apr 11
Yeah the responsibilities of life tend to get the better of us all. And that is a big responsibility. Hopefully there will be more time for you as time goes on. Still there will be a chance, there will be time later on, once things calm down. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@windgod28 (4)
• United States
15 Apr 11
I agreed that there are authors that can teach us things and not really making it difficult while other authors just bored us with little to no meaning at all.
@megamatt (14291)
• United States
16 Apr 11
There is no reason why things can't have a little merit, while also being entertaining. The sad thing is, that cannot really not be pulled off a lot of the time. Therefore, the attempts to teach us the lesson can come off being rather heavy handed to say the very least. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@Liliac26 (557)
• Romania
16 Apr 11
Personally I don't see any deep contradiction between a meaningful book and an entertaining book. Some of the best books are both, at least for me. I think any literary work should be entertaining unless it's dealing with a very grim subject matter. In my opinion, many classic books (like the works of Jane Austen or Oscar Wilde, for instance) are quite entertaining, although having to read them in school does take some of the fun out of it.
@megamatt (14291)
• United States
17 Apr 11
It does take a very special book to really do both. And the author should be given a pat on the back if they are able to do both. One book, tends to have an emphasis of one, whether it be entertaining, with some kind of message tacked on or some ham fisted preachy message that is the last thing that I want to read when reading a book. Those that can find a balance are fine, but others should stick with what works for them. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@ladygator (3465)
• United States
15 Apr 11
I agree with you on this post. I also lose myself in the story and its so much fun. When the author is really good with words they pull you right in as if you are sitting there with the characters. And I love reading when they are so good at describing what they are writing that you can see what they are talking about the picture is painted so clearly.
@megamatt (14291)
• United States
16 Apr 11
It is a mark of a great author when they paint a picture in such a matter. Its not like someone is telling you a story. Rather you are sitting there and just watching the story unfold. Much like a movie but much trickier to pull off, as it does take a lot to paint a vivid picture in the mind. Therefore, you really do need to be very clear and concise. Still when authors pull that off, its glorious. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@Gothicana (458)
• United States
15 Apr 11
yes it is nice to escape our world and dive into a diffrent one.
And it also can open your mind for other things
@megamatt (14291)
• United States
16 Apr 11
A very great time to escape the world for a little bit. Just to give us a little break before we return to deal with every day life. Sometimes we need a break, for the sake of our own sanity. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@sender621 (14893)
• United States
15 Apr 11
Reading can be informative and educational. It can also be a time of pleasure, relaxation and fun. When reading is just for fun, it can take you to a completely different world to get lost in.@megamatt (14291)
• United States
16 Apr 11
That is why reading is so great. There are many purposes. Granted, doing it for the same purpose every time, that can get a little dry and boring. But that really does mean that reading gives us the luxury to switch things up when we need to. It really does allow us to enhance our lives. I think it allows us both the means to exercise our minds and stress relief. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@Robswife2006 (1208)
• United States
15 Apr 11
I couldn't agree with you more. I enjoy reading very much, but I tend to stay away from true crime books because most of the story lines are what we about in the paper every day or see on the news. Like you I like to read to escape, even for just a little while.
@megamatt (14291)
• United States
16 Apr 11
If I wanted to read about a lot of that subject matter. I'll read the news. And I do read the news, wondering what I was thinking by doing so, but that's another matter entirely. Still books are a great escape, allowing me to detach myself from life for a couple of hours. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@millefeuille (369)
• Argentina
15 Apr 11
I also read to escape from real life and to see another different world, life, moments, situations in my head. I enjoy most books than movies, because they can give us the posibility of create that different world as we want.
I like to read novels, stories, I guess that these are the kind of books that you like to escape from real life. And some others that are more based on real life or a true story are those that can have a deeper meaning. But sometimes, I like to read them too, make me think for days, analyze what I have and what I don't. All in my life can't be fun (maybe that's why I hate comedy movies).
@megamatt (14291)
• United States
16 Apr 11
Indeed, I like a book that engages the mind as much as the next person. However, it is really unhealthy to think all that much, especially when reading can and should be a way to release stress. Therefore, I tend to read a lot of books as an escape, to be entertained. Can't be too serious, but you can't appreciate the entertainment of life, without some seriousness. So a nice balance for sure. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
