It’s World Book Day today. If you’re on social media, you really might have noticed. There are tweets and Facebook posts with photos of kids in the guise of their favourite bookish characters and just lots of hashtags going on. My youngest is going to school as Paddington Bear. His favourite characters now all wear jeans and t-shirts as he’s older and reads books designed for his age group and he didn’t want to just go to school as himself so he’s having some fun.
And that’s what reading is all about. Having fun. It’s not a job or a chore. It’s a pleasure, a pastime. Fun. Yet, so often I see people pushing themselves through books they’re not enjoying and I wonder why. There are so many books out there. We all talk about the length of our to-be-read lists and yet readers persist in pushing on with books that hold no pleasure for them. Is it because they feel they have to because it’s been given to them as a proof/review copy by a publisher? Don’t. I’ve emailed publishers and apologised that a book isn’t for me and I’ve had to stop reading it. They’ve been fine. Not all books are for all people. Read the books you’ll enjoy.
The same goes for YA. An argument that I hear raging over the internet for months and years and it won’t stop. There’s a snobbery that says adults can’t read YA books so it inhibits readers and does stop them. Don’t let it. Look at the big blockbuster films that are being made from books (Not 50 shades!) half of them are from YA books. So, some adults are reading YA and these are intelligent people.
Read what you want to read. Don’t read what you don’t enjoy. It’s simple. There is so much choice out there for everyone. Every single person is catered for. Enjoy yourself. Indulge your senses in whatever they want to be indulged in and don’t feel guilty. Reading is your pleasure. No-one else’s. You may choose to share it afterwards, but while you’re doing it, it’s yours and yours to enjoy.
So, on that note, I thought I’d leave you with this little video where Neil Gaiman talks of a generation of readers he meets and how books encouraged him to write. It’s beautiful.
Happy World Book Day.
ohsomebody says
Reblogged this on Am Reading Am Writing and commented:
oh i want too dress up for world book day as Paddington Bear!
Alex J. Cavanaugh (@AlexJCavanaugh) says
I know a lot of adults who read young adult books.
And I’ve never understood why someone would slog through a book they aren’t enjoying.
Margot Kinberg says
I couldn’t possibly agree more, Rebecca! Reading should be enjoyable – something you do because you want to do it. Not every book is for every taste, but I think the more we read, the more we find books that suit those tastes. And there’s a whole wealth of books out there to explore and enjoy.
Suzanne Furness says
I totally agree. Absolutely nothing wrong in adults reading YA or MG, there is some great stuff out there. Loved the Gaiman interview.
cleopatralovesbooks says
I do miss having young children to create costumes for World Book Day although some of their selections were somewhat challenging! I totally agree, I read for myself and although I give some books more of a chance than is probably reasonable if they are for review but I don’t feel I have to read what other’s feel I should.
Jacqui Murray says
I love that–costumes for books! I wonder which was the most popular.
Rebecca Bradley says
I think it was Harry Potter!
Corina says
World Book Day has not caught on in the U.S. In fact, I read a couple of articles today which expressed just that and wondered how to get Readers in the U.S. to grab a hold of the day.
I read YA. In fact, I seem to be reading more of it than in previous times. It seems I’ve read two YA novels this year already and just downloaded another yesterday which I will get to in a couple of days. I don’t normally get books to review. I do review books but I don’t get any promotional copies and I’m thinking that might be a good thing. It lets me review the books honestly without any fear of “biting the hand that feeds me”.
Neil Gaiman. Hhhm. I guess I should give him another try. I have tried a couple of his books and not been able to get through them so I guess I’ll try something else of his and give him another chance.
Rebecca Bradley says
It’s a shame that the U.S. Hasn’t picked up on it yet. I presumed they had with it being ‘World’. I’m sure as the years pass and with social media engagement narrowing the gap between countries it will pick up soon. And it’s great to hear you’ve read YA this year! I think I’ve read two as well 🙂
Graeme Cumming says
Reblogged this on graemecummingdotnet and commented:
I was given a book recently by someone who, frankly, isn’t noted for giving me presents or for reading books. Because this person is very special to me and this was so out of the blue, I made a point of reading it next. And it was tough, really hard going… and long. I persisted with it, though, because I wanted to be able to thank this person properly. You see, simply saying “thank you” can be a genuine thing or just the utterance of words with no meaning. Actions mean much more. So I struggled and strained and eventually got to the end. And it was crap. I’m still grateful that this person thought of me, and I will tell him of my experience of reading the book – so he knows I’m grateful. But it reminded me that I made the right decision a few years ago to toss a book aside if it hasn’t grabbed me in the first 50 pages.
The flip side of this, of course, is that I wouldn’t expect my own writing to appeal to everyone – so I’m never offended if anyone says they couldn’t get into Ravens Gathering. In fact, I’m sure in some cases I’ll have offended them!
The following post from Rebecca Bradley really reinforces the point and I’m glad to have the opportunity to share it.