Do you read books ‘œmeant’ for other age groups? Adult books when you were a child; Young-Adult books now that you’re grown; Picture books just for kicks ‘¦ You know ‘¦ books not ‘œmeant’ for you. Or do you pretty much stick to what’s written for people your age?
I read regardless of whatever age books may be aimed at. I loved the Harry Potter books and I enjoy re-reading the books I loved when I was younger. I’ve been hooked on watching Dr Who on TV from the beginning, although I haven’t read any of the books and now I’ve thought about it I can’t imagine why I haven’t – too many books and too little time, I suppose. Philip Pullman is another author whose books appeal to all ages.
There are many more. For example, a while ago I re-read Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows which I’d first read when I was about 12. I’d liked it the first time for its story and characters; this time round I saw different things in it – the mysticism, the spirituality and the portrayal of human nature. It’s not just animals messing about in boats on the river. I suspect it may be like that with other books – Little Women seems so moralising now, much different from how I viewed it as a child.
And did I read adult books as a child – yes, of course I did. Amongst other books, I remember borrowing Radclyffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness from the library also when I was twelve – a bit different from The Wind in the Willows.
BooksPlease 
I didn’t read The Wind in the Willows as a child. I read it for the first time a few years ago and I loved it. Same with Tom Sawyer. I also love Harry Potter and Philip Pullman. I think you’re right that any age can get something out of them.
The Doctor Who books are okay. I have only read one or two and they do tend to come across a little like fan fiction.
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I am the same with the Vampire Diaries as you are with Dr Who, love the TV show but always push back reading the series,
great post,
The Book Mystress, xx
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I do like re-reading books that I read when I was a child. Not only is it a cozy way to relive a memory but books seem to hit you a different way depending on when you read them.
Here’s what I had to say: http://abookishaffair.blogspot.com/2011/05/booking-through-thursday-may-12-2011.html
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I reread Little Women last year for a challenge, and I enjoyed certain aspects of it all over again…but the moralizing thing did strike me, and I don’t remember reacting to that as a child.
Characters and stories draw me to books, and it doesn’t matter about the age-group.
Here’s MY BTT2 POST
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There are a few of my childhood favorites that I have been hesitant to revisit for fear that growing up will have ruined them for me. Black Beauty immediately comes to mind.
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I enjoy a wide variety of books and find it’s the genre rather than the designated age appropriateness that draws me to a book.
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Yes, I like mixing it up, it makes more interesting reading.
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I’ve always loved “Little Women.” Louisa May Alcott’s books were filled with such “moralizing,” maybe because of the Victorian era in which they were written. I think instilling good character traits in young people was really important back then.
I continually re-read beloved books from my childhood…as someone said in the BTT comments, “Age is just a number!”
Hope you’ll stop by and visit my BTT post:
Cindy’s Book Club
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Hi Margaret,
I have to say that I tend to stick to my current age group, when it comes to reading genres.
I admit that many books of the urban fantasy, steampunk and YA in general, don’t really ‘do it’ for me, although I have tried to branch out a little by dabbling in paranormal romance, which I found bearable.
I haven’t read the ‘Wind In The Willows’ since I was a child, but it was one of my favourites.
Another book which I always found moving and socially unacceptable to me as a young child, was ‘The Water Babies’ by Charles Kingsley.
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