So here's an interesting question: what makes a person a book snob? As a reader of almost exclusively books by dead people, I get accused of literary snobbishness a bit- mostly by people who don't know me, as is usually the case with Random Acts of Stupid. But what is being a book snob, really? Does it mean judging people for what they read?
I admit I walk right over to a person's bookshelf upon entering their house. Coat off, nice to meet you, very good, can you put that baby somewhere else, oh you have BOOKS canIlookatthemokthanks. Oh..look at all that Dan Brown..uh..I REALLY have somewhere else to be like..um..7-11. Just kidding, I don't leave. Immediately.
But there is an argument to be made that a person's bookshelves, or lack there of, says a great deal about their values. Perhaps they don't value literacy, or the intricacies of language, or using their head bone. Or maybe I'm just a snob. Or maybe someone's reading choices are a signal of their real selves- or who they want you to think their real selves are (we all know that person who stocks their shelves with yards of Penguin classics, but hasn't read a-one of them...weirdo). Now, don't get me wrong- I'm not going to NOT befriend someone because they're not readers, or because they read craps. But when I think about my closest friends, they all read, and they read well. Maybe I need to get out more?
Then there are the folks who judge the lot of us, aren't there. The people who give the not-so-subtly-condescending "I don't know HOW you find all that TIME to READ," as if their time is spent doing something far more superior, like watching The Hills or..whatever it is people do when they're not watching television. The people who comment on the huge number of BOOKS you have, as if you were collecting shrunken voodoo skulls, while you never comment on how much money they spent on their boxed set of EVERY SEASON OF Friends. Not that there's anything wrong with Friends. There is, however, something wrong with The Hills.
Isn't that a form of anti-book-snobbery? I'll go out on a limb and make a statement a lot of readers aren't willing to make for fear of being pelted with rotten tomatoes: Reading absolutely is a superior activity to watching sitcoms. There, I said it. I'll even go so far as to say something that most book bloggers aren't willing to say: not all reading is good, and there are some books that are better to read than others. There are books that are horribly written, with stupid themes, that leave you dumber after having read them. I bet you can name one.
Of course, I have buds who don't dig the reading thing, but not many. They're super-fab people, but a part of me thinks that people who don't read and instead watch television would rather entertain themselves than think, and maybe I subconsciously draw back from that- I certainly don't do it on purpose. And I know that everyone's different and special, blah blah, I love you, you love me, purple dinosaur whatever...or are readers smarter? I'm not asking because I think I have answers, I'm asking to know what you think.
What about you? Are you a snob (realist-maybe)? Do you assume things about people based on their reading preferences, or lack thereof? Do you think that any reading is better than no reading? Do you think reading is better than watching television? And if there are books that are just better to read than others- who decides what they are? I mean, aside from me. Obviously.
I think there is a hierarchy, with good books at the top and bad TV at the bottom. There is a gray area in the middle where watching some TV (like NCIS) may be better than reading some books (like anything written by Lauren Conrad . . . which comes from bad TV anyway, doesn't it?)
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I've encountered the kind of anti-book snobbery you mention, but I've also encountered snobbery when my reading at the moment is not suitably high-brow or whatever.
ReplyDeleteI guess for me, it all comes down to people owning what they're doing. I have no problem with a person choosing to spend time doing something other than reading, but I do have a problem with people acting like I'm wasting my time choosing to read when they know every person and every outfit from the last three seasons of Project Runway. (If they're out feeding the homeless every night, however, I suppose they're entitled...)
And I agree that some books are better than others, but I don't see a need to push "better" books on people who aren't interested. I know folks who use reading as a sort of mental break, and they perhaps don't want to read something heavy in the evenings. I get that. There's a big difference in my mind between enjoying, say, Twilight as cheesy entertainment and deciding it's great literature.
I love classics and for almost a decade that's all I read. It wasn't because I was trying to be better than anyone - I just didn't find anything non-classic that I like. In book blogging these last two years, I've found some other good books, more modern books that i like. These range from the more literary to the completely mindless fun books. Since I don't watch TV, the completely mindless fun books are really my form of TV. I read them when I need to zone out and just enjoy myself without thinking. I usually don't remember them within a month or so, but that doesn't stop me from reading them.
