The other day, as I was carefully ruling the world, I stumbled upon this quote that made me squint. Seriously. I pulled right up and said, “WAIT. HOW CAN THAT BE?” and then proceeded to write this post and throw difficult life questions at you. Because that’s who I am and you love it.
“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” Haruki Murakami
Really?!
I immensely disagree.
Most people interpret books differently right?!? Like those who say The Fault in Our Stars is about finding happiness where you can, even when your life sucks, have clearly never met me. Because I’m 94% sure the ENTIRE point of the book is to fight the misconception that eggs are only for breakfast. THEY’RE NOT. They’re delicious all day long, all year round. I vote* for scrambled eggs as queen! Huzzah!
* Not that we vote for the queen??? And even then, I should be queen so what am I even saying??? Someone shut me up. I’m sprouting nonsense.
And not only do we have different interpretations of the one book, we have the ability to discuss! Conversation — yay!
When I started book blogging I decided three things very rapidly:
- I need to rule this internet. It’s a mess without me.
- In order to rule humans, I need to read all the books that they’ve read.
- I need to read all the books of ever.
One of the BIGGEST reasons I wanted to read (and have read) so many books (particularly popular ones) is so that I could chat to anyone about them! I’ve got to the point where I’ve basically read all the famous YA books. The Hunger Games? Divergent? Perks of Being a Wallflower? Hush, Hush? Eleanor and Park? City of Bones? Percy Jackson? You name it. I HAVE PROBABLY READ IT. Or at least heard of it. And anytime I pop onto someone’s blog to see if they’re recruitable to my domination cause I almost always recognise the YA books they’ve read. I can talk to them! I can say, “OMG I HAVE READ THAT TOO, ISN’T IT SO GOOD? DID YOU ABSOLUTELY FREAK WHEN THIS AND THIS HAPPENED?” And boom. Insta-awesome.
It is always easy to connect to a bookworm. Just read their favourite books.
And do you know why books get famous? I don’t believe it’s because of luck…I believe it’s because a lot of people read it and said to their friends, “Hey you should read this book.” And then more and more people buy it and read it and — HELLO THE BOOK IS FAMOUS AND EVERYWHERE. Books usually get famous for a reason! I’m not saying everyone has to love them. NO NO. I wouldn’t say that! Although I do get confused when people don’t read popular books purely because they’re popular. I mean, each to their own, of course! I just don’t understand the reasoning behind that one. (Although if a book totally doesn’t appeal to you and is popular, I’m totally not saying YOU MUST READ IT. Of course not. Read what you want is the most important thing!)
I’m also an advocate of obscure books. Some of my most favourite books of ever you’ve probably never heard of. How to Lead a Life of Crime? Life in Outer Space? Takedown? The End Games?! And if I hadn’t read them, my life and my writing and my brain wouldn’t be the same. I’d probable be less traumatised too, because oh my gosh, those books are heartbreaking and yet glorious.
I think we SHOULD read what everyone else is reading. (Provided we WANT to read the book!) Because it makes conversation. It gives us ground to relate! It can help us understand what other humans are thinking about. And we can absolutely definitely all read the same books and think a MILLION different things about them.
ohhh, i DEFINITELY am keen on your thoughts, squidlings!! do YOU read popular books?? do you think if everyone reads the same books it’ll limit their ability to think as individuals? oh oh and have you read most of the famous YA books?!? which ones haven’t you read yet? LET US CHAT!
I totally need two disclaimers down here though:
- I’m talking about YA like I always do, so I kinda don’t think ANYTHING in this post applies to 50 Shades of Grey. Just no.
- I also don’t mean to attack the person who made the quote!! This post is NOT an attack, it’s a discussion! And I think that quote has been around forever, also. So.
This is absolute perfection! No other comment needed! 😋😍
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I SO AGREE. I don’t care what the snobs say, things become popular for a reason and I want to be a part of that! It’s so much FUN being part of something so massive. And obscure books are brilliant as well.
Just…all the books 😀
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I… sort of disagree. And I sort of agree too. I AM MIXED!!
So yeah. I agree that reading the same things as everyone else leads to conversations and discussions and new friends and wonderful things like that, BUT it also leads to everyone being the same. Which is bad. Plus, when everyone loves the same books they become overhyped, and then when someone voices a disagreeing opinion they can become attacked and that’s bad.
So yeah. I believe people should read what they want, whether that’s the same or different to other people. And then they should talk about their views and we can have a world filled with discussions about books and characters and wonderful things. Isn’t that what book blogs are about?
Beth x
I think reading the popular stuff is a good way to connect with what other people are thinking. And going beyond that is a good way to encounter new ideas. But the idea that the only way you can encounter new ideas is by reading unpopular books would be a step too far — I mean, come on. We have mouths for talking. Admittedly I would rather read, but still, we do!
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Agreed!! Most of the time my whole reason for reading a so-hot-right-now book is so I can chit chat to everybody about it. When I first started this crazy ride of book blogging I was just reading and reviewing any book I wanted/owned. I quickly realised I would connect with other book bloggers more If I was reading the books they were reading :-).
