Posted on by Ms. Kelly Proulx

On “Guilty Pleasure” Reads and My First Review: Verity By Colleen Hoover

When I was in college, studying great works of literature…mostly by white, dead, British men, a friend endlessly mocked me whenever I picked up a “chick lit” book. They would tell me: “You are better than that. You are smarter than that.” It bothered me. It bothered me a lot. At some level, I agreed with her and started hiding my “guilty pleasure” books from everyone. You know, things I enjoyed, that were not challenging or part of the literary elite.

Why are some books considered more worthy than others? Who decides this? Who decides that an English major at a large private university is reading beneath them if they pick up something that is not in the “canon” or, god forbid, fun? Why do we have to hide our reading of books that we enjoy and call them “guilty pleasures,” as though we should be ashamed to read them? Why is it often women who feel this shame and use this labeling?

**We KNOW who decided this and we KNOW why** But that is a longer and more complex conversation.

In my teen years, I learned more complex vocabulary words and more about history from vaguely historical bodice rippers, than I did from AP European History. To be fair, I did go and research the time periods and the people that the books were about, once the romance was done. I learned about feelings and continue to further my emotional and social growth by reading middle grade books, YA books, and romance novels. Sometimes I even pick up these genres because the plot or setting of a book appeals to me the way some movies and TV shows appeal to other people . Even if the plot, structure, or word choice are not always complex for this 32 year old, the feelings and emotional reactions still can be.

I always tell my students that I do not care what they read, as long as they read something. At the end of the day, a person that reads at least twenty minutes a day will learn a million more words than their same age peers. Whatever they read, article, how-to for a video game, graphic novel, middle grade fiction book, can be enough. If they like it and they will read it, that is the start of a lifelong love of reading…anything.

All books can be valuable, if the reader gets something out of it. No shame allowed.

Don’t get me wrong. I do appreciate, enjoy, and read the “canon” (such a problematic term,) various classics, and modern literary fiction. I read books to learn, to see what the buzz is about, to get me out of my comfort zone. And that is all important! But, often, I need something different.

Book Review: Verity By Colleen Hoover

That brings me to my first review. I plan to give my rating and break it down by star. You’ll see!

The literary elites might write off this author and her books as “guilty pleasures,” but I do not. Colleen Hoover is known for her Contemporary Romance and Thrillers. I read them and I am not afraid to admit that I like them.

Cover above. Goodreads Link.

BEYOND THREE STARS RATING: 4 Stars

Verity tells the story of down on her luck, one-hit wonder novelist Lowen Ashleigh, who is on the verge of losing everything. Seemingly randomly, she is offered the opportunity to finish the last book of a celebrated thriller novelist Verity Crawford. To do this, she must head to Verity’s remote Vermont home and sort through her papers. What Lowen finds among Verity’s papers and Verity’s home, leaves Lowen and the reader both disturbed and on the edge of their seat.

Why I liked it:
First Star– My emotional reactions to the characters and plot were complex. I loved and hated everyone. I trusted everyone and no one. I was intrigued and disturbed, all at the same time.
Second Star– The plot moved and the text wasn’t super challenging. I sat down for a few hours and devoured it. Never a dull moment.
Third Star- The romance, although I could have done with the circumstances, was hot.
Fourth Star– I cannot stop thinking about what the truth is. What really happened. I am still not certain.

What kept me from giving it 5 stars:
Lowen finds a journal of Verity’s that details some horrifying things that she admits to doing. Some of it was very hard to read, even if it was compelling. Also, I found the main character to be a fairly weak one with almost no agency. I wish that she had been empowered to do more and take more control.

Did any of that stop me from enjoying the book overall? Nah. A reader can critique a book and still be able o enjoy. Myself included.

Conclusions:

In sum, read what you want. Read what intrigues you. Read what interests you. Read what you think is fun. Read what moves you. No shame allowed.

But hey, occasionally, sneak out of your comfort zone and read something different, if you want. The way I see it, if people are reading anything that is a good thing.

What do you love to read, even if some might label them “guilty pleasures?”

Posted on by Ms. Kelly Proulx · 2 Comments

On Reviewing and Preferences

Listen, I am a terrible book reviewer. (What a way to start my third blog post on a book review blog.)

That is not strictly true. As a life long reader, with degrees that prove I can read and teach students to read, I am able to form an opinion about a book. I just struggle with writing negative opinions that are meant to be read. I struggle with the ability to show negative emotions anyways and I hate saying that I did not like something that someone worked hard on. I do not want friends/family/students to feel bad that they liked something that I did not and I sometimes I feel badly that I liked something they did not. I have such a tremendous sense of guilt, that I stopped giving stars to books on GoodReads. It felt wrong to condemn an author’s work, just because I didn’t like it.

I am capable of verbally expressing my opinion of a book and explaining why (with evidence. #englishteacherproblems.) However, that opinion is often expressed in a polite and non-controversial way. Now I realize, there are ways to give feedback without being mean. I am a middle school English teacher. I realize there are legitimate reasons that a book might not be good, or that I just do not like it. And that is okay.

So here I am, with a book review blog, ready to review books…even if I did not like them.

Some common reasons why I will not like a book:
1. I guessed the ending of the mystery novel. I still enjoyed it, but the ending did not wow me…therefore, I missed out on the shock that everyone else had at the end. Note: this happens frequently. I have read almost every mystery novel and nothing shocks me anymore. Ex. Gone Girl.
2. It is a best seller/award winner/popular book/becoming a movie/book every one else read and liked and I do not want to be the one negative person saying “I didn’t really like it.” Ex. The Hunger Games series.
3. It is a book everyone loves. This could just be stubbornness and a hold- over from my teenages emo phase. Ex. To Kill a Mockingbird. Don’t get me wrong, the story is powerful and important; the style didn’t speak to me as a fourteen year old. I should read it again…you are right.
4. I read it on an eReader. As a kinesthetic learner, I have to be able to flip a page and oddly enough, it affects my enjoyment of a book. Ex. Most of the Invisible Library Series (and I liked the first one, which I read using a physical book)
5. The world-building was beyond my imagination. I struggle with fantasy books that are set in worlds with imaginative creatures and natural laws. Ex. Children of Blood and Bone. I loved the characters and their relationships, but couldn’t do the magic part…the important part. That one is on me.
6. The book should have been a stand-alone/series should have been shorter. Ex. The Diviners. The first one was imaginative and thrilling. Libba Bray captured the 1920s and created a vibrant and very human cast of characters. I liked the next ones in the series less and less.
7. Chapters are too long. I just prefer short chapters.
8. Too many points of view or characters to keep track of. Ex. Game of Thrones.
9. I had no emotional responses to it.

To be fair, I actually like a lot of books, even ones that no one else liked. That might be my difficulty finding negativity in places and trying to stay positive (to a fault.)

That brings me to my purpose and the title of this blog. I most frequently rate books as three stars. Either, I didn’t like it and I don’t want to admit it or I liked it and I don’t want to admit it. That ends here. That ends today. I will be reviewing books with ratings beyond three stars….unless I feel like it actually deserve three stars.

Final thought: What do you struggle with as a reader or reviewer? I would love to know.

#bookblog #reviews #literature #zerotohero