ReplyDeleteI hate when I get accused of being a snob because all my favorite books are classics. There are some people who just like old books, simple as that. I don't judge others based on what they read, and I don't like people to judge me based on what I read.
I admit, I sometimes mentally judge people a little for what they read (or don't)--not so much in a 'oh, you must be a terrible person' as, in a 'oh, well, they're not very intellectual' type way. Not very nice of me... On the other hand, I'm mostly just thrilled when I hear other people talk about reading, and mostly just find it sad when people admit to not reading. What do they do with their spare time?
ReplyDeleteI read whatever catches my fancy, whether that be a Lauren Conrad book (yes I own both) or a Murakami book (which I love all of his work). I find nothing wrong with reading trash like the Lauren Conrad book - sometimes I want fluff reading (which is why I read magazines, too). Of course other times, I want to exercise my brain and enhance my vocab and so I read something a bit more erudite. I have to admit that I was a bit more of book snob when I was an undergrad, but in grad school, I branched out a bit more - living in England and all those charity shops with copies of Marian Keyes and Sophie Kinsella for 25p, well I couldn't resist! As for my friends, well, they don't really read much. They'd rather unwind with some game on Facebook or an episode of Big Brother - I say, whatever floats their boats. I was a fan of The Hills (which is no more) and The City. I love watching all of those crap reality shows and have no shame in admitting it. What I don't care for is being judged for what I read - I don't judge anyone for what they read.
ReplyDeleteI love this post so much. I do believe there are books that may be more rewarding to read, but not exactly better.I mean, if you're reading about Fabiano and Marciella's epic travels to the underground super city of ear wax...you're not really enlightening yourself. I think it's always good to be able to take something away from a book, but I think everyone needs their guilty pleasure books as well. ;)
ReplyDeleteOh, and I'm proud to say I've never seen more than ten minutes of The Hills. Those ten minutes alone made part of my brain melt...
Anyway, keep on keeping on and don't let the haters get to you. :)
Very interesting post.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think reading is better than watching any television, but completely eliminating one over the other is not the ideal either.
I admit to judging people over what they read if they read only one type of book and nothing else. People can read whatever they want, but I just don't think it's healthy to read essentially the same thing over and over.
I can tell in a second when someone talks about books because they want to be better than other people, or to look cool. Those are the people I would call snobs. But in my opinion, books are books. I love my Tolstoy etc, and I'm not gonna lie L.A. Candy is on my bookmooch wishlist. (Nadia?)
ReplyDeleteI love checking out other people's bookshelves, and I definitely judge them, but in a fairly positive way. If someone has books that look dumb to me (or books I've never heard of), I usually forget about it pretty quickly. But if someone has a bunch of books I love or want to read, I immediately craft a plan of how to become better friends with them.
ReplyDeleteI do like to see variety on shelves though. Even you--the queen of classics--don't only read ancient tomes. I like it best when people have a mix of classics, (smart) contemporary lit, and interesting looking non-fiction. But maybe I'm biased because that's what I have. ;)
I judge harshly other people's bookshelves. Guess I'm a book snob.
ReplyDeletePersonally,I just feel there is a great amount of literature that stalks me and just must be read. Its an overwhelming obsession! Gotta keep reading. I'll never get to the end of this quest but what a journey awaits.
OK, I am just going to say it. I think adults who read YA are missing the boat. I think they need to stretch themselves. I had no idea there was a culture of fully-formed humans who actually read stuff written for 12-14 year olds with abandon, then write about it in hushed tones. That was until I looked around the book blog world. I was SHOCKED. Maybe my book snobbery had insulated me to the point of ignorance, but I do wish I didn't know about these people. I wish I could go back to a simpler time when I thought adults read literature or at least bestsellers directed toward adults.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am really going to go out on a limb and say that I will not even read the YA blogs out there.
Yes, I am a snob.
