My middle school librarian called certain books bubblegum for the brain, where they're good books, but not that mentally stimulating. The main character makes dumb decisions, or the premise is tired and overworked and not executed well enough to be special, I don't care. I LOVE bubblegum books. Sure, people may think they're stupid, but I don't want to always read a book that makes me wrack my brain. I'm a simple person, ok? All I want is two characters being absolutely stupid and everyone around them being like..."yes! You two are geniuses," because I tired and my brain needs something to fantasize about tomorrow.
Here's why: as an avid reader, I sometimes get a book hangover-as a person who has never experienced an actual hangover, this is what I assume it's like-where after reading a good or extremely exhausting series, I need something to do while I either 1) mourn the fact that I just finished that amazing series and there are no more books or 2) cry about the fact that the next book isn't out for three weeks, three months or three years. I would start another series, but do I really want to put myself through that again? I love books, but after finishing a particularly good series, I'm not always in the mood for another large undertaking. That's where a bubblegum book comes in. I read bubblegum books to get me into the mood for reading. They're not meant to make me ponder my life or have an existential crisis or whatever. They're meant to make me feel good for a bit. That's it.
And yet. People will judge others for reading bubblegum books. I say, read them whenever you need! You're in the midst of a book hangover? Read a bubblegum book! You're having a rough week and need to accomplish something to make yourself feel good, no matter how small? Read a bubblegum book! You just like reading bubblegum books? Do it! It's good for you. It makes you happy!
A bubblegum book is different for everyone. For me, it's usually either a standalone or part of a universe with interconnected books that don't predecease one another (basically, a bunch of books set in the same place and time with different characters and plots). I like all the genres, but I find that for me, they're usually cheesy romances, since I am a lover of cheesy romances, and they make my brain happy. Take for example, Fourth Wing (review posted, check it out!) I finished it around a month before the sequel came out (I had a countdown on my phone, sue me). In the time between novels, I was not in the mood to get into another series, no matter how compelling it seemed. I mean, that cliffhanger? Ugh. ANYWAYS, moving on, whatever transition word you want to use here, I was forced to consier two options. 1), go into a self imposed reading slump (bad, will not do) or 2) read a bubblegum book and not sleep for a bit in between so that my brain has something to do. Guess what I chose? NO SLEEP TILL YOU'RE DEAD! Yeah. Sleep is for the weak, and I am NOT weak. If anything, I am a hurricane of bad ideas and fantastic hindsight.This reading of my bubblegum books made my brain excited about reading something new, so that when Iron Flame came out I was like "wow, I haven't read something with extreme world building in a bit, I'm super excited!" and it made the world all that much better.
I know there probably are people who don't need a bubblegum book every now and then, but from what I've seen, those people are few and far between. It doesn't get rid of any progress you've made to reading goals this year, if you have any (I don't make reading goals, I find it cramps my style of just picking a random book and reading), and it doesn't make you a bad reader if you take a little break from sad, heartbreaking stories for a bit and read a cheesy romance novel about fake dating. So, if you think you need a bubblegum book, or even just want one, I'm happy to give you a recommendation. Here are some tips on figuring out what a bubblegum book is to you.
Why do you read?
Why do you read is a simple question, to me. You have to figure out your why. Is it to get away from your responsibilities (like me, avoiding history homework by doing this)? Is it to stimulate your brain? Is it to make your SAT scores higher? For knowledge? Whatever it is, you have to figure out what you want to glean from each book. For me, reading has always been an escape from whatever my responsibilities are. For example, I write a book blog to avoid reading my history textbook. I read to avoid panicking about the trials and tribulations of growing up and being made into an adult. Like, why would I read about taxes when I can read books about dragons and burning down buildings? For you, whatever that is, find a way to do that.
Have you read it before?
I don't mean like, have you read that exact novel before, but, have you read the premise before. If so, that allows you to throw yourself into a scenario without having to ponder how it would actually work. If you've already read it before, it also sometimes feels like a warm hug. Like listen, I've read tons of fake dating novels, but I'll keep reading them, because there's just something so satisfying about realizing that "hey, I liked that dude I was flirting with for six months, not that dude who wouldn't even give me the time of day." Top. Tier.
Does it require you to think?
I don't read nonfiction, unless it is a textbook for school or something (like the history textbook next to me), because it makes me think. Not in the, "imagining that cute scene" way, but in like, a "Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell" way. I don't need to think more that way, I'm in school. I do that for six hours a day. If it requires you to ponder something, as opposed to imagine or daydream about, then it's probably not good for you, unless that is why you read (see above).
Is it part of a series? Is it something you can see yourself continuing?
This one is mostly a me preference, since I enjoy reading a lot at once. I like that invisible string weaving between different novels in the same series, so I enjoy reading the sort of series books, the same universe books. I think that for some, though, reading a series in the middle of another series is intimidating. I know people who only read standalone novels, but I find that restricting myself to one type of book makes it harder to diversify your outlook.
Is it different from the last thing you read?
This is the final question in my questionnaire. I find that reading something completely different from whatever you just did helps a ton with separating yourself from the previous slump. For me, reading an entirely new genre helps, but for you it can be a different author, or series or format. Who knows? I love straying outside my little teenybopper hole occasionally to read books from the kids section (Percy Jackson), or to read an entirely different genre (going from intense books about giant space wars to books about high school friendship), because variety is key. You gotta spice up your life a little, right?
Ok, that's all for now, happy reading!
Teso