This is a cute post from Paper Cuts, about the literary dealbreakers when it comes to personal relationships. I recommend a lot of books -- it comes with the territory when you work in book publishing. Everyone is always asking what they should be reading, and for the most part, I like to pride myself on my book matching acumen. But I had never thought of the consequences in terms of dating.
Back in the day, I gave my RRHB a lot of books before we lived together, well before I knew what he actually liked to read, and I think the worst present I ever thrusted upon him was Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow. Thankfully, he married me anyway.
However, I am a complete Judgey-McJudgerson when it comes to what other people are reading. For example, I will think wickedly awful thoughts if you carry around quotations from Eat, Pray, Love in your handbag. I just will. And if you tell me that The Da Vinci Code is your favourite book, like, ever, I can't help but relay the fact that I threw that book across the room after trying to get through it for my now-defunct book club. Literary snob? Yes.
It's just like Rebecca Miller says: "...Mr. Lee reserved his special disdain for those who thought they were better than other people just because they read books." People who read books are better than people who don't. I won't cookie-cutter it, but I save my own particular disdain for people who choose to read bad books. Harsh, but true.
Girl with titanium hip will rock. Girl with titanium hip will write. Girl with titanium hip will read. Girl with titanium hip will battle crazy-ass disease called Wegener's Granulomatosis. Now stuff that in your spelling bee!
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4 comments:
My best friend only reads John Grisham, James Patterson and Dan Brown. *blank stare*
It's a good thing that we became friends when we were still learning how to write our names. ;-)
"Judgey-McJudgerson"
CLASSIC Dude.
From one book snob to another, AMEN SISTAH!
I forced myself through a stack of utter flaming crap that a well-meaning friend brought me when I was bed-ridden with pneumonia. I honestly think it hindered my recovery!
I have to admit, I have my own personal hate-on for Tom Robbins. And I KNOW some people love him and consider his work higher art. But I remember back in university when boys I knew carried around SKINNY LEGS AND ALL like it was their bible and quoted from it and called it a piece of art. Barf.
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