The Switch from Reading for Plot to Reading for Thought

So I noticed recently that the reason I read books has changed slightly. I used to read books that I thought looked exciting and interesting, in other words, the plot looked decent. Now though, if I’m going to commit myself to a book, it’s either because it was recommended to me by someone or it is a classic.

I used to pick up any series about fantasy when I was little (it was quite the phase, I still have most of the books). But I can still remember not exactly being satisfied by the plot when it was too thin or had contradictions or the author remembered past events incorrectly (ok how does the AUTHOR mess up facts like that?). Over time, it just developed into me refusing to read stuff like that.

Now though, I really only read books that I have researched and read reviews on. If it’s a classic, I do less work, but I still check to make sure that it’s something that I’d like. And I hardly ever read modern books anymore, I just never know whether I’m going to like it or not. I’m not a big risk-taker. I was confused when my friend picked a book up off the shelf in a bookstore and went to buy it. I just don’t work like that anymore.

I mostly blame honors English for this change, honestly. I’ve started being unsatisfied with books where they don’t have a higher meaning and are just about people doing people things or whatever. I need something that speaks to humanity and says something essential. It can’t be a book for the sake of a book anymore, it has to be communicating something to the reader.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just means that I’ve gotten choosier about what it is that I’m putting into my head. And I think that’s fine, it’s the only brain I’ve got and there are books out there that are more beneficial for it than others. If you disagree, that’s fine, but this is my view and it’s interesting how things like this change over time and as we learn more.