What are some of your guilty reading pleasures? You know, the cheesy, trashy pulp crap about romance and fantasy or whatever that you are embarrassed to say that you have read and enjoyed. Whatever it is, fire away!
I'll offer up:
Scroll of Saqqara by Pauline Gedge
The Kohga Ritual(War of the Ninja Master) by Wade Barker
All the AD&D novels I read when I worked for a games store.
Now I'm not saying that these are bad, or poorly written, but for someone used to reading more serious subject matter, they were a little embarrassing! Sort of like enjoying a Michael Bay/Jerry Bruckheimer movie, or indulging in some crazy massive dessert after a big meal.

The Shannara books by Terry Brooks. I love them, but they are so obviously rip-offs of LOTR. I used to love the Archie McNally mysteries by Lawrence Sanders. Anything with Drizzt Do'Urden as a main character.

I have to say that I have read all of the "Harry Potter" books. Is it so wrong that a college student enjoys Harry Potter? I think not.

I actually love the formulaic Dr. Who books that are out there... especially those by Terrence Dicks.

I am guilty of reading self-help books on all topics...not that I need to, but its interesting stuff.

quote:

I have to say that I have read all of the "Harry Potter" books. Is it so wrong that a college student enjoys Harry Potter? I think not.

Harry Potter doesn't belong under guilty pleasures! It's above that.

On the other hand, Nora Roberts' books definitely do belong here. I'll admit to picking one up now and then for a beach read when my brain wants some time off. They are pretty harmless and fun...

I always thought the terms guilty pleasure and reading were pretty much antonyms. Is there really such thing as a guilty reading pleasure in today's television, internet, and video-game dominated world? If you read the captions under pictures, you are doing more reading than the average American.

I read some books based on the Magic: The Gathering trading card game once. I also enjoy really cliche fantasy novels with all the magery and chivalry and dragonry and pure evil forces out to destory the universe possible.

Epic fantasy is my guilty pleasure, The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks being a favorite.

I love the fantasy novels as well. They take me to a wonderful place where the good guys always win, or do they?

Inexplicably, though I am generally not a fan of epic fantasy, I really liked the Belgariad and Malloreon by David Eddings. I confuse me sometimes.

Since when did a entire genre of literature, ie. Fantasy become a guilty pleasure?

Mills and Boon... that's a guilty pleasure...(not me, don't look in my direction )

I don't think I read anything that I would consider a "guilty" pleasure. I think a lot of folks would consider "genre" fiction potentially lower in quality than literary fiction. But I think that depends more on the author than the genre. Philip Dick is literary. John Le Carré is literary. Their chosen genres are immaterial to the quality of the work. For every crappy mystery or sci-fi or fantasy novel, there is a crappy straight literary fiction book.