Reactions to What Other People Are Reading

[PollyHutchen]

Do you find yourself reacting - positively or negatively - to what other people read?

I'm interested in the idea of how we judge other people around books. Not so much about whether books are highbrow or trashy. More about if you feel an author's political/social views or their reputation means you couldn't enjoy their books - and you'd also feel distanced from anyone who had bought their books and enjoyed them.

Alternatively you might think, 'Oh if they've bought X's new novel or non-fiction book they must be alright and I want to get to know them better...'

I remember thinking a dating show where you matched people up by reading tastes would be interesting but that would obviously have limited appeal.

I'm not sure if I judge people by what they read. For me its quite a private thing. I read mostly older books, classics, translated and literary fiction and have 1000's of books at home but they are all upstairs in my study so probably only those closest to me would know I read a lot and even fewer would know what kind of books I read.

I think reading is a great past time no matter what you read really and I hope I wouldn't cast a friend aside just because I disagreed with them on politics. My best friend doesn't really read at all, nor does my husband. I think people who read a fair amount are probably in the minority so I would see any reader as a kindred spirit.

I did watch a video recently on YouTube about the aesthetics of reading and how people, well youngsters use books to try and portray a certain image online where they quoted this substack essay which was interesting.

Poser ethics - by rayne fisher-quann - internet princess

Interesting question. I think I’d warm to anyone who had read and enjoyed a lot of Terry Pratchett. And I can’t help but feel a bit intimidated by people who read “hard sci-fi”. And I must admit I groaned inwardly and silently when a newish friend told me they loved reading - but only ever auto/biographies and true crime.

I don’t read romance, chick-lit, or fantasy but I would listen to someone passionate tell me about it.

I’m no intellectual snob, and I will happily reread The Chalet School books or Enid Blyton alongside Flaubert, modernist poetry, and Olga Tokarczuk, but if someone only reads Dan Brown or Jodi Picoult, I judge, absolutely.

I’m a reader that reads across a wide range of different topics fiction/non fiction/audio. I suppose I just feel sad for people who are limited in their choices either by design or that they lack the confidence to try something outside their comfort zone. The world of reading is such a rewarding one.

I do judge people who read those awful stalker/rape but it's OK because he's hot books. We all need to not be ok with those.

This is me also, I’m afraid, although I ‘forgive’ if at the airport or on holiday.

Because I’ve never finished a Donna Tartt book, I seem to take a dislike to those who rave about her.

I had a colleague who had only read one book - Fifty Shades of Grey.

Yes I judged her 😂

And an ex boyfriend who had only read one book - The Brothers Karamazov (?) by Dostoevsky. That was harder to know what to feel. On the one hand, one book in your life is ridiculous. On the other hand... if it's a Dostoyevsky is that ok ?? 🤔
And I think he read it in English which was his third language. I'm still conflicted about what to think 😂

I'm generally very mainstream with what I read so don't feel like I can judge buuuut I recently started following an acquaintance on Goodreads and every book she reads is romance. Particularly 'dark romance'.

They have titles like Call Me Daddy, Sin With Me, Bait etc. Lots of very young women and the covers are full of topless, chavvy looking, heavily tattooed, moody men. Yikes.

Mainly I have no idea what anyone else is reading, but we have a reading group at work and the selections come round every month to vote on, and 90% of the time they’re such a pile of pretentious wank (in my opinion, which is obviously right 🤣). I wonder how much of it is the younger folk trying to impress. (Of course, I have been there and done that. Glad when that phase of my like was over!)

my reading preferences are quite niche, but I often enjoy recommendations and loans from friends that don’t match my usual genre. More often than not - I thoroughly enjoy them.
As long as people read they have an active and vivid imaginative life.
My friends find my recommendations to be too dark and heavy - they read for relaxation and uplift.
We all have our preferences, mind of us are wrong.

It depresses me the way people have to be reading what everyone else is reading. And that usually means something just published. It's such herd-like behaviour. It's not so bad when it's an unquestioned masterpiece, like Wolf Hall, but when it's just the latest piece of drivel by Richard Coles it makes me want to tear my hair out. So many people really are sheep.

For god's sake, we have 3,000 years of literature to choose from! Literature doesn't go out of fashion (unless you are some brainwashed woke fanatic). And literature doesn't improve. It's not like sport, where new training methods and better nutrition mean each generation of footballers and boxers is slightly better than the last. Few contemporary novelists comes close to Austen and Dickens and George Eliot.

