Do my reading preferences make me a book snob?

[JaffaCake70]

Today a work colleague called me a 'brainiac' because I said I prefer reading biographies to fiction.. I don't even know what this means. Can anyone shed some light on why I would be deemed a 'brainiac' because of my reading preferences?

I don't think people who read fiction are any less intelligent than those that prefer auto/biographies. I thought it was a weird sweeping statement. I just prefer reading about real people rather than fictional ones.

YABU - It was a compliment, stop over thinking.

YANBU - It was an insult because your work colleagues secretly hate you.

She sounds a bit thick and jealous.

No one over the age of 10 calls people brainiacs.

Ignore. Crack on. (And know you’re an excellent source of anecdotes about the people you’ve read about)

I can't vote as I don't think it was an insult or a compliment.

Surely it's just your choice of reading? I like to read all kinds of books but. I wouldn't say it makes me cleverer than anyone else.

Are you putting other people down for the books they read? Do you think reading fiction makes some one less than you who reads non fiction? No?, then you're not a book snob.

She's an idiot. Some people just prefer to read non-fiction. Might as well call me an airhead for exclusively preferring fiction.

Only fiction holds the truth.

Lol, I'd say it depends on whose biographies you're reading!!!

My mom loves those sleb ones! I prefer the classics (joking!).

No it says nothing about you. A preference for non fiction does not make you brainier at all, it's a preference!

@baffledcoconut

She sounds a bit thick and jealous.

No one over the age of 10 calls people brainiacs.

Ignore. Crack on. (And know you’re an excellent source of anecdotes about the people you’ve read about)

Thank you so much!

Your comment is lovely.

I do have lots of wonderful anecdotes. Stars of early Hollywood (silent era especially) are a firm favourite :-)

Biographies are mostly pretty lightweight reading- unless it is Napoleon or the like.

I love reading biographies of interesting people, and autobiographies. I also enjoy reading fiction

@KilljoysDutch

Are you putting other people down for the books they read? Do you think reading fiction makes some one less than you who reads non fiction? No?, then you're not a book snob.

No, definitely not. I've read lots of fiction, I just prefer biographies (and a few self help books) these days.

I definitely don't think I'm a book snob. I would never criticise someone else's reading choices. I think it's great if someone reads at all, it really doesn't matter what they're reading :-)

Neither an insult nor a compliment, just a daft comment.

A book snob is someone who judges other people for what they read, not someone who simply has preferences about what they themselves read.

Your colleague sounds like a book inverted-snob.

@CovidClara

Biographies are mostly pretty lightweight reading- unless it is Napoleon or the like.

I agree with you 100%!

Especially the type I read. I like the juice on old Hollywood stars. Not exactly high brow is it?

YABU to give an adult who uses the term ‘brainiac’ any mire thought. Continue to enjoy what you enjoy.

I think she doesn’t really know what she’s talking about. A novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, say, is always going to require quite a bit more focus than your garden variety celeb autobiography.

Mass market fiction, as opposed to literary fiction, requires only a breezy focus, so maybe that’s the kind of fiction to which your colleague refers.

Not at all. I hate biographies, can’t think of anything less interesting to read than the lengthy details of the lives of people who (most of the time) have done a few cool things that could be quickly summarised. But we like what we like. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Read what you want to read, or nothing at all. Entirely your choice. Perhaps 'brainiac' was meant to be a compliment! :)

@redcarbluecar

Read what you want to read, or nothing at all. Entirely your choice. Perhaps 'brainiac' was meant to be a compliment! :)

Maybe you're right and I'm just being over sensitive :-)

Yeah, it was a silly comment and I agree with a PP that your work colleague doesn’t know what she is talking about it.

If depends on what fiction you’re reading - the Twilight Saga or The Brothers Karamazov.

No. Biographies are hardly hight literature. This just makes your colleague sound a bit thick.

*talking about NOT talking about it!

If you want to aspire to the appearance of brains, the minimum to be reading is all of Shakespeare, Dickens, Keats, Wordsworth, Trollope (Anthony), and many more.

Biographies are hardly literature.

Ugh! She's an idiot!

Biographies are fascinating and can be easier to read than fiction depending on the style, if it's a straightforward linear narrative style (and then and then) very easy reading, some are more in depth.

I like books of all kinds, some "posh" books are very easy to read and some "common" books can be difficult for various reasons - eg a poorly written detective novel where the writer has tried to disguise their lack of ability with lots of "twists" and flashbacks etc

For me they're often a nostalgia indulgence as I choose ones by people who were active/maturing in the 80's so there's often relatable references to music, fashion etc

Inverse snobbery at play possibly, do they generally have a chip on their shoulder about their education level etc?

Neither it’s a very weird comment by someone who is a bit stupid. I love a biography too - and consider them light relief on the whole.
I mean it depends doesn’t it
Person A reads Katie Prices latest biography
Person B reads Ulysses

Who’s the “brainiac”

I work with an incredibly intelligent man who also went to Oxbridge who claims to have never read a work of fiction! Personally I weigh fiction and non-fiction evenly in terms of what they contribute to a person's intellect, but some people think biographies, poetry etc. are more 'impressive' intellectually. So hard to tell if they were just impressed or having a subtle dig.

(Although my husband's main reading habit of PhD+ level maths textbooks is well weird...)