The Ugly Truth - Reading Snobs

[CWatkinsNash]

Oh, my. Having been an avid reader for a loooong time, I've dealt with this sort of thing in one form or another for ages.

In its simplest form - scorn for the sake of being scornful. This usually starts, "What are you reading?", leads to "Oh. Whatever floats your boat. Do you read a lot?" and lands in the mire between "It's not normal to read that much" and "At least read something worth reading" though the specific criticisms vary. Not surprisingly, this usually comes from someone who hardly reads at all, and can be summed up as "I don't get why you read and so it must be bad".

We have the "scornful of fantasy" crowd, who can't see the appeal in "things that aren't real / can't happen", and so there's obviously something wrong with me for reading it. Then we have those that are scornful of romance. I'm sure I don't even have to explain all the ways this one can go downhill. This can come from men or women, though usually with different complaints. My favorite is "reading romance gives women false expectations".

And, of course, I must be some kind of psycho if I enjoy reading horror.

I bring much of this on myself, I guess, because if someone asks me what I'm reading, I tell them. I have no shame, nor should I. Reading is awesome, and something to be proud of. LITERACY ROCKS! Haters gonna hate, and I guess if they get it out of their system with me, maybe I'm sparing someone else.

And... every once in a while, the question "what are you reading?" leads to a good conversation and a new or closer friendship, so it's worth it.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

but I do get so tired of hearing romance dissed.

I agree. I have no problem whatsoever with any genre. Tastes vary and people should be allowed to read whatever they want without being criticized for it.

[Plumadona]

Like Yolina, I've been subjected to reverse snobbery for reading "literary" or classic novels, or worse yet, history or other non-fiction. I am also a proud life-long reader of science fiction & fantasy, which comes as a shock to many women I know of similar age (fast approaching my sixties) who are devotees of romance and best sellers. My tastes in music are similarly wide-ranging which also raises some eyebrows. I don't think my tastes are superior or inferior - they're just my preferences. However, the more people with few preferences the better - shorter waits for "geeky" library books!

Oh, and right now, am reading: The Inventor and the Tycoon - Edward Ball (history / true crime); the second book of Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End; and DC Universe Secret Origins - bound reprint of classic superhero comic books - highly recommended for those wishing to relive their formative years

FWIW, the diversity of readers on MR is what makes this place special, whether we're talking what we read, how we read, or what we read it on! To each his / her own!

[QuantumIguana]

Once people realize that they don't have anything you could possibly want, they realize they have no power over you. There are people who will ridicule people for reading at all. I want nothing from them. There are people who will sneer at you for reading the wrong sort of books. I want nothing from them either. I may not think highly of Twilight, but it isn't any of my business to criticize anyone for reading it. People who ridicule you for what you read are just trying to control you.

[Mare of Earth]

Some of the best books I have ever read are books that other people thought I was crazy for liking (The Color of Distance being a prime example of this). I read what sounds good, and if I don't like the first few pages (Twilight) or the first few chapters (The caterpillars question) then I feel no shame at deleting the book (or throwing it across the room in the case of Caterpillar) and moving on to something else.

I like romance in my stories. Because a well written romance is a road map of human interaction. Unfortunately, most "modern" romance has a ridiculous number of sex scenes - which, quite honestly, read Sharon Green and you have pretty much read most of the possibilities, so *yawn*. It's why I have completely dropped authors whose older work I like.

I also read a dangerous amount of fanfiction. I like it becouse it facinates me that such diverse stories can be written with the same cast of characters, and I admit to despising fanfic authors who have to add in their own characters - borrowing characters from other sources is fine, but if you are going to write original characters, you might as well create a world for them and make a living at it.

Have I been teased or picked on for my reading choices - yes.
Do I care? No, I don't anymore.
I stopped caring about other people's opinions when a neanderthal jock named Bernard on the bus in grade 3 grabbed my copy of Alice Through The Looking Glass and spat in it.

/endrant

[jgaiser]

I'm way too old (66 in less than a month) to care what other people think -- about what I read, about how I live, about how I dress. Life is way too short.

Romance - I thought I wasn't much into romance until I got hooked on the Liaden Universe and now the Marcus Didius Falco series. Turns out even an old fart can learn to love a bit of romance in his stories.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

but I do get so tired of hearing romance dissed.

It's the books with the half-naked man on the cover type of romance that I think is the reason romance gets dissed. When romance is mentioned, those are the types of books most people think about. And as long as those types of books are published, romance will always be dissed.

Now, can you give us some good recommendations for romance that does not include any cover that has a half-naked man, no cowboys, no Nascar, no construction workers. None of the books the frustrated housewife would read.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

I'm way too old (66 in less than a month) to care what other people think -- about what I read, about how I live, about how I dress. Life is way too short.

I'm 37 and I'm already there.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It's the books with the half-naked man on the cover type of romance that I think are the reason romance gets dissed. When romance is mentioned, those are the types of books most people think about. And as long as those types of books are published, romance will always be dissed.

Thank you for providing a textbook example of what we're talking about.

[BeccaPrice]

Well, for historicals, you can't beat either Georgette Heyer or Courtney Milan. I love Nora Roberts, particularly her stand-alone romantic suspense books (Blue Smoke, Northern Lights, The Witness, Birthright are all particular favorites). Some of her earlier series are also good - I love the Chesapeake Bay trilogy-plus-one, although many people dislike it. Roberts is especially good in portraying close family and friendship relationships.

[BeccaPrice]

oh, and on the half-naked-man covers, many people in romancelandia make a lot of fun of them - go over to Smart Bitches Trashy Books sometime, and watch for their caption that cover posts.

[JSWolf]

People who would diss reading are usually the types that watch Survivor.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

People who would diss reading are usually the types that watch Survivor.

I read AND watch Survivor. Often at the same time.

[Anabran]

"I'm way too old (50 in ten months)* to care what other people think -- about what I read, about how I live, about how I dress. Life is way too short.

Thank you


*Edited for my age

[Fbone]

Well, I am snobbish. And very critical of what I read. I'll abandon a book if I don't like it or it doesn't satisfy my needs.

Sometimes I read for entertainment, to learn, to meditate, to experience or for comfort.

However, I would not criticize what others read.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It's the books with the half-naked man on the cover type of romance that I think is the reason romance gets dissed. When romance is mentioned, those are the types of books most people think about. And as long as those types of books are published, romance will always be dissed.

And how many books with those types of covers have you read?



Covers like this are soooo much better than man titty covers