Was it Uncle Matthew in The Pursuit of Love who’d only ever read one book (White Fang?), and it was so good he didn’t want to read another?

Yes I thought of that as well. I saw White Fang in a bookshop recently and I was tempted to buy it!

It's great, if you are OK with a million violent animal deaths per chapter and human characters saying things like 'I aint a bit scairt of you!'

l love to read and I find that I go through different phases. Currently im
rereading all Marion Keyes books as I find they are soothing and my dad is unwell and the DC are on school holidays and driving me insane so they are a nice easy read with plenty of humour equally when pregnant I loved Maeve Binchy books. Sometimes I might want something thought provoking and Ive also gone through a phase of biographies. Thankfully DD age 12 is also a big reader and she is currently finishing Emma so we have the BBC mini series lined up to watch afterwards. I have to say I hate book snobs as I’ve found different stages of life has made me reach for different things. I was working with someone years ago who was constantly pointing out she only read fairly highbrow stuff and she only made herself look ridiculous rather than coming across as intelligent (she had a degree in English) which is what she thought she was doing. I admit I judged a little bit when DD was give a David Walliams book set as a birthday gift as I hadn’t expected that particular person to be a David Walliams fan.

David Walliams is an atrocious writer. Judge away.

Er yes thats pretty judgy! I disagree that Wolf Hall is an “unquestioned” masterpiece. Its certainly a very highly regarded work, but there are lots of us who question its status as a masterpiece I can assure you.

I must admit I can be a bit judgemental about other people's choice of books but I do realise it's not a good thing and try not to. It's certainly an opinion I very much keep to myself. Plus my own reading habits aren't necessarily much to show off about either.

I'm much more unapologetically judgy about people who just don't read at all. That baffles me.

Only really noticed it when at the pool on holiday. I liked seeing what everyone was reading. Not many intellectual readers. More a mix of thrillers, chic lit, Harry Potter.

There can be controversy in sections of the press about particular authors eg JK Rowling, John Boyne. Sometimes classic novels of the past can be criticised for 'outdated' attitudes. But it sounds as if most people are just peacefully getting on with whatever they want to read....

I try really hard not to judge because I think any reading is better than no reading, but there are a few scenarios where I am smiling but inwardly groaning:

• People who call themselves "book influencers" on TikTok etc but only read the smut with the cartoon covers and nothing else.
• Adults who are still obsessed with Harry Potter and declare themselves to be members of a specific house etc.
• People who only buy David Walliams books for their kids. Although I'm really judging places like supermarkets and smaller WH Smiths for having such an atrocious children's book section where Walliams is the prominent choice.

On authors personal lives; I don't think JK Rowling or John Boyne are particularly excellent authors; I think they both published the right book at the right time and that's why they have the prominence they have. I don't judge people for reading their books, although I might be a bit 🤨 if the only book someone has read about the Holocaust is TBITSP.

Not at all. Each to their own

I try not to judge - all reading is good, and preferences vary between people. This year my reading has included heartbreaking historical fiction (The Book Thief), bestselling romantasy (ACOTAR), women's history nonfiction (The Spinning House), and children's fiction in verse (The Final Year).

I'm sure people would judge me quite differently depending on which one of those they happened to catch me reading. It's just a snapshot!

JKR is by no means the best writer, but there’s something about the HP books which have enthralled 2 generations of readers.
My ( very nerdy) DS in his 30s still rereads HP, sometimes in another language, for comfort reading, but also reads Dumas, Flaubert and Proust in French.
My take on it is that variety is the key. I would judge someone who read only one genre.
This is why book clubs are so great, you read books you wouldn’t have chosen, or even come across, by yourself.

I dont judge people for what they read, I will take a keen interest regardless. I work in an industry where physical and emotional burnout is a massive issue and have a monthly catch up with my team members individually and there is always a big focus on self care, and a number of them choose to use it as an opportunity to be accountable to someone. Lots of my team are readers of hugely varied tastes and we may occasionally swap books/I'll pass mine on to them if it's something they may like. It's a point of personal connection with each team member. I have similar with the non-readers for the record! Ill always have a chat with Kevin about how West Ham are doing and a catch up with Julie about her grandkids etc.

Edit to add - I do like having a nosey to see what people are reading on the tube 🤭