“For the sake of my bookish reputation I upgraded to Tolstoy and Steinbeck before I understood them, but my dark secret was that really, I preferred the junk. The Dragonriders of Pern, Flowers in the Attic, The Clan of the Cave Bear. This stuff was like my stash of Playboys under the mattress.”

– Julie Powell, author of Julie and Julia

A long time ago, I decided that I would not be embarrassed by what I wanted to read. Why should you feel bad about reading a Harlequin Romance or an old western or something with sexy vampires? I don’t eat the same food all the time – every now and then, I want a bologna sandwich instead of duck a l’orange.