Really?
No, BUT it seems as if readers of MILLS AND BOON romances are going to similar lengths to avoid the embarrassment of actually being seen to buy a book.
The guilty pleasure that is Mills And Boon romances is driving sales of electronic e-books as customers avoid the 'embarrassment factor' of being seen reading them.
The British publisher said electronic sales of the bodice-rippers had more than doubled over the past year, overtaking paperback sales. - The Telegraph
Anyway, it kind of got me to thinking of Harry Potter. Now wouldn't that be interesting if JK Rowling was to write another Harry Potter a la Mill And Boon which saw Hermione swooning as Harry performed all manner of magic with his wand.
Hmm, moving on.
I was actually thinking of the fact that in order to save the blushes of us adults, the HP books were actually published with two different covers - the kiddies version, shown left (which I have) and the version for adults, shown right .............
........ which got me to thinking did I have any 'guilty' reads, any books that I would prefer people not to know I had read?
Though it's no huge secret, I don't exactly broadcast the fact that during my teenage years I loved the books of CATHERINE COOKSON - partly because all of her books were set in the north east of England and many in Newcastle or the surrounding area, one even on the estate (Leam Lane) where I grew up, but mostly because my mam was one of the author's biggest fans. And yet today I'm just not interested as I eventually saw the books as being basically all the same, simply variations on a theme, which were churned out at a spectacular rate.
What about you, what are your 'guilty' reads?
Hmm, moving on.
I was actually thinking of the fact that in order to save the blushes of us adults, the HP books were actually published with two different covers - the kiddies version, shown left (which I have) and the version for adults, shown right .............
........ which got me to thinking did I have any 'guilty' reads, any books that I would prefer people not to know I had read?
Though it's no huge secret, I don't exactly broadcast the fact that during my teenage years I loved the books of CATHERINE COOKSON - partly because all of her books were set in the north east of England and many in Newcastle or the surrounding area, one even on the estate (Leam Lane) where I grew up, but mostly because my mam was one of the author's biggest fans. And yet today I'm just not interested as I eventually saw the books as being basically all the same, simply variations on a theme, which were churned out at a spectacular rate.
What about you, what are your 'guilty' reads?
13 comments:
Hmm..they may have a point there PW as I didnt read all these mush stuff because wanted to come across as someone with better taste and it was too silly for me I thought. Then I got used to thinking like this and later when there was noone to impress I read a few but found out as you said that these were really variations of the same stuff and not really my cup of read :) so didnt really go there. E-books hmm but something really passionate would do not the kiddish MB's..any suggestions :p
Victoria Holt novels and the Sookie Stackhouse series :D
Thankfully I read Harry Potter when I was a kid, so I didn't feel embarrassed about it lol
I didnt know HP have two version till a friend pointed out to me. According to him the two version are different. Is it true? I didnt go and compare
I read erotic novels occasionally. Never in public though, I would turn red if someone asked me what I was reading. Now and ereader would be perfect for those.
hi I also loved reading Catherine Cookson and built up quite a collection of her hardbacks. My youngest daughter is named catherine but not after the writer (i dont think so lol)I had to buy the HP adult version for myself I hope it doesn't differ from the childs one
I'm sure much of what I read others would consider "guilty pleasures", but sometimes what I want is just pure, mindless, escapism!
In the past I use to read lots of Danielle Steele and I went through a phase as an older teen with those "bodice rippers".
There were few erotic weeklies in local language when I started college.My friend and myself would buy them,go to a park to read and dump them there.
The trend was to read whatever was not advised to be read.
I put a fake cover on a murder mystery I read the other day, but that was only because the bloody cover freaked me out. I could see wanting to order bodice rippers as ebooks though (if I read that sort of thing). ;)
Seriously though, I can't stand the adult covers of the HP books. I think the children's covers are delightful and have no shame reading them in public.
No, not really. I also read a couple of romances when I was a teenager, but though some of my colleagues think that many of the crime novels I read are badly written, I don´t care. What I read is entirely my business, and I wouldn´t dream of hiding it.
Any "dumb" thriller would probably have me hiding the cover from shame!
Remember reading Mills and Boon one after the other while in college. All the girls were crazy abt. them. I think that was the time I read maximum no. of books.
Sometimes the cover changes are so absurd. Really. The "adult" HP cover you have there...wouldn't have picked it up. Nope. Don't really think I have any "guilty" reads per se....I read what I read and if someone else doesn't like it, well there is a WORLD of books for a reason.
The same thing happened to me with Lemony Snicket books. I enjoyed them very much until they struck me as too formulaic.
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