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I’ve seen that quote before and it has always bugged me because I do agree with you. We interpret books differently, that’s the beauty of it all. What I might like, others might dislike and that’s just how it is. Even more, now adding blogger, booktubers and what have you to the lot, it’s almost impossible not to read what everybody is reading or picking up the books they are recommending. You are basically forced to. Okay, it’s not that dramatic but you get my point. Publishing houses also know that and they are using it to their own profit and hey, good for them! For example, I felt pressure to pick up Throne of Glass since everyone and their mother were reading it and loving it. It was so hyped up and unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much as everybody else. I gave it 2 stars. It happened. I continued with Crown of Midnight because again, everybody was like: “THE SECOND BOOK IS SO MUCH BETTER. READ IT. READ IT. READ IT!” If we were in person, instead of yelling they would have thrown the book at my face LOL. I did enjoy it better than Throne of Glass but I still gave it 3 stars (which is not a bad rating for me but it’s far from the 5-star reviews it was getting) and so Murakami’s statement is proved wrong. I didn’t think like everybody else and that’s the point.
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Of course we should read the same books! We all have our own opinions, so even if we read the same, we might not think the same about it. Which in turn gives us interesting and fun bookish conversations.
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YES TO THIS ENTIRE POST. I haven’t read all the popular YA books, sure, but the fact that I’ve read Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, The Fault In Our Stars, eight billion dystopians and fantasies . . . I almost always have something to talk about with other book bloggers, or pretty much any teen bookworm. Plus it’s easier for me to find more books to read. That quote….just no.
I LOVE LIFE IN OUTER SPACE!!! (The only problem is that I read it in the library every lunch and didn’t take it out for some reason, so I’m near the end and someone decides to take it out. IT’S BEEN THREE WEEKS AND I DON’T KNOW HOW IT ENDS HOW IS LIFE EVEN SO CRUEL!!!) Ok, rant over. I just had to get that out of my system.
I totally agree with you. We all read books (and see stories) differently. I read The Hunger Games different to how you read The Hunger Games and when we’re done reading it we can discuss it over some chocolate. I don’t think we should only read the popular books though, because while they’re great for fangirling with others over there are so many hidden gems that needs to be read but are a little bit off the beaten path. So we need to be doing a bit of both. You raised an excellent point though. (And I haven’t said anything about your new design yet…. It’s beautiful!)
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Haha, very interesting post, Cait! You definitely rule the internet now, though, although I’m pretty certain you’re already well aware of that, you book blogger queen you <3
As for me, I am of the mindset that everyone should simply read whatever they want. Let no one be shamed for what they want to read – be it a banned book, a popular book, a classic, or heck even 50 Shades of Grey (I personally don't like this book, but if you like it, that's cool!) – as long as people read.
I definitely don’t think that reading the same books as everyone else makes you some sort of sheep, though. Like you said, people interpret things differently. A book can touch me in such a personal level, but someone else may think it’s rubbish, and that’s completely okay. Another perk of reading the same book is that you get to connect with people who are reading the same thing at the same thing – kind of like watching a basketball match and everyone else around you are livetweeting using a hashtag. You click the hashtag and you get to see the different reactions and everything!
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I certainly agree with you that reading a wider range of books helps you to have more booky conversations with more bloggers. I mostly read horror, urban fantasy and dystopia with some tudor fiction and mountain climbing books thrown in. But when I was doing Top Ten Tuesday, most of the books on other blogger lists I hadn’t read and a lot I hadn’t even heard of! It made it tough to leave a meaningful comment on their blog! I used to read a ton of YA but got tired of love triangles and instaluv and mean kids at school plots.
But things have changed this month. I’ve started thinking about trying more books in the fantasy and YA genres, taking the time to look at blurbs and reviews and to see if I like the sound of them. That way I might gradually find a few more authors to like and books to enjoy. I’m doing it just to try some new reads but being able to chat about these books with other bloggers is an added bonus! I believe in reading what you want to read. I’ve never seen the point in trying piles of books you don’t want to read just because your online friends read them and I certainly don’t agree with avoiding books you might like just because they are popular…I mean, I find that a bit mad! But branching into new territory sometimes can be fun!
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I disagree with that quote too. I don’t often read popular books because I’m scared that I won’t like it like everyone else BUT I think if you want to read a popular/mainstream book then go read it! I strongly believe that when I read what everyone else is reading, I won’t think like them because a book have different interpretations between different individuals. What I’m thinking after reading a certain book may differ to what another person thinks.
Great post, Cait! Another reason why you truly need to rule the world.
I can see both sides to the quote. There’s nothing wrong with reading popular books; the reason they’re popular and that “everyone” is reading them is because lots of people like them, so you might too. It’s a good conversation starter – as you say, quite often I can go onto a blog and start talking to someone about a book we’ve both read.
The other side is, read something unpopular if you want. Who cares about guilty pleasures, or whether or not something is obsecure.
In short: READ WHATEVER THE HECK MAKES YOU HAPPY.
