Once again I have found myself feeling alienated from the general world at large. Reading in two books about readers advisory I have realized that my approach to reading is so different from what I guess is the norm that none of the techniques they offered in the books would bring a librarian anywhere near being able to probably give me something to read that wasn’t just a super obvious choice. The questions don’t seem to have any kind of weight towards someone interested in non-genre / ’serious’ fiction, and they seem to pre-suppose a blandness in taste that I can’t say is startling, but which does sadden me. I don’t think I understand why people read, what’s the point of reading things that are no different from a movie that you can watch in a fraction of the time? Shouldn’t there be something in reading besides just either silly entertainment or ‘learning’ about something (as in, I’d like to learn about other cultures, can I have a book about India?). I read almost constantly and neither of those two things generally come into play, I don’t know how I would state what my interest is, but I know that there is something to it besides diversions or arm-chair tourism. Of course thinking things like this makes me a snob, because it’s wrong to realize that there are things out there that are really fucking awesome and amazing that people don’t experience, but which maybe they should, because they are so awesome and amazing, but since they don’t already know about it and by saying that it’s better than say a James Patterson novel you’re considered some asshole. Sigh.

One Comment

  1. Have you considered going into education?! Teaching lit, I mean.

    I don’t know where you’re getting your info (or, to be honest, what exactly “readers advisory” is), but of COURSE there’s more to reading than “arm-chair tourism” (which was very nice, by the way; I may borrow that one from you). Just because most people don’t demand as much from their reading doesn’t mean there isn’t more to it. And of course all books are not equal. That fallacy is so unfair to everyone involved, the reader and writer alike.

    I am going to stop lurking like a creep and preaching at you (like the sanctimonious jerk I am), but you should think about it. Teaching lit, that is.


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