What I mean by junk food novel is something that you know is far from good quality writing/storytelling, but you just couldn’t put down/get away from.
I just finished reading Rabbits by Terry Miles. I saw it on the shelf at a bookstore and impulse-bought it on a whim with no prior knowledge of the author (or the podcast it’s based on) or having read any reports/reviews online. The cover art was fun and that’s literally why I bought it.
And man, if crack cocaine were a book I’ve read, this one takes the cake. The plot has a LOT of potential but the execution and especially the prose and narration left a lot to be desired. The copy I bought was a little over 400 pages and I finished the novel in a few sessions spread over two different days.
It was bad for me, but I just couldn’t put it down. Admittedly, I’m a little prone to enjoying things of a mindfucky variety, and with the confusion this novel came with it definitely hit those buttons. When I have more questions than answers (regardless of whether it’s because of genuinely great plot or objectively confusing storytelling) it tends to leave me fiending for more.
In terms of objective quality this novel is probably a 5/10. But I can’t remember how long it has been since I’ve read 400+ pages that quickly. So on some levels I almost feel like I have to personally give it at least a 7 if not an 8 haha.
by DisMyDrugAccount
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Valley of the Dolls. Every read is a guilty pleasure.
**Nightside** series by Simon R. Green and many of his other works. I personally care more about the entertainment value of a book rather than its quality.
*The Other Boleyn Girl* by Phillipa Gregory. It’s the book that led to a happy obsession with Tudor England and every fiction and non-fiction book I can get my hands on about it. It has politics, it has romance, it has scandal and sex and terrible sibling relationships and god damn do I love it.
BUT. Gregory is a pretty controversial Tudor author. She tries to present her books as factual and even paints herself as a historian (or at least she did at one point), but true academic historians of the time period have pointed out she bases a lot of her plot lines on propaganda and rumors. Her portrayal of Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I in particular have been heavily criticized.
… Still reread it once a year though lol
Ready Player One. I know it’s not an amazing novel but the nostalgia bombs are just a straight dopamine rush. I’ve read it three times and I rarely re-read books.
The Spenser series.
Doctor Who novels