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I mean, yeah, I love connecting to half the world over a book I obsess over! So yeah. It’s definitely cool to read popular books. As for me, though, I tend to read a lot of indie books or new books that have a smaller fandom. But that’s okay. BECAUSE SOON I WILL MAKE THE WORLD LOVE ALL MY FAVORITE INDIE BOOKS. A lot of times, I get in on the magic and get to know the author, too, which makes reading the book 5000% better because I know the insider secrets. Mwahahaha.
So, maybe, we find some glorious less-popular books, tell our friends about them, and make them become very, very, popular. AND THEN WE CAN DO THE HIPSTER THING AND LEGITIMATELY SAY “I LOVED THIS BOOK BEFORE IT WAS COOL.”
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Just as we all interpret books differently, I interpreted that quote differently as well. I actually saw it a few days ago on Facebook and liked it because I felt it was a quote to inspire others to grab the dusty book on the bottom shelf that’s been ignored for years. I always love to find a long lost book that hides secret, magical wonders. Then I’m all like, “Have you heard of this book?” Then they are all like “No!” I reply, “Well you must got find a copy because it’s wonderful. No, you can’t borrow mine. Just go get your own copy. You won’t regret it.”
Now that I read your post, I feel slightly shocked that I didn’t understand it in the way you did. Now, I completely see what you are saying and I completely agree. Books are popular for a reason! I am always on the look out for the next poppin’ novel. Is it good?? Gimme!
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I agree with you for the most part! Books become popular for a reason, that’s definitely true. They appeal to a certain audience, and if enough people will like them, they’ll become famous. And of course there are still people who won’t like them – but that’s just a matter of taste, and 100 percent okay!
I do think, though, that you shouldn’t read books mainly BECAUSE they’re popular. I’ll read books because I think I’ll like them, based on the synopsis and other bloggers’ reviews, but I NEVER pick up a book I feel like “meh, this sounds okay but I wouldn’t normally pick it up, but everyone else is reading it soo….” I think conversations are FUN and I LOVE talking about books with other people, but I will first and foremost read the books that I want to read, even if they’re very obscure or if nobody’s talking about them anymore. (I’m usually a bit late to the party lol).
People who WON’T read a book BECAUSE it’s popular are kind of silly to me, although I have to admit I’ve felt like that before as well… That was before I started blogging though, and when I look back at myself back then I just shake my head. Silly me with my silly ideas! Somehow books just appealed to me less if EVERYONE loved them. It’s why I read TFiOS rather late, and same goes for The Hunger Games. Turns out, those books were all five star reads for me! That set me straight xD
Since starting my blog I have read a lot more famous and popular books! I just wasn’t aware of their fabulous existence before. Books like The Lunar Chronicles and Throne of Glass and Eleanor & Park and We Were Liars and aaah so many great books. There are also a lot I still haven’t read though. I’ve not read the Divergent series, for example, but I don’t really feel like reading it either.
To conclude this rambly story: I read what I want to read. 😀 (wow, this comment could’ve been a whole lot shorter xD)
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I completely agree, Cait. I always feel left behind when it comes to discussions because I haven’t read a lot of the newer books.
I started my love for reading when I was like 13, then I quit for A WHILE. I didn’t start back up till 20/21. So, I haven’t even read close to enough books. Plus, when I just recently started blogging close to 10 months now (wow, I thought it was like 6 months didn’t realize I’m almost at a year!!!). Anyway, I requested so many books because I felt like I had to not knowing anything so I’m stuck reviewing a lot of books that aren’t as popular, which stinks. Though, the year of 2016 I will be kicking it into gear as I will be done with everything & reading all the amazing books & discussion will surely ensue. I cannot wait.
Great post, Cait. I always love your discussion posts! 😀
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I think balance is good too, right?! Like we should pick out books that interest us, firstly, but theeeeen…it’s helpful to know what the rage is if we want to have discussions. And even if we don’t like said popular book, AT LEAST WE CAN CHAT ABOUT IT, RIGHT?!?! Omg, congrats on nearly a year of blogging! 😀
I don’t think we should ONLY read books that everyone else is reading. Definitely agree with your points, which is why I’ll read popular books too, but I definitely think we should diversify reading into books that might not be popular – yet. And rule the world that way – because trendsetters are cool too 🙂
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Yes. this.
Also, I have totally read How to Lead a Life of Crime, so there’s that.
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@Akilah: *hi fives* YAY FOR HOW TO LEAD A LIFE.
@Tanya: YES. Be trendsetters. ^_^ Basically we should just read everything, right?!?! haha. I NEED 9 CLONES. OMG. XD
When I saw that quote, it made me think, too. WHY? I mean, should we read a different book than the majority just to call ourselves elite than the others? Like, we’re the only ones who can talk about that book because we’re the only ones that read it. That sucks. How can I relate to other bookworms? I would want to find a similarity in the books that I read with other bookworms I know. It’s definitely a conversation starter.
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yes, omg, YES, I SO AM WITH YOU ON THIS, DRE. I don’t get the elitist attitude, tbh. Read what you want to read! And don’t shame people (or books) for their choices, basically. And while I LOVE some obscure books, the first thing I do is go and tell people about them. And isn’t that how most popular books started?!?! With people recommending them??!
