A Case for Crappy Books

We know, I love a good book. I'm somebody who recommends things I appreciate, that are well-thought out, executed with finesse and grace–and an aesthetic package doesn't hurt. But I'm also somebody who says things like, "It's terrible, and I love it!" I admit: I'm someone who reads truly terrible books at times. Like, bad covers, poorly edited, iffy composition. If there's even a semblance of a plot and likeable characters, I'll give it a try. Maybe it's the editor inside that allows me to put my brain in park and appreciate the potential and vision of crappy books, but I have genuinely loved some seriously horrible books.

Now, as a self-published author, editor, and generally very book-writing-process obsessed person, why am I admitting this? Well, for starters, reading is supposed to be fun.

Yes, consuming only bad books would eventually make a poor reader out of a person, but, like sweets, a balance could only enrich your life. A light, easy, low-to-no-stakes read is a good palatte cleanser. A book that you don't have to concentrate on to understand can be a nice reprieve in a world of hyper-fixation–a chance to soak in some joy for the sake of it.

Reading is also a skill that can grow with use or wither with disuse.

A book without difficult vocabulary, that has a predictable plot, and doesn't require much in the way of comprehension allows you to work on your reading at a beginner pace, increasing your speed and accuracy over the course of the read. It also is a good opportunity to reread sections without getting overly saturated with information or bored. An easy read is an excellent way to stretch and strengthen your reading muscles.

In a similar vein, I actually think that reading badly written books can make you a better writer.

Okay, hear me out. When I was a child, my younger sister and I were taking a manners class (a story for another time). As practice, my mother would sit us at the dinner table and ask us to narrate what we were doing correctly. My tomboy, less-studious (at the time) sister hated this exercise and, instead, would often declare, "Or we can play the bad manners game! Tell me all the things I'm doing wrong!" It ended up being a much more effective training tool for her and wildly entertaining for the rest of us.

And I'm sure it has an equally useful application for the writers. It can be a challenge to identify exactly what good writing specifically is and why a thing is in fact good. It is often much simpler to sense and analyze what is off or incorrect while reading, especially if you're reading out loud. So crappy books have potential as training wheels for detecting and improving poor writing.

I'm sure there are other reasons to read a book you might not like/isn't a particular revalation, but I'll leave it here for this post. Still, as weird as it sounds, I do think reading bad books might diversify and enrich your literary life. So take a chance on the book with the iffy cover. Put on your grammar blinders and read past the typos. Look for some books outside your normal tastes and see what you learn.

Happy reading!