It doesn’t matter what the blank is filled with: fiction from the New Yorker, YA novels, nonfiction, New York Times bestsellers. Any blanket statement regarding reading materials concerns me.
I met a woman who said she only read YA books. I think YA books are dreadfully undersold as adult reading material. They contain fresh voices and a variety of new and interesting ideas, especially in genre fiction. David Levithan is considered a YA writer because most of his books are about teenagers. When he spoke at the last National Book Festival he made that distinction clear. The Lover’s Dictionary is his first book about adults but it is incredibly readable and beautiful. The woman I met will probably never experience it.
I’ve met people who only read ‘literature.’ I understand the desire for quality writing, storytelling, introspection, etc. but some days I want to read something fun. It’s like having the perfect FDA, personal trainer approved diet. Sometimes life needs a little cake. Just because it wasn’t nominated for a National Book Award doesn’t mean it’s not good.
I heard someone else say they didn’t read anything that was written after WWII. How do you know if contemporary novels aren’t good if you never read any of them? That woman would probably do well to join a book club with some of the ‘literature’ folks.
I have a friend who told me that she’s not much of a fiction person. I respected her stance so much more because while she prefers nonfiction, she would try a novel if it appealed to her (or, I suspect, if the rest of us hyped it enough).
I will never lecture anyone who ‘only reads ___’ but it will shape my opinion of them. It’s heartbreakingly limiting. Life is so much more interesting when you let yourself explore.
If you try something new and you hate it, walk away. Don’t write off the entire genre but choose carefully next time. Every genre has something for everyone.
Current Music: Fingerprints by Katy Perry
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