There was a time when I devoured vampire books, and then I just tried to stear clear of them. It was like a milestone in my reading life. It allowed me to shift my focus to a lot other paranormal creatures I could obsess with. And now, I realize I’ve hit another one.
There was a time when any kind of romance in a book was the most important thing, and I was happy with whatever. Now, I’m much pickier, and don’t fall as easily with clichéd romance plots and I no longer place as much importance in the romance factor.
When this happens, it makes me sad because mainly, who doesn’t like enjoying books? We can no longer read a certain kind of books because it’s 80% sure we aren’t going to like them.
Some books, I consider I may no longer enjoy if I re read them, and some I did reread and it defintely wasn’t the same.
- Tiger’s Curse, by Colleen Houck
- Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
- Halo, by Alexandra Adornetto
- Starcrossed, by Josephine Angelini
No longer liking a particular kind of book doesn’t mean getting all snobby!
I liked this discussion at Chasing Faerytales on folks who feel superior for reading, or not reading certain books. I’m no expert, but I’d bet my meager allowance on that at least 50% of them liked those books at some point of their lives. Going through this change in my reading habits, I wonder, if these um… reading haters are just people who are cranky they now see a lot of flaws in the books they used to like, and try to point them out as often as they can so that nobody will suspect they ever liked those books.
For the record, I actually thought those books above were DA BOMB before. Hell, I even had Starcrossed brought from Spain since I knew it’d be a millenia until it came to Ecuador (it still hasn’t lol).
Is it really about growing up?
I think my not longer enjoying these books had partly to do with growing up, but also about me reading more books, and growing up but as a reader. I keep discovering more books that set the bar higher, and higher, which makes it difficult to keep liking books I used to like, or maybe I just don’t like them as much now.
All-Time favorites
That said, there are some books that have survived the test of time, and continue to be stories I’ll always remember, like:
- The Iron Fey series, by Julie Kagawa
- Of Beast and Beauty, by Stacey Jay
- Lumatere Chornicles, by Melina Marchetta
- Every Day, by David Levithan
I definitely feel this way about books like Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It used to be my favorite series of all time, but now that I’ve read books of a better quality, it’s harder to appreciate them as much. Like, they were really good for me at that age, but now that I’m older? They don’t give me the pleasure they used to. Maybe it’s because I have a different expectation of my reading material, or maybe it’s just because my life experiences have changed (it’s harder to sympathize with 12-year-olds when you’ve had seven years to change your perspectives and values). Either way, I feel like I’ll always be able to be grateful for the good things that my childhood books did for me when I was a child, but I won’t force myself to like them nowadays for the sake of that memory. People change, perspectives change, and I think that’s okay.
Heather recently posted this awesome thing…End-of-Year Survey
I definitely think that you can outgrow a book. It just a part of growing up.
Yes, there are the books of our childhood, adolescence, and adulthood that have become classics to us, and we’ll never really outgrow those ones. For me, they are A Little Princess, Holes, and Harry Potter. No matter how many times I want to read them, I feel like they will always be there for me with more to discover.
There are also the books that I’ve read once, and I know that even though I enjoyed them, they won’t be read again. It’s normal for me, and I don’t ever want to be that person who looks down on others for never reading something again.
Erin @ The Hardcover Lover recently posted this awesome thing…Book Review: The Princess, The Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy
You make some great points here. Different books mean different things to us as we grow and change – and that’s okay. Maybe those books you loved wouldn’t live up to your expectations now, but that doesn’t take away from the original experience that you had reading them. And now that you’ve grown as a reader, you may have a more refined taste. Makes sense, right?
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction recently posted this awesome thing…Let Me Know Your Birthday and Blogoversary!!
I totally agree with you that it’s not about growing up age-wise, but more about growing up as a reader (as in reading more books). Years ago when I first read Twilight I thought it was amazing, but now when I look back at it, I can kind of see how badly written it is, and how stilted and unconvincing the romance is. It really is just about raising the bar as you find better and better books, and about finding the kind of books you truly like reading.
Great post!
Laura recently posted this awesome thing…I opened an Etsy shop!
I do think you can out grow up book. But maybe you are just tired of them for right now.
Bunnita @ Worth Reading It? recently posted this awesome thing…Book Blitz: The Wynning Way by Maisha S. Wynn