But I am also a TV snob. I think people who watched all seasons of LOST with baited breath need to get a hobby. I have only seen the clips from The Soup and they tell me all I ever need to know about this sad show.
Haters hate on or not, I am with you Jane Doe!
I don't think I'm a book snob. I don't think I can be since nobody around me reads half as much as I do and some of them get the attitude - how do I have all that time to read? I don't watch TV is what I usually tell them. :D
ReplyDeleteWhile on the subject, my boyfriend doesn't read books (only papers) but he's not into watching tv, he is really good with his hands so he always manages to find something to occupy them with while I read. No wonder we are still together after all these years. :)
To be honest its sometimes so rare that other people I know IRL read that I dont care what their actually reading, ust that their reading. My friend reads sappy romance stories which she get embarrassed about and says its not 'intellectual' but I think she should not care really.
ReplyDeleteI just sent her some sappy romance books for her birthday, ok so theres no way I would ever read them but she will.
Stopping by after reading your post on the classics at Desertbookchick. Loved that post and I know I am going to love this blog! I have struggled to find blogs that are not YA, UA, romance, etc. thanks for writing!
ReplyDeleteI try not to judge someone by what they read, but it is hard sometimes. My husband and I like completey different types of books, but that doesn't mean I'm smarter or better. He's a meteorologist and reads mostly, nonfiction, scifi, and philosophy. I think it's how a person is wired - not necessarily if they're smarter.
ReplyDeleteI have several friends who don't read, so I don't talk books with them. We need different types of people in our lives to fulfill different needs. My nonreading friends are those I go to the bar with and do tequila shots.
I loved this post! I confess to having been something of a book snob at one time. I have learned to lighten up a bit in my judgment of others' reading habits. As a homeschooling mom, I require mega doses of classic books for my children and myself. But I have also been reading some YA titles and reviewing them of late for a couple of reasons. I have daughters who will be in this reading range very soon and I need to know what is out there and what is appropriate. They will have free reading time that will probably be filled with these books. When I review them I try to judge these books within the context of the YA genre. I also admit that I enjoy books other than classics for the simple fact that they are fun - brain candy. Everyone needs a break now and then.
ReplyDeleteKathy- that's a good way to put it.
ReplyDeleteTeresa- You're right, we shouldn't push "better" books on people, but that doesn't stop me from trying ;)
Amanda- I call those books a "literary palate cleanse" and for me they're usually children's classics. Narnia, Anne of Green Gables, something like that.
Simplerpastimes- I've been trying to figure that out. In my circle of friends, the non-readers are all VERY busy moms of super small children, or people who watch television. I get the first one, but not the second.
Nadia- your bookshelves must be so confused.. ;)
Cara- Um could you PLEASE write an epic adventure about Fabio's adventures to a super city of ear wax? Perhaps in pop-up form?
Suzanne- That's interesting, I never thought about exclusivity being not good for you. Hmm..perhaps I should tackle something published after 1960..
IngridLola- CONFUSED bookshelves, I say!
Catherine- I agree totally. I am trying to "fill the holes" in my library. I've been a bookmooching freak these last two weeks, mostly just modern stuff and non-fiction (theology/philosophy). Don't want to be a cliche, after all.
Jeremy- It is a journey. There are so many edifying books out there, I don't understand why people pick silly ones.
Leah- Ohhh yeah. I don't read the YA blogs, either. I don't read the books, so I just...don't know what they're talking about. And they're backgrounds are usually so sparkly, it hurts my eyes. I will say I've never (purposefully) watched an episode of Lost. I'm afraid I'll get sucked in any never come out.
Ines- Your house sounds very productive. You're smart and he's handy. Come visit me?
Jessica- Did they have a faceless woman in a bodice on the front? I'm starting to notice those everywhere..
Kathy- Welcome! Glad to have you!
Beachreader- Samsies! My husband reads mostly westerns and sci-fi, though he is trying to read through my top ten because he knows it's important to me. He just finished Anna Karenina- that's a good man, hah! My non-reading friends are more recreational, like yours.
