Big Kid Books

I always enjoy coming to an honors seminar class. I love the discussion. Being a philosophy major, I've always enjoyed hearing other's opinions and their explanation behind them. Tonight, the topic that piqued my interest was dealing with reading in a time of distraction. There's actually a book that my english teacher in high school gave me: The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction, when I expressed my insecurities on whether or not I was "reading the right things."
So, how do we know we're reading the right things? As Professor Sexson brought up today, it's fine and dandy to see 12 year-olds reading Harry Potter, but not as much when the reader is several decades older. "We need to grow up."
But to what extent are we expected to grow up? I remember my junior year in high school fretting over this very thing. "Mr. Umphrey, you need to give me a reading list. There's just too many books out there to choose from! How will I ever know if I'm reading the right things?"
That is when he gave me the aforementioned book... and pretty much told me to chill out. It's not so much what you read, so long as you're reading.
Is that statement completely accurate, though? Not to be too judgemental, but if one only reads lower level books like Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey how can they ever hope to experience the enlightenment that comes from reading more difficult literature, being exposed to the ideas of great philosophers and writers of the past?
In my experience, I've decided the best path to take is one of moderation. I love reading about philosophy. Hegel, Descartes, Solzehnitsyn, there's nothing I enjoy more than exploring the thoughts and theories of others who, let's face it, are much more intelligent and dedicated than I will ever hope to be. However, after a while, it gets a little overwhelming. The brain gets tired. The focus weakens. And you find yourself rereading the same paragraph over and over again, understanding it less with each attempt. This is where romance novels come in.
Yes, I am not ashamed to admit it. I read romance novels. And I love them just as much as Descartes' meditations or The Gulag Archapelago. Do they serve as a tool for deep discussion? Do they provide me with a source of enlightenment? No, but they do serve their purpose, a purpose I doubt any human being could survive without and hope to reach eudaimonia (sorry, Aristotle reference): cheap entertainment. Sometimes you just want to laugh and have to think to deeply about it.

So, like with most everything in this world, moderation is key. Yes, you're now a grown-up and are expected to read "grown-up" things, but I caution you not to get too caught up in the pretentiousness that seems to be more common place the older we get. Read what you want... keeping the rule of moderation in mind.

Please note, however, there are some forms of "books" that DO NOT qualify as literature... perhaps better known as 50 Shades of Gray. There is no valid excuse for reading this.