Whaaat! I disagree as well.. See if we all read the same thing and had the same thought while reading the same book, there wouldn’t be good and bad reviews, we would all like and dislike books at once. We are SO different yet so incredibly alike, but reading the same thing? Wow, no. I also read the popular books so I can talk about them. It kills me when I like a book that nobody knows about, I don’t feel like I’ve read it at all hahaha right?! I don’t know maybe that’s silly of me.. or maybe I’m just SUPER tired today because I haven’t slept well and went to the gym in the early morning and now it’s 4 pm and I’m dying so early in the day hahaha (sorry for the rant) Nevertheless, I greatly enjoyed this post! It is an interesting idea that you added your own input on. See? We’re different hahaha
Have a good day♥
Jumana @ Books by Jay
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EXACTLY!! And just because a book is “Popular” doesn’t actually mean it’s well loved. So therefore we’re reading the same books and having differing opinions…SO YES. Reading the same books isn’t going to turn us into a nation of one-minded-one-way-thinking-zombies. And plus reading those obscure books that are AWESOME makes us want to recommend them right?!?! I reckon most popular books started off juts being recommended by people who were passionate about them. XD
RANTS ARE WELCOME HERE. Omg, I have incredible brain fog so I’ll be 90% amazed if this comment even makes SENSE. Darn you, stupid flu. XD
I don’t think that if you read whatever everyone else is reading that you’ll feel the same, BUT, I do think that by reading the same a everyone, you won’t find new things for yourself, if that makes sense? I read a lot of underrated books and I wouldn’t have found them if I hadn’t taken a shot at something I didn’t know, you know? Reading the same stuff as everyone else can influence you, but it doesn’t stop you having your own opinion. This is a super great post Cait, really great! 😀
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It does make sense. *nods* Which is why we should always do BOTH right?! Well, not always, but….if you want to. XD hehe My main point of this post is that we’re all always going to think differently no matter what. I reckon.
Great comments and I agree. And by the way, Life in Outer Space is AWESOME!
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AHHH YOU’VE READ IT!! OMG!! YAY!! I literally never find people who’ve read it. XD I loved Sam so much. So awkward and writerly and hilarious. XD
I sliiiightly disagree there, because I usually don’t like reading popular books because they end up being mainstream. I’m not saying that because a book is famous I won’t like it, just that USUALLY books end up getting overhyped, or written in a way that it appeals to most audiences, in which case I like to go for other books. BUT BUT BUT. There are also good books out there which are hyped, and for good reason – so I agree with you there XD Liking hyped books won’t make you “ordinary”
But at the same time, if we all just read popular books, there would be no variety. I WANT THOSE OBSCURE GEMS WHICH INSTANTLY BECOME MY BEST FRIENDS.. Reading these books and their reviews on book blogs after people I trust read them causes me to read it after I had never even heard about it before, so that’s pretty awesome.
YES. Oh I agree with you, Nirvana! I think, also it comes down to personal preference, too, right? Like we don’t HAVE to like the popular books. and sometimes the hype lies (I think it often lies when publishers are behind it, instead of actual readers who are just excited about a book). But, hey, I read The Hunger Games WAY before it was a thing. So it’d be pretty awful if I now said it was awful because it’s popular right? I think most books have the potential to be popular, it just depends what the crowds do at that point in time. Like, would Divergent even have gotten so big if it hadn’t been on the back of the Hunger Games dystopian craze?? ALL THESE QUESTIONS.
There’s also a quote (I can’t remember who said it) that is “No one in the world ever reads the exact same book” or something along those lines. And I think that’s true. We all think differently so we all come away thinking about the book differently. Why else do some people love a book and some people hate it?
I agree with the whole “oh, I don’t read that book because it’s popular” thing. Um…you’re missing out on a ton of great books. Throne of Glass! Hunger Games! Cinder! Eleanor & Park! I actually kind of want to know the reasoning behind it. Hmmm…maybe it’s time for a new blog post.
Also, the kids in How to Lead a Life of Crime were seriously messed up. Who creates a drug for extra credit?!
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YES. That quote too!! I think we’re always going to think/interpret things differently because we’re humans. Our brains are just different, right? And just because a book is “popular” doesn’t mean it’s well loved.
I don’t get that whole hipster thing were a person CAN’T read a book merely because it’s popular. Gah. Don’t read a book because it doesn’t grab you. Don’t alienate it because you’re too good for it.
YAY YOU HAVE READ HOW TO LEAD A LIFE! I LOVE THAT BOOK! IT IS SO FREAKISHLY MESSED UP!
I completely agree with you! How can there be discussion about books if everyone is reading completely different books? No-one will know what the other is talking about! It makes no sense. And the very point of discussion is to share varying opinions and ideas. I think it’s a little offensive to suggest that if we read the same books we’ll think the same things. The books might be the same, but we are all very different, individual people, and come to our reading with different experiences, pasts, cultures, upbringings as well as personalities which will affect how we respond to what we’re reading. No-one is going to think the same things about a book, or about particular topics because of a book. We’re not clones or robots.
I would say, as bloggers, it’s not great to read the same books at the same time. I think that can get a little boring, when everyone’s talking about the same thing. I think things should vary on blogs, and for the most part, I think we do that. But I’m still for us reading the same books and discussing them all!