LLM-You sound like a great mom! Good luck finding some great YA for your kids. There are plenty of blogs out there that could probably help you, if you can stand the sparkly backgrounds ;)
ReplyDeleteI also found you via your guest post on DesertBookChick.
ReplyDeleteI am a victim of book discrimination. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked “Why are you reading THAT?”, I’d have a sizeable second income.
While I admit my reading choices often trend toward the pedestrian that does not make me a philistine.
I read where my fancy takes me. Sometimes that’s into a mystery or a cheesy sci-fi novel or even, God help me, into the turgid YA section.
Bottom line, I think it’s less about what you read and more about what you take away from what you read. If your reading material (or television/film viewing) doesn’t spark some sort of actual thought in you, it’s just a waste of time.
I definitely consider myself a Booksnob. I won't read certain types of books because of my booksnobbishness mainly I don't want to waste my time. There are so many books to read and I want to read all of the good ones, not the commercial, NYTimes bestsellers, romantic fluff books. I do think I am smarter than the average TV watcher. I rarely, if ever, watch TV and I prefer it that way, as I would rather spend my free time reading and learning. I do not try to judge other readers though because I think that any reading is worthwhile and will hopefully start them on a journey toward better books and a lifetime of learning and everyone's book journey is different.
ReplyDeleteStumbled upon your blog by way of Nadia's A Bookish Way of Life, and just had to say this post was fantastic. I have to admit I am a book snob. It isn't that I don't read "lesser" books, but I also read or have read the classics (of course being an English major back in the day helped that course). My favorite author is George Sand. She is not a dead white guy, but pretty close ;-).
ReplyDeleteI don't buy books anymore. We have tons and tons and tons of books on our bookshelves, and if isn't a classic or something very special, I am not even interested in owning it. I take books out of the library.
I have to admit I do judge to myself the people on Goodreads who read crap (aka as ChickLit in my mind). I also admit that I watch Big Brother. Sometimes, I am just too tired to do anything but watch the stupid of the world, and The Hills, well, the scintillating dialogue on that show, would keep anyone riveted, even a book snob with an extensive vocabulary.
I am going to admit that I cringe when people say they are happy tweens are reading the Twilight series b/c at least, they are reading!
I am not sure what the right answer is, but I loved your post and had to respond.
Book-snobbery is worn almost as a badge of honor among those who actually do consider themselves book snobs (I do!), and so when someone says, "What? You don't read Twilight? What a snob," I consider that a compliment of the highest order.
ReplyDeleteYes, some reading is better than other reading, but ALL reading is good reading - and 95 percent of reading is better than watching sitcoms. So I agree with you there.
Also, sometimes you have to read Dan Brown and Vince Flynn and other crap - just to try to get a sense of the allure for others. At least that's my story. And I'm sticking to it. So if you're ever here, please don't judge me by my Dan Brown - instead, judge me by my David Foster Wallace (hey, he's a dead white guy - you should check him out!), John Irving, Jonathan Franzen, etc., etc....
Great post!
Sharilyn- That's a good point- if a book is thoughtful, the genre is irrelevant.
ReplyDeleteBooksnob- That's true, everyone's book journey is different.
Brenda- I'm not happy when people say young people are reading Twilight, either. Yeah, you're reading- but what sort of message is the book giving you, especially if you're a young girl? I'd rather you not read anything.
Greg- I think what people mean when they say "you're a book snob" is "oh, you think for yourself, and that intimidates me." Don't throw DFW at me just yet- I'm not ready!
Ok, I love this post. I like to think that I'm not a book snob (and in the sense of judging other people's tastes I try not to be) but I'm awfully proud of how my bookshelves are developing, so I must be at least partially snobbish.
ReplyDeleteI am the reading-est person I know, so friends are often afraid to talk books with me (maybe it's because they're afraid once I start I won't stop). I wish that people knew that many classics aren't difficult to read, you just need to engage the grey matter.
BTW, my brother is always embarrassed to have people look at his book shelf--the only books that stay there are the ones that aren't worth passing on.
