Good Read v. Fun Read

Can a book be both? There are books that are good reads like Gone with the Wind and Pride and Prejudice. Then there are books that are fun reads like the Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Good books can be very fun to read, but can a fun read ever be considered a good book? Having fun is a good thing right? Can reading Gone with the Wind be fun? If someone enjoys a book does that make it good, or fun, or a little of both? What about the classics like Great Expecations or Catcher in the Rye? Who decides which book is a classic? If it is required reading in schools does that make it good? Are classics automatically good books? Most would agree that they are not usually fun. What about guilty pleasure books like anything Sidney Sheldon has written? Romance novels, trashy beach books? Some people can get very persnickety about what is or isn't a 'good book'. Some people even ban or burn ones they consider 'bad books'. Although, I think those people are mostly crazy.

I enjoy reading fun books like the above-mentioned Stephanie Plum books and I relish in the occasional good book like Pride and Prejudice. My favorite books, however, would probably fall somewhere between what most would define as good or fun. Something like Red Tent or The Pilot's Wife. The stories usually involve a female main character who experiences some sort of life-altering event. Heavy on relationships and the thoughts and feelings behind actions. In general, good books that I have a lot of fun reading.