Let’s face it. I bet if you ask any reader they can tell you about an unwritten book rule that they cannot break. It might be never lending out books (because you never get them back!) or never folding down the top of a page (who would do something like that!) or only reading physical books (because of the smell!). But some book rules are made to be broken.
Here are 5 book rules that I think are ok to break:
1. Book series should be read in order.
It’s not always necessary to read a book series in order. In fact, some books can work as a stand-alone, and sometimes it’s even easier to read books out of order. I’ve found that if a book is a romance and each book in the series has different lead characters, you don’t have to read these books in order. Series where each book has a driving plot that is resolved, or where character arcs are resolved by the end of the book, are okay to be read out of order because the books in the series don’t necessarily depend on each other.
2. You should finish every book you begin reading.
It took me a long time to let go of this rule and it’s one I still find hard to break. But if a book is not entertaining you or grabbing your attention, stop reading! Life is too short and there are too many good books out there to waste time reading something that is boring you. Sometimes I make a rule that if I am not into a book by a specific page or chapter, then I’ll put it down. There’s nothing worse than reading a book because you feel like you have to.
3. Books should be read from beginning to end.
I’m one of those people that skips around in books and if I am dying to find out what happens in a book, I will read the end before I’ve finished the book. As long as you are okay with knowing what happens, it’s perfectly fine to read the ending. For so many people it’s not about the conclusion of a book but getting to the conclusion. For example, we know that almost all romance novels are going to end in happily ever after but the real joy is getting to that happy ending. So go ahead and skip around and read the ending first.
4. You should only read one book at a time.
There are many different ways to read and if you can focus on multiple things, it might be good to read more than one book at a time. This is especially handy if you are reading more than one genre. Reading more than one book at a time can give you the chance to balance out emotional reads with light-hearted ones. You can read a non-fiction novel and a fiction novel at the same time. If you are finding one book to be a bit of a slog, you can take a break and focus on something more enjoyable. You can listen to one book on audio when you’re out for a walk, click through a book on your e-reader when running errands, and read a physical book when you’re laying in bed at night.
5. Teen fiction is only for teens.
Just because you are not a teen anymore doesn’t mean you can’t read teen novels. Where would we be if only teenagers read Harry Potter or The Hunger Games or any of the other great young adult novels out there? Some of the best books are written by young adult authors. I would even consider Pride and Prejudice and To Kill a Mockingbird to be teen books that are beloved by everyone. There are a lot of young adult novels that are truly good with good writing. Just because they are intended for young adults doesn’t mean they can’t be enjoyable for people of all ages.
Q: What are some book rules you think are okay to break?
6. Books should be challenging.
It’s OK to read a book for the fun of it. It doesn’t have to be great literature, or carry life lessons. A book can be silly or just entertaining. As long as you enjoy reading it, that’s all that counts.
I love this and totally agree!
Number five on your list is one I break on a pretty regular basis. It has been an extraordinary rewarding way of sharing the joy of reading with my children. And it has filled gaps in my own reading that I missed when I was younger. #2 is one I’ve embraced a lot more the older I’ve gotten. There are simply too many books that one may immensely enjoy to ever get bogged down. I’ve also figured out that sometimes I can return to a book, that there’s a right time.
I really liked your pictures from Snohomish, the apple orchard. Those were beautiful/ If you ever find yourself up there again, if you haven’t been there before try to go for a walk at Lord Hill Regional Park. It’s just a few miles southeast out of town. Seeing your pictures reminded me of the prettiness from there. It’s such a lovely park with all kinds of different walks to go on.
Thanks! I agree, it’s such a delight sharing book with younger readers and seeing their reactions.
I’m glad you like the apple picking pictures – that visit was so much fun. I have not been to Lord Hill Regional Park but I will put it on my list of places to visit. I’m always looking for good walking paths!
I do fold book pages. That is because when I get back to it, I’ll start from where I stopped. That is if it is my book. But if it’s a borrowed book, I’ll just have to note the page number, I don’t fold it because it’s not mine.
Secondly, sometimes, I skip the whole middle plot just to know what happened in the end. But when I do that, I get bored easily when I continue reading the middle pages, because I know what happened in the end. So why bother right?
I don’t know if it has happened to you.
Plus, I do that a lot with love stories.
😂
I skip around a lot and will for sure read the end in a lot of books just to find out what happens. Sometimes I go back and read what I skipped and sometimes I don’t.