I've wrestled with the question of book-snobbery. My definitions are always changing - it sometimes means maintaining standards (positive! I like my brain cells, and don't fancy wasting them on chick lit!) and it sometimes means willful narrow-mindedness (negative! Because good literature doesn't have to end with the western canon).
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, I rarely read contemporary fiction. If the book was published after 1930, there was a good chance that it wouldn't appeal to me. My parents encouraged me to branch out and read more contemporary literature - I wanted to become a novelist, and my parents argued that I would be better equipped to meet that goal if I read recently published work and familiarized myself with the current trends/genres/styles. I agreed - and still do, in a way - but sometimes I miss my strict diet of classics (and the prose I so adored - so deliciously formal and rich). But at other times, I enjoy the variety of my new diet, because I've discovered books that I love, and learned something from everything I've read. Even if that book was an otherwise dreadful experience.
Ultimately, I think it's how a reader absorbs or processes or otherwise experiences the book that makes the act of reading - no matter the genre or author or publishing date - so powerful. True, I only read classics when I younger - but I don't think I could appreciate them then as much as I can now. Expanding my reading has helped me to expand my understanding - I've learned to engage and question what I read (because reading bad books, when I escape with brain intact, always end in a great deal of questioning and debate!)I used to primarily read as passive entertainment - branching out has taught me to read actively, and with pleasure (not simply because my grade depends on my engaging the book).
I hope you don't mind I posted about this post and set up a link in my post to this one - I thought it was such an interesting read, I figured it would be great to get more people's ideas about booksnobbishness. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteAlso shamelessly check out people's bookshelves and try my best not to pass judgement. And am largely unsuccessful. But manage to keep snark to myself. Honestly, I am just glad they have books and are reading. Always astonished when I walked into a house with no books. Or how about this? Once went to a party at a house full of great books on display, tried to engage host in conversation about said books only to find out that they had been selected by the decorator and not read by owner. But they did purchase used books so they at least appeared read. Ouch!
ReplyDeleteSo yes, I am a book snob who silently looks down a bit on those watching large amounts if inane tv programming. Also referred to as a book pimp by a lot of my friends to whom I constantly give books. Hope springs eternal.
There is nothing that bugs me more than reverse snobbery. "Well, that's because you only read high brow books." Um, hello--I didn't say anything about the Patterson book you're reading, why do you have to knock what I'M reading.
ReplyDeleteI kind of am a book snob but I think that people who say they don't make small judgments are lying. I've been meaning to post about people reading in public but haven't gotten there yet, but say you're at the airport and you see Lady X reading Sophie Kinsella and Sir Y reading John Grisham and Miss Z reading Les Miserable. Tell me you're not going to make certain conclusions about these people.
But I also have a soft spot for reluctant readers as my husband is dyslexic and doesn't read because of it. He's still very intelligent and finds other ways to stimilate his brain. I TRY not to make too many conclusions about people who don't make the time to read or don't like to read. I don't understand them, but whatev.
Great posting, Jane!
ReplyDeleteLike you, I always check out what people have on their shelves, as it speaks 'volumes' about their tastes and character. It is always a good conversation starter too, especially when you find that you have books in common, or they have books that you'd like to read.
Like most of you, I don't watch much TV at all. [By the way, I don't even know what the hell "The Hills" is?] While I don't know that readers are "smarter" than folks who spend their time in front of the boob-tube, I do think that they are more interesting to me.
I think I used to be much more book-snobbish when I was in my 20s and early-30s, when it came to judging what other people read. In all honesty, nowadays I am simply gratified to see folks, of all ages, just reading. For example, the love of my life, my wife, is a voracious reader; but would I read anything she's read, or is reading? Not on your life! Nor would she touch a Dickens, Eliot, Wharton, Austen, O'Brian, Byatt, Cather, or McCarthy, and so on. And poetry makes her physically ill! Having said that though, she is smart, funny, and an engaging conversationalist--she just happens to not be particularly interested in classic or contemporary literature at all.
