Well this is an interesting one, it does depend. If you are at school and your English teacher tells you to read a book, well watching the BBC adaptation isn't going to quite cut it as I tried in the past. The irony is I love Jane Austen now and would love to curl up with Persuasion, yet back in the day it was a different story. I did love reading but was very much stuck in certain genres and still am and, well, this is why we are here at the Cosy Crime Corner. Nonetheless, there are times when it is good to try something new. The problem is the more someone tells you something is worthy or educational, the less fun it feels. Also, if you are gifted a book and the giver insists 'you will love this' it feels a bit odd if you don't and then you wonder if your friends, or nearest and dearest actually know you at all.

I was bought a book by my husband fairly recently, the Last Days of Kira Mullan. I started reading it, and although clearly brilliantly written by a talented author, it was just too much for me, too dark. So, I've left it and I shan't finish it because I find it upsetting and that is ok. Reading should be a pleasure so no matter whether a book is a kind gift or an exploratory purchase, or even if lots of clever clogs think they are highly intelligent for reading it - your choice of books is up to you. You don't have to read to impress and if it is too decompress then you most certainly need something to enjoy and immerse yourself in. I am quite sure that the Last Days of Kira Mullan is a fabulous read for those who are a little bit more resilient that me but I got as far as the main character being gaslit by a group of men and had enough. Hopefully it works out but I am not sticking around to find out. 

The caveat here of course is that if you are studying and a book is on your reading list then, yes, you do have to suck that up and AI won't cut it with a book summary. Reading helps you organise your thoughts and process the book in a way that AI can't do but other than that situation - if it's for pleasure and you aren't enjoying it then put that book down and find another, if you are anything like me there's always a huge pile to work through and if you can't find one then I've plenty of recommendations for you.

Evelyn