Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
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44: A book you're embarrassed to read in public
What are you reading this week? I just finished Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul: Stories of Feline Affection, Mystery and Charm for this prompt.
What made you embarrassed to read this?
I just think the Chicken Soup series is associated with older ladies, which is a terrible sterotype I know. PLUS, it's about cats. Could I broadcast "crazy cat lady" any louder than by reading this book? I don't mind reading it at home, but yeah I'd hesitate before taking it out in public.
Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
I read way too much fanfiction.
Emily wrote: "What are you reading this week? I just finished Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul: Stories of Feline Affection, Mystery and Charm for this prompt.
What made you embarrassed to ..."
I've been thinking of what to read for this category… Fifty Shades of Grey is on the top of "embarrassed to read in public" list, but I don't even think I'd be able actually read it after all I've heard. A book that makes me look like a crazy cat lady might be just the thing.
I actually wanted to comment in order to say: I've never heard of fan fiction. Do I live under a rock? I'm off to google the genre.
MJ, I never read fan fiction either. Rebekah mentioned The Pocket Book of Boners in this thread, that can be an embarrassing title ;)
But crazy cat lady is also really fun.
Fan fiction is when fans of a book, movie, TV series, Youtuber, etc. write fiction set in the same world, using the same characters. They usually write what they would like to see, "ships" (relationships) that would never be "canon" (what actually was written/created). My daughter reads a lot of "How to train your dragon", Sherlock, Supernatural fanfiction :) I highly recommend Fangirl for a fun take on fanfiction.
I was thinking of I Love Dick. Certainly a title that can raise eye-brows, but it seems like actually a good book.
Bad girls, go to Off Topic to discuss the categories! è_é
I was thinking Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. I've never read it, and it's embarrassing mostly because it's a book geared toward younger readers. Other than that, I'm having trouble with this category because I'm not really embarrassed by any book.
I think anything with Fabio on the cover might suffice for me here. Or any of my kids' chapter books. I borrowed from the elementary school library while proctoring a test last year and that was fairly blush-worthy (but I stuck around to finish it after all the kids were done testing.) Is part of challenge to actually read said book in public?
I read The Trouble With Valentine's Day by Rachel Gibson.It has some scenes that might make me blush when reading in public (and looking around if someone is watching) ;)
Not regarding reading, I think...
But I sometimes like to watch strange TV shows and eating chocolate ;)
I'm currently reading Anna and the French Kiss for this one. I'm embarrassed about reading this one because it's "romantic fluff YA." I feel like people would judge me for that, like "why is that grown woman reading a book with 'french kiss' in the title?"
I think the fluffy or paranormal romance YA stuff is about it. But I also hate that in libraries, they have the graphic novels by the YA section as if only teenagers want to read comics & graphic novels. Can't a girl just love her some Batman?
- What are you reading this week?For this week I am reading After
- What made you embarrassed to read this?
I know that a lot of people loved this book, but I consider this kind of book not well written at all. The plot is predictable, the style is poor... I wouldn't be happy to be seen reading this book... this is why I am reading it on my laptop! I tried to read this book to give it a chance but my impression is just confirmed.
(like for 50 shades of grey)
- What are you reading this week?I'm reading A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest
- What made you embarrassed to read this?
I could tell from the cover and description that it was going to be formulaic and immature, and so far it hasn't disappointed. It's a fast read, but looking ahead I see there are like 17 more little e-books if I want to continue.
- Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
besides cheesy hot-vampire books, I also occasionally enjoy reading and laughing at stuff like the the House of Night series. You don't have to judge me, as I already have judged myself quite harshly. :)
I am reading The Next Always by Nora Roberts.I'm not really sure what makes me embarrassed by this except for that its a romance. I've never read any of her other books and came across this one on a list that was posted to help us make choices.
My other guilty pleasures include reading stuff like 50 Shades of Grey and cupcakes :-)
I am about to start Grey for this one. Yes, I read the 50 Shades trilogy and thought it was horrible, but at the same time I couldn't stop reading it. What I really wanted to read for this was Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later, because I grew up reading Sweet Valley High, but my library doesn't have it and I can't quite bring myself to spend the $8.99 for the kindle version :/
It's time. What are you reading this week?
Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny by Holly Madison
What made you embarrassed to read this?
I'm ashamed to admit how much I loved The Girls Next Door on E! So ashamed, in fact, that I almost didn't read this book even though I was so excited when it was released. :x
Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
Sometimes, when I'm sick, I go back and watch old episodes of Dawson's Creek. Oh, the shame!
I read Love from Paddington by Michael Bond. It popped up under a new e-book on Overdrive. The cover looked so cute and I had never read a Paddington book before so I decided to read it! Since it is an e-book, no one saw me reading it but I would feel a little silly reading it in public.
- What are you reading this week?Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
- What made you embarrassed to read this?
The title, and also the fact that it's for much younger readers than myself.
- Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
This book is actually a re-read for me as I loved the series when I was younger! I think my main guilty pleasure is going back and reading books which are way too young for me, but are also great if I'm feeling nostalgic.
And its very embarrassing that I have read the other two.
What are you reading this week?
01/21/2016What made you embarrassed to read this?
Jackie Collins will always be a sheer pleasure to read but something one feels judged by to be indulging in...she is always a wild ride though. Always fast paced and thrilling with much sex, drugs, murder and rock and roll vibes.
Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
Sadly, like many, I am fascinated by celebrities lives and yet feel we are the exact problem, fuelling the media and paparazzi. I actually blame us, the public for the cause of Princess Diana's death being that our fascination with their lives is what likely caused her accident. The media is an unprecedented monster. I no longer read trash magazines because of this sad fact. I used to love to read them while I ate when I was younger.
For this week, I read My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler.What made you embarrassed to read this?
It is clearly a book (or supposed to be) about Chelsea Handler's sex life. But it is also quite funny, which makes it worse. Because when you laugh out loud due to the story/writing, everyone wants to see what you are reading. :/
Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
Nope, just reading, coloring and adding to my already giant book collection!
I am reading I Didn't Come Here to Make Friends: Confessions of a Reality Show Villain for this week. I borrowed it from the library, and it has come in, so I am skipping ahead!- What made you embarrassed to read this? It has to do with the insane show The Bachelor. Sometimes I think I am crazy to watch the show, let alone read a book about it. Plus Courtney was the villian of Ben F's season.
- Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
Just reality show tv...even though it really isn't reality!
Mod
I think Playboy bunnies are a little stigmatized and most would assume that anything related is sexual in some ways. It's also more of a "fun" book so I'm not sure I would want to tell people in my graduate program that I spend my time reading stuff like this :P
I would say my biggest guilty pleasure is watching The Bachelor. I think the amount of TV that I watch in general is sort of ridiculous haha
This week, I am reading Women's Barracks.
The book is not terribly embarrassing. But the cover is a little risque for an old book with ladies changing together. And pulp novels are rarely known for their literary value. This book is about the women's French army during WW2 and how they spend their lonely evenings. Lesbian pulp novels, like this one, are my literary guilty pleasure.
What are you reading this week? AppealedWhat made you embarrassed to read this? Its a romance novel. I like a romance novel every now again, I just don't like for everyone to know that's what I'm reading.
Do you have any other guilty pleasures? Not really.
- What are you reading this week?Hardwired
- What made you embarrassed to read this?
I'm a snob and it's not something I would have chosen to read. It's along the lines of Fifty Shades and fan fiction. It's not usually my cup of tea but my book club picked it so I decided to add it to this category.
- Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
Reality TV, especially the Real Housewives franchise.
Alright, this weeks book is Fifty Shelves of Grey which gives an erotic make-over to popular and classic books.It seems alright so far, lots of double entendres and I've laughed out loud quite a few times.
I'm embarrassed to read this in public because even though I wouldn't care if I saw someone reading this I know a lot of people are judgemental.
Other guilty pleasures? Does spending money from my food budget on books count? I don't feel guilty about anything else :)
- What are you reading this week?Death of a Dapper Snowman
- What made you embarrassed to read this?
The title is ridiculous. But it was a free book, a cozy, and it seemed like it would be fun.
- Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
Chocolate! Any time. Any where. Also, I like to watch kids programs.
- What are you reading this week?Lady Midnight
- What made you embarrassed to read this?
How deeply it affects me. Cassie Clare's books fill me with feels so deep, feels that no 27 year old should feel towards YA. Especially not in front of her high school students haha but yeah, this is a book to be enjoyed in my basement, surrounded by blankets and mugs of tea, where I can cry and squee and angst and all the feels to my heart's content!
- Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
Richelle Mead's books bring about similar feelings haha
I was really struggling with this category, until it occurred to me that I already read some books that I was embarrassed to read in the kitchen, lest the kids walk in! It was the Saga series. I read Saga, Volume 1 for my Popsugar challenge, graphic novel prompt, but there are five books so I can use Saga, Volume 2 for this category!These are excellent books and I am not embarrased to have read them at all - in fact, I highly recommend them. But - not in public.
These are graphic novels with occasional R rated graphic scenes - and well, while it is ok to read words like that in public, a two page image of naked people having sex, or highly detailed images of war, might raise some eyebrows in a coffee shop or at work.
Other guilty pleasures? Well, reading in bed instead of doing things I am supposed to be doing makes me feel guilty sometimes... and I do like chocolate, too. :) Oh, and the occasional video games.
- What are you reading this week?Cunt: A Declaration of Independence by Inga Muscio
- What made you embarrassed to read this?
I think it's pretty self explanatory... Imagine the looks I would get.
- Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
I like reading a good trashy erotic romance from time to time. Never fails to cheer me up.
What are you reading this week?I have three books this week (a trilogy).
The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
Beauty's Punishment
Beauty's Release
What made you embarrassed to read this?
From what I understand this is just a bunch of smut-romance (50 Shades of Grey before Twilight was even a dream in Stephanie Meyer). Not typically my cup of tea. Plus it kind of falls in poor (or excellent timing for the category), but I have a work conference I'm going to next week. Do I chance bringing these books with me, or error on the side of caution with something safer? haha *not a real question ;)
Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
I guess absurd and weird stuff, like shock and awe sort of things. I don't usually read this kind of stuff which is why I picked it for the week.
What are you reading this week?To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
What made you embarrassed to read this?
YA Romance. What more do you need?
Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
Dystopias. (The ones in quotation marks, normally involving teen romance as well.)
What are you reading this week?This was a prompt that I had the most trouble finding a book for, because there is not much that I'd really be embarrassed to read in public except for books like Fifty Shades of Grey, which I have no intention of reading. In the end, I picked Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
What made you embarrassed to read this?
Honestly, I don't even know if I'd be that embarrassed to read it in public but maybe a little because it is a book intended for someone much younger than me. It might seem a bit childish for me to read it in public. I was actually considering switching to a picture book, but this has been on my list for quite a while as something I wanted to read.
Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
Ironically, my other guilty pleasures are re-reading some of the picture books and other books I enjoyed reading in the early grades of school. The Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus series, for example. I find it really fun sometimes to re-read books that I loved as a kid.
I almost used a wild card on this category but then I spotted Anya's Ghost, a YA graphic novel that I have heard really good things about. I don't know why reading a "children's comic" in public would be embarrassing, but it would be for me. lol
What are you reading this week?
- What made you embarrassed to read this? none in fact I don't get embarrassed at all, if there's a book I want to read then I go head and read it
- Do you have any other guilty pleasures? love to read m/m romance .
What are you reading this week?The Heroin Diaries: A Year In The Life Of A Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx
What made you embarrassed to read this?
It's not really I book I would ever want to read in front of someone in case they ever asked me why I wanted to read it. I have no idea why I picked this book up. It's not something I would normally be interested in at all. And I really don't want someone to ask my if I know any of Motley Crue's music because I don't really know it...
Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
Toddlers and Tiara's. Huge guilty pleasure, I love it.
What are you reading this week?Ransom My Heart
- What made you embarrassed to read this?
I feelthat because it is a historical romance novel, that people will judge me for reading them, though no one has ever said anything. I generally dont't care what others read,as everyone has their own tastes.
- Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
I don't really feel guilty, but i love my soap opera, Days of our Lives, and some reality tv.