I take a high-speed commuter train to and fro each day. I see lots of people reading on the train (real books and e-readers), and I'll 'guess-timate' that 80-90% are reading books that I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole (e.g., the "Twilight" series, or Nicholas Sparks's little books, etc.), but at least they are reading--and that is a very good thing. Now that I am in my mid-fifties, I am a much more tolerant person--and that is a good thing too.
'Kudos' to you, Jane, for another thought-provoking and well-articulated post! Cheers! Chris
I've become much less of a book snob in the last year. I know what you mean about needing a text to engage your mind, make you think. I appreciate that, too, and it's fun. But sometimes I need to veg out and be totally entertained. Sometimes life becomes way too serious and my mind just wants to chill in a book.
ReplyDeleteWhen I see someone reading a less-than mind blowing book I remind myself that I have no clue what their life is like so I don't know what reasons they read for - be it escape or intellectual stimulation. Maybe their job or homelife is crammed full of stimulation and they need reading time to decompress with something that doesn't require deep thought.
My only fear is for those who never branch out of their comfort zones and read the same type of books over and over. Personally, I can't read from one genre. Right now I'm reading The Passage (sci-fi), The Lightning Thief (juvenile/fantasy) and Northanger Abbey (classic). I think a variety adds to the spice of life so when I see myself reading the same genres I deliberately pick up a text that challenges me or is different from books I gravitate towards. But that's me.
I saw you post on classics at The Desert Book Chick - great job! Sorry if this got long.
Melody- There's nothing snobby with being proud of your own literary pursuits, in my opinion! As long as intellectualism doesn't take you out of the world, it's super fab.
ReplyDeleteEntish- Engaging a book is a lost art, something that's fading with the thought of engaging the world.
Frances- a DECORATOR? Posers! My friend told me story about a house she visited once- it was an old plantation with a for real huge library. The people felt like their books weren't good enough, so they RENTED first editions of classics and put them on display!
Trish- I at least know what person is probably more interesting ;)
Lone Bear- My husband and I are in a similar position. He reads, but stuff I wouldn't care to. I don't even let him put his books on the shelves with mine! But then again, he is a music snob and thinks my musical taste is a little to pedestrian. Everyone has their foibles!
Chelle- I agree, reading other genres is important, even if it's just enough to assure yourself you don't like it. Try (almost) anything once!
Nearly every room in my house has bookshelves. They aren't in any particular order. You will find Dan Brown rubbing elbows with Nathaniel Hawthorne. Our family library is probably 60/40 old vs new.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel judgy about other folks' bookshelves (except, as mentioned above, in a positive way- if it's all Jodi Picoult I'm all 'meh' and move along to another topic- if it's, well, more to my taste, I get excited), BUT there is often an awkward moment in book conversations with me and another reader.
ReplyDeleteMe: So, good to meet you, tell me about yourself, what do you like to do with your time when you're not in the hospital? (I'm a nurse. You meet lots of people like this.)
Person: Oh, I love to read.
Me: Great! Me too! What are you reading now?
Person: Well, there's this new Jodi Picoult, 19 Minutes, have you read it?
Me: *changing mental gears* Oh, no, I haven't, but I did read My Sister's Keeper once (Because my sister was reading it for an English class- horrors!).
Person: Did you like it?
Me: I think I had trouble because, you, know, all the hospital scenes, and me working in a hospital, it never seems real . . . (this is a GREAT excuse, by the way . . . I've used it often).
Person: Oh, I can see that. What are you reading?
Me: *desperately trying to think of a book I'm reading that isn't by a dead white male because I really want to be friendly and have a nice conversation and not come off as a snob* Um . . .
***
I hate these conversations. At this point I either have to tell the truth, or lie, and either way they conversation devolves into silence; if I say, "Oh, I'm reading Bleak House," the response is "Oh, that's . . . nice . . . " and if I dredge up a work of popular fiction I read sometime last year, then they want all the details that I have rapidly forgotten.
My Mom is always calling me a book snob, and I have to say that's partly true. I definitely think reading is better than watching TV. :D I also do the same thing when I visit people's houses, I zoom in on their bookshelf, and if they don't have one (oh the horror!!!) I'm really bored.