I do read the popular books, and I think I’ve read most of them! I haven’t read all of the City of Bones books, I’ve still got to read Allegiant, and there are a few others I can’t think of right now, haha! But I know I need to catch up, but I struggle with the popular books sometimes. So much buzz can raise expectations.
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EEEP. THANKS JO! 😀 I’m getting a lot of differing opinions here and it’s really interesting to see everyone’s viewpoints. WHICH. I believe. Still cements the fact that we’re ALWAYS GOING TO THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT ONE TOPIC! 😀 Everyone will interpret things differently. Just like I interpreted this quote one way, and other people think it says something different. So of course that applies to books too. *nods*
I think balance is reeeally important. Like when a hype book hits the blogosphere, omg,…it gets intense. Like I’m pretty darn sick of talking about Queen of Shadows by this point. 😛 But I’m glad I read it so I can contribute to conversations. It’d be seriously boring blogging if no one read the same books. And also, what’s the point? Don’t we blog and read and review to recommend good books?? That’s how all famous books started out, right? As a book that just got recommended and recommended etc.
I read popular books so I won’t get spoilered. That’s pretty much the only reason why in most cases. I haven’t had the best luck with popular books; they rarely live up to the hype for me (some notable exceptions being Laini Taylor’s books and The Hunger Games). So I do tend to avoid popular books, unless I think I might really enjoy them; I’ve been burned by hype too many times.
I don’t think reading the same books makes us think the same thoughts. Maybe that’s what happens if you’ve got a bunch of people who already think alike. Even then, the thoughts on the book wouldn’t be exactly the same.
If you want to be able to discuss what you’re reading with other people, then reading popular books would be important. Still, it’s not like everyone will read a particular book and interpret it the same way. Boy, would bookish discussions ever be boring if that were the case!
I don’t even know what to THINK about hype. >_< I'll have to hash it out in a discussion post sometime. But I think hype can be weird and misleading, particularly when it's done by publishers or organisations. I tend to believe in the "Hype" created by fellow book bloggers because they genuinely LOVE the book. Not because they're being asked to promote it or whatnot. And sometimes I don't think hype is as much to blame for a book sucking as it's just...that book didn't click with us. Like I don't think I disliked The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan because he's so famous and hyped and all that...I just geniuinely didn't like those books. IF THAT MAKES SENSE. OMG AM I RABIT TRAILING HERE OR WHAT?!?!? I have brain fog. xD hehe Just excuse like 98% of what I ramble about. But yes. Thank you! I agree! I think we'll always think differently. We're humans and our brains are different. We can agree, but I bet there are always little things we'll disagree on or just see from a different perspective, right?
NICE DISCUSSION CAIT! Yeah, I think we should read what everyone else is reading, as you said it doesn’t mean we interpret everything in the same way! Talking about books is a great way to make friends… and it is so lovely when someone says AH YOU SHOULD TOTALLY READ THIS BOOK. They are telling us about great books. They are trying to make us happy. Whether we like that book or not is all down to personal tatse, but it is the thought that counts. I do like reading obscure books too because they can be just as great, if not better than well known books. Plus, if one person starts reading a little known book and is like WOW THIS IS AMAZING then they might recommend it to some one else and then they recommend it again and again and again… it turns into a well known book. All books started somewhere, that’s what I’m saying. The fact that so many people have read them is not just a celebration of the book, but a celebration of reading in general. 😀
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YES YESSSS EXACTLY!!! like those “popular” books didn’t start out that way! no one is an overnight success, right?! And I think, basically, at the end of the day: we can’t all think the same about one book. We just can’t. We all have opinions and our brains work differently. And even if we all read the same books, doesn’t mean we’re going to all LIKE them. But I do love me some delicious obscure books too. So both?!? Both is good?!
I totally think we should all read what everybody else is reading — but not be limited to just those books. I read current books and popular books so I can discuss them with others and form my own opinions about them. But I also read obscure books in order to be able to start conversations about those books and hope others read them, too. It’s a hard balance to maintain, but I always try to mix it up now and then. It’s important to do both!
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YES YESSSSSS. Balance! Read both! Plus it’s super exciting as a bookworm to say “hey, read this book it’s awesome and no one’s reading it!” Which is, erm, how popular books get famous right?! So I think that most any book has the potential to get famous so long as enough people are getting their friends to read it. Therefore, I don’t think popular books will ever make us think the same. BUT YEAH. Balance. <-- That's the key.
I read the title post and I thought, “NO, OF COURSE WE SHOULDN’T!”
Then I read the actual post and…I concede. You’re right. I mean, the entire point of reading is to interpret and discuss, right? Isn’t that why we have lit lessons at school?
But, at the same time, I think “popular” is a bit of a difficult term to apply to books. I mean, there’s popular like Harry Potter (which practically everyone’s read), and then there’s popular like the dystopian genre (which half of us made a beeline for and half of us tried to avoid – hi!), and then there’s the popular books that you’ve never even heard of until you’re pointed in the right direction (case in point: I’d never heard of the Wolves of Mercy Falls before I started reading your blog, but it’s an awesome, best-selling series).