What did you read?For Love or Vengeance by Caridad Piñeiro
What made you embarrassed to read this?
It was a particularly egregious paranormal romance with a mystery dashed in.
Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
- maple bars
- the movies Clueless and Selena
The Bastard of Istanbul I was embarrassed to read this book because my boy has just started reading words and I was afraid he would happen to read it and then ask me what it was.
- What are you reading this week? I read Vampire Academy - What made you embarrassed to read this?
Vampire high school stuff. You need more explanations?
More seriously, I enjoy stories around vampires but usually they are lame when it's YA, so I won't scream at the world that I read a book around this theme or follow a tv show full of bloodsuckers.
- Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
This isn't a guilty pleasure :p
Hmm, does looking at actors' birthdate (when I really like them) and gloating because they're from my birth year count?
What are you reading this week?Apeshit
What made you embarrassed to read this?
I technically will be reading it in public as I'll be reading it on my bus journey to and from work but it's on my kindle app so no one will be able to see what it is. I'm not embarrassed to read the book at all but I would feel a bit uncomfortable sitting on the bus with a book that has a massive swear word on the front and a girl with half her boobs hanging out.
Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
I have quite a few!
Zaz wrote: "- What are you reading this week? I read Vampire Academy - What made you embarrassed to read this?
Vampire high school stuff. You need more explanations?
More seriously, I enjoy s..."
I look up actor's birthdate's that I like because I want to know what the age gap is! XD Not that I'd stand a chance even if we were close in age!
- What are you reading this week?The Crown
- What made you embarrassed to read this?
It's a YA version of "The Bachelorette" - I'm a 40yo mom of 3 boys. Thankfully, I was reading a digital version on my kindle.
- Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
I love a good romance novel every now and then, and a good paranormal series, too.
What are you reading this week?The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
What made you embarrassed to read this?
Okay, I'm flat out cheating this week. In the 7 months that I've been doing this challenge, this is the only category that I couldn't think of a book for. I don't get embarrassed about the books I want to read and I really don't want to read something I dislike to complete the challenge.
So this week I read scifi for the first time in years. I LOVED it! But I'm going to say it's the closest thing to a guilty pleasure that I've read so far this year.
Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
The sequel, A Closed and Common Orbit! Very excited to read my second scifi book as soon as it's published!
For this week, I read The Girl in 6E by AR Torre. The cover and premise for this book are very different from what I typically read. The cover is the part of the book that embarrasses me as it has a provocative female silhouette pressed against a flat surface. I don't think that I have any guilty pleasures when it comes to reading.
- What are you reading this week?For this week I have been re-reading Scruples Two: the story continues ....
- What made you embarrassed to read this?
All Judith-Krantz-novels are about glitzy rich and wanna-be-rich people being successful while having explicit graphic sex. But while I dispise the same mixture in other authors' books I am indulging in pure fun whenever I read one of hers. The most embarrassing feature is always Mrs. Krantz' picture on the back of the book. I am aware of the fact that the titles were written in the 70s and 80s, but you simply cannot top that woman's expensive but super-horrible style, both in dress and coiffure.
- Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
No, not really. I read a lot of children's and YA. But I don not think that I should feel embarrassed or guilty because of that. Some books have just ugly covers or embarrassing titles - especially, when they are translated to German. But since I mostly read English, I am alright.
- What are you reading this week?The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts
- What made you embarrassed to read this?
It just sounds super cheesy and look at the cover!
- Do you have any other guilty pleasures?
I like graphic novels for their glossy pages.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
I Love Dick (other topics)Fifty Shades of Grey (other topics)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2 (other topics)
Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride & Prejudice (other topics)
The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Bethany McLean (other topics)Sophie Kinsella (other topics)
Jacqueline Carey (other topics)
Caridad Piñeiro (other topics)
Jenny Han (other topics)
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Suggestions for Each Week
If you're reading in order, this week is: 10/28 - 11/3
To discuss the book, don't forget to add it in the A-Z folders or join the existing discussion if your book is already listed.
Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?
- What made you embarrassed to read this?
- Do you have any other guilty pleasures?