ReplyDeleteI think there is room for everything. I get time to read the classics, watch trash TV, work on things I enjoy and have great friends. There is time for everything. Do what you love.
ReplyDeleteI agree that people should read the classics and wish that more of my friends did. Then I could talk to them about it, but who am I to tell them how to spend their time? I don't want them telling me what to read, watch, or do. So I should not tell them.
So many things to comment on here.
ReplyDelete1. I have lots of leather bound books. I just like them, and I don't know why. They smell really nice and they feel great and the paper is usually top notch (acid-free, thick, etc). Did I mention that I read them with white gloves so that I don't get oil on the covers? Yeah, I'm a dork. So?
2. I laughed at your penguin classics, but I'm kind of like that. I actually read them, but it takes me a while to get through books so the fact that I've only read a third of them may make me creepy.
3. Life is better without cable television. The days I went without it were extremely satisfying, but now that it's included in my condo fees I watch too much. I prefer reading and now even my movie preferences are about books I have ALREADY read. Can't watch a movie prior to reading the book - blasphemous!
4. The comments about having time to read really hit home. I hear that more often then anything else... with comments about being a book snob being a close second.
5. I judge people on their shelves if they are not really literature afficianados, but the people in my bookclub all are, so it's a pleasure seeing their eclectic tastes right there in the open. I don't have to agree, but I am fascinated by what I learn about them as people. I suppose my leather editions scream snobbery... but I hope some see past the editions and focus on the works.
Spudz
http://eclectic-indulgence.blogspot.com
What about those of us who get enjoyment out of Dostoevsky and Dan Brown, hmm? Candidates for the psych. ward, maybe? ;P
ReplyDeleteI found this post through Nadia at A Bookish Way of Life.
ReplyDeleteI've also discussed this and seen others do it on their blogs too.. I think the reason it is so fascinating is because there are SO many opinions to be had. I'm with Roof Beam Reader... I find enjoyment through all genres. I can pretty much find something in every kind of book that I would enjoy (with the possible exception of horror). I love Children's literature all the way to books like Wolf Hall. I don't judge anyone by what they read, as long as they do read. I tend to judge people who do not read, though.
"Reading absolutely is a superior activity to watching sitcoms" is what you said. No worries, girl -- that's not even an opinion it's a fact. ;)
I have pretty eclectic tastes in books so although I read things that others may look down upon I feel I redeem myself by the more serious reading I do - LOL! I try not to judge others and agree with Greg that some reading is better than no reading!
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
I found this post via Nadia's A Bookish Way of Life...via a twitter post by Wallace at Unputdownables.net. ;)
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I am a bit of a book snob. Here's the problem though - I really have no business being a book snob of any degree. I own the Oprah Unauthorized Biography for heaven's sake. But I suppose I make peace with purchases like that because I don't profess the work of Andrew Morton or Kitty Kelly to be any great work of literature. I know it's crap. Besides, my crappy books are far outnumbered by my more respectable titles.
But as much as I loved this post, and the question it brings, I have to say that I loved the comment by Leah more. Let's just say that she and I are of a similar mind regarding YA. No offense to some of the lovely bloggers I've met recently. I just don't understand it. :)
As for my own book snobbishness, I like to think that I'm only a little bit of a snob. I may form an immediate opinion to be sure, but I will work to put that out of my brain as quickly as any judgment settles there. I guess my snobbish-ness depends on the person.
If I have a bad first impression of someone, and I see their bookshelves, I will more readily find fault with something on there. Even worse if they don't really have any books to speak of, or just don't read for pleasure at all. But if I have a positive first impression of someone, I will more readily overlook the fact that they have every single book written by Danielle Steel.
I am a closet book snob, I would never admit to judging people by what they read but secretly I do. It's not such a horrible thing though. Different people have different tastes. I openly cringe at people who like Avenged Sevenfold and pine after the guy who said he liked The Shins. Judging someone by their taste in books is normal, we judge them for everything else, because just like the clothes they wear or the bands they listen to or the shows they watch it's part of their personality.
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