I kind of think that everyone should read what they want, but it’s good to read one or two of the popular things too. They make good icebreakers, if nothing else, and it’s fun to be able to get involved in the social side of reading.
Reading. Social. HA!
Omg, YES and YES you’re totally spot on here. I mean, what even is popular!?!? When I started blogging NO ONE I knew had read Maggie Stiefvater. I don’t know if my constant shouting helped, or if her Raven Cycle books just picked up more momentum. (I’d like to think it was me, of course. *struts*) BUT YES. I see some books that are “bestsellers” and I’m like, I never even heard of that one. o.o
I guess it depends what we WANT, right? Do we want to just read whatever catches our fancy? Do we want to be able to discuss books with other people? Do we want to balance the two?
And there are book clubs! Book clubs all read the same things and I don’t think book clubs end up as mindless everyone-thinks-the-same sort of groups. *shrugs* Although I guess that just might be the one I’m in. hhe We have huuuugely long discussions with a thousand opinions. 😉
I completely agree with you. It’s fun to be able to connect with people who’ve read the same books as you. 😀
It IS fun! Insta-conversation! 😀
Yes to this! I like reading what others are reading. I love reading popular books, as it makes for a lot more discussion. AND I LOVE DISCUSSING BOOKS! It’s not as fun to try talking to someone about a book they have never even heard of. I like being able to go into ALL THE DETAIL with them and they all get it.
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EXACTLY!!! It’d be sooo loooonely to be a book blogger and avoid ANYTHING and everything popular. How could you chat and have conversations?!?! I’ve made TONS of friends just because we’ve bonded over a popular book!
I 2000% AGREE WITH THIS BOOK. i tend to read popular YA books because firstly, it wouldnt be popular if it isn’t good. Plus you’d be left out if you havent. Us book bloggers bond over these books and it all binds us together which is great.
okay so books that are really popular that i havent read yet would be Harry Potter Series *hides in shame*
i’m a big romance person and hp is more adventure-y type plus it’s such a long series so i’ll have to commit. i promise i will someday though!
another would be the hunger games trilogy. i mean its a relatively short book and i do have them but i don’t know why i havent read them yet? maybe it wouldnt be as high in my tbr list because ive seen the movies first.
fantastic post as always, cait! but im sure you already know that though lol
isha
YAYA I AM SO GLAD, THANK YOU, ISHA. I think it’d be very lonely to be a book blogger and not read famous posts. Because how could you chat and join in with discussions and things?!??
HAH YOU AND ME BOTH FOR HARRY POTTER. Although I totally only picked up the first book because it was famous. *shrugs* I don’t think that’s a bad thing either. I think it’s okay to read books that wouldn’t normally interest you, just because you want to know what the fuss is about. Basically: it’s okay to read whatever you want. XD
Okay, so I started typing a comment for this and it got SO long that I decided to turn it into a post on my own blog. XD Thanks for an interesting topic, Cait! 😀 Here’s mah “comment”: https://deborahocarroll.wordpress.com/2015/09/11/a-reaction-should-we-read-what-everyone-else-is-reading/
AHHHH I LIKED YOUR POST. XDXD I’m so glad it sparked a response!! 😀
I’d just like to point out that I rarely eat eggs for breakfast. I usually eat them for dinner or sometimes lunch.
I agree that it’s fun to read books your friends are reading, because it turns a solitary activity into a social one. Our kind of social activity, where we can both be at home in comfy clothes. At the same time, I get tired of hearing about a single book over and over, and sometimes that can ruin it for me. *coughQueenofShadowscough* There’s a fine balance. I can understand wanting to read books that aren’t popular, because when EVERYONE and their mom has read a certain, book, sometimes it takes away a bit of the magic (I’m feeling a bit possessive of Daughter of the Forest right now, tbh). On the other hand, the ginormous Harry Potter fandom makes that series MORE magical.
I think I’ve read most of the the famous YA books I have interest in. I like to think I’m pretty well-read. I may also be kidding myself, so who knows.
GOOD. This is why I hang out with you, because you’re infinitely wise like this. Eggs for dinner are glorious. (Although my little sister hates eggs. Isn’t she weird? She is so weird. omg.) AHEM.
AND SO TRUE! Reading with other people makes a hermit activity into a social activity. But, as always, we just need balance right?! Bit of both worlds. XD
I think I would starve without eggs. Your poor sister. Also, for some reason I thought you were the youngest sibling, haha.
Yes, we definitely need a balance. We wouldn’t want to get *too* social, that sounds dangerous. 😀
WE WOULD. I mean, she eats eggs in cooking, but none by themselves. Have you ever eaten Scotch Eggs? Omg they are divine. Scrambled eggs, fried eggs with Thai mince, boiled eggs, pure egg noodles…*wipes drool off laptop* AH. I’m the second youngest! So I still get away with everything because I’m the 2nd-to-last baby. 😉
Omg, noooooo. Couldn’t have SOCIALISING amongst bookworms. UGH. HOW DARE THEE SPEAK OF IT.
Wow, clearly I am missing out, because I haven’t heard of half of these kinds of eggs! I looked up Scotch Eggs, and while they do look delicious, I unfortunately don’t eat meat. What are pure egg noodles? I eat a lot of fried eggs, poached eggs, scrambled eggs, and hard boiled eggs. Apparently I need to step up my game!
I agree with a lot of what you wrote. I know there are lots of times where I absolutely love this popular book, but many people that I see on the internet did not care for it, or vice versa. When it comes down to it, it comes down to interpretation.
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YES. And who thinks the same?!?! NO ONE. (I mean, well, some people do, hehe, but not about everything of ever.) I think we’ll always interpret books differently because they’re so subjective.
I think I get what the quote means…that you shouldn’t just read what everyone is and go along like la di da, we’re all the same. But yeah, you’re right that tons of people can read a book and all find something new and different in it that relates to them. That’s good. And it does build discussion and bookish relationships. However, it’s also good to read what’s not popular…or watch what’s popular. Spread your wings, try new things! Find what works for you. 🙂
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It isn’t a really black-and-white-clear-cut-quote, is it?!? There are SO many ways to interpret it and I only now just thought….what if it’s actually taken out of context?! *facepalm* I hope not. 😛 BUT YES! Read what you want to read and be open-minded, I say.
I am kind of torn. I do think that it is great to read books that everyone else has read because it gives us all something to discuss. It would be strange to avoid books just because everyone has read them. Many of those books are awesome and that is why they are so popular. And then we can totally all chat about the same awesome books!
On the other hand, I do believe that it is a great thing to read books others have never heard of. That gives us the chance to introduce those books to our friends (or just random people on the internet). 🙂 I read quite a few books that others probably wouldn’t care to know of but I love them so I read them anyway.
Anyway, that was probably way too much rambling. I just think people should read whatever they want to read. If that is popular books, great! If that is more obscure books, great! We’re all individuals, right?
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We just need balance right?! READ BOTH KINDS OF BOOKS! 😀 I also want to point people to books that no one has read! Like when I started blogging, noooo one had read Maggie Stiefvater. Now everyone reads her and I’d like to think I contributed to that.
Although I totally know I didn’t but shhuuuush, let me dream.I agree with you. Now, I love a good under the radar book as much as the next gal, I do! Then I can try to make everyone I know read and love it too. But.. yeah, I want to read all the things too! But there isn’t time for ALL the things, so I read things I have a high likelihood of enjoying. And I know I will probably like it because I have heard things about it, or have read stuff by the author, or whatever. It’s common sense, really.
I am not going to read some random books I find along the side of the road (who would do that to poor, helpless books though? Some kind of monster.) just because they’re different. That’s just silly. It’s like me scouring Goodreads, finding a book that NO ONE has added to their shelves, and read it just… because? Nope.
Plus, like you said, I LOVE to talk books with people! If I am only reading Blarron Creek Chronicles (shelved, but not read by ANY other person, see- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12752949-blarron-creek-chronicles) I can’t talk to you about books. Because you have no idea what I am talking about! (It’s only 108 pages, but $25 on Amazon. I kid you not.)
But if it seems like it will appeal to you, read it, no matter WHO else has read it. Great discussion, I love it!
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EXACTLY. I want to know what people are talking about. I am a hermit at heart, I totally am, buuuut (especially for book bloggers) I don’t see a point in blogging if you only read books no one else reads. How can you chat? blogging is about chatting, right??!
How did you even FIND Blarron Creek!?!? Is that self-published??? I read a Russian history-ish book the other day that was read by no one. I gave it 2 stars and I’m the sole rater and I FELT SO BAD. Oops.
Hahha I started typing “blargh” into Goodreads and it popped up! It was just meant to be. It looks self pubbed. The fact that it is $25 makes me think she writes them out by hand 😉
And don’t feel bad, I read your review and the Russian book did not sound great. Dude should have written a better Russian book 😉
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Definitely handwritten. *nods* Probably with quill and ink.
Actually she was screwed by Author house , and would be more than happy to send you the book for free.
YES! I completely agree with this post Cait. I think that books that are especially popular are probably popular for a reason, and that there’s probably a reason why everybody seems to love it so much. I think this is what motivates me to read a ton of well-known and popular books. Of course we might not love it as much as everybody else seems to (not every book, no matter how good, is for everyone), but at least we’ve read it and are able to talk about why we didn’t like it. Thanks for sharing this post Cait and, as always, fabulous review! ♥
And by review I meant discussion. Obviously. 😉 Sorry about that!
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HAHA, YES. Discussion. 😉 That’s okay!!! And I’m TOTALLY with you (surprise, surprise?!) I don’t think we have to LOVE the books like everyone else does. And plus a famous book doesn’t mean it has to be loved. It just means it has to be selling well. So technically controversial books do well for this too. 😉 I just think, no matter what, people are going to think different things!!
When I was younger I would deliberately not read popular books… Probably because I was so introverted/shy then and did not even want to talk to other people…And did not like other people… or some such silly reason. But now I like reading them if they sound interesting, they can be great conversation starters! I am not one for vampires and things like that, such as seem to be popular in YA books at the moment, but I have really enjoyed trilogies like the Hunger Games and Divergent! (and there are some others I want to read) The really good thing about Bestseller books is that there are so many in print that second hand copies turn up fairly soon, which is generally when I get hold of them.
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Ahhh, vampires haven’t been popular for a while but they WERE super big a few years ago. Weirdly so. My library is stuuuuuffed with vampire books. *facepalm* I mean, I don’t hate the concept, I just rarely find goodly written ones.
I almost never buy new books (for myself) so a lot of the second hand ones I find then do be a few years old. But often Christmas and birthday wish lists consist of books I want…. that I want now. But most of the time I am happy to wait.
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Oh great post! I think reading what you want is the most important thing and whetehr the book is popular or not should be irrelevant. On the other hand because of the hype starting a popular book can be hard as I am sometimes afraid I won’t like it with all the high expectations I have. I also like reading books that other people has read as like you said it gives you common ground and a topic to talk about. I read a lot of lesser known books and sometimes that’s hard as that means I have no else to talk about the book with as hardly any people have read it. So it’s also nice to read a popular book now and then as most people know it or have heard about it and that leads to very different discussions. So yeah I think reading what everyone else is reading definitely can be a good things as that means more books you can talk about.
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It totally should be irrelevant. Although I DO pick up a book if everyone is talking about it though, merely for the fact that I’m curious and not on what the book’s actually about. XD But I think it’s good to have balance between reading obscure AND famous books. I just think we’re never all going to think the same if we read the same books. They’re too subjective!
There are actually a lot of famous YA books that I’ve never read, mainly because they’ve already been spoiled so much that I eventually lost interest. Plus, I often have this weird feeling that I’m not allowed to dislike a famous book because its fangirls usually scare me, so I just tend to stay away and lurk in the background.
I don’t think that if everyone read the same books, it’ll limit individuality. That’s just not possible. But I do sometimes feel like it can get repetitive and boring after a while because there’s not as much variety. That’s why I tend to seek out the less popular books, too.
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It CAN be scary to dislike a famous book at times, especially if it’s JUST rising to fame. Those newbie famous books have fandoms that are quite loud right?! But at the same time, I don’t like hating on a book merely for the fact it’s famous. BUT YES. It’s so not possible to limit individuality! Books are too subjective, imo.
I read a lot of books. Some popular and some not so popular and I do believe that everybody gets something different out of books. If someone has read the same book as me, it’s the perfect grounds for a discussion, even if we have a different opinion about the book. I don’t think reading the same books makes us the same, because we’ve all had different experiences that make us react differently to those books.
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EXACTLY. You summed up like my entire post in just a few words and you did it perfectly. xD
I’ve always had mixed feelings on that quote! I mean, books do make us think, so it stands to reason that reading different books would make us think differently. But it also kind of reads like an attack on people who only read popular books. It kind of puts them down for not being “unique enough.”
Personally, I’ve been making the effort to read more lesser-known books recently, but many of my reasons come down to supporting authors. I also just want to read a more diverse range of books, in general. It’s not about reading unknown books to think differently from everyone else – I think we all already do that!
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It kind of does a bit… 🙁 Like, the hipsters are the only ones who can think. Which is SO not true. I think about things ALL THE TIME and am unashamedly a fan of a lot of popular books and music and movies. I standby the fact that they get popular for a REASON. (Although I don’t always trust hype :P) I’d like to think I could balance reading popular AND obscure books. xD Best of both worlds?!
Hmmmmmm.
I’m a serious rebel, so the moment anything becomes popular my instinct is to not like it because I tend to have major problems with things that most people find popular. xD But really aside from Hunger Games and the Lunar Chronicles I can’t say I’ve enjoyed any of the books that are wildly popular and most people love so I don’t want to talk to them anyway, so I tend to be way turned off from books that are popular. I still read them because I believe in chances; I’m just not usually thrilled so I can’t say I would reccommend reading what everyone else reads just because. So I kind of do my own thing. *shrugs*
I…do think I agree with the quote for the most part, actually! At least I’ve found it to be true in my own experience. I’ve learned heaps more from the odd little books I’ve found than the popular ones. Which is NOT bashing people. That’s just how it goes for me and I’ve found that popular most definitely does NOT equal the best quality most of the time.
*whispers* and now I sound like a snob. xD I wouldn’t bash anyone for enjoying a book.
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BUT YOU LIKE RED RISING. RED RISING IS FAMOUS AND BEST SELLING. Also Les Mis. 😉
And also: YES. Read what you want to read. THAT is the important thing here. Read regardless of the book’s status. *nods* Although from a writing perspective, I like to know what’s selling to be sure I’m not writing anything too similar, you know? Because that would be awkward. >_<
Another quote says, “there is no bond like have read and loved the same books,” I totally agree that a shared reading experience is a great way to connect with others! I recently decided to read a few popular books that I haven’t tried yet, like Harry Potter, and The Book Thief. Even if I they don’t become my new favorites, I’ll still be able to discuss them with other readers!
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YES TOTALLY!!! 😀 It just makes chatting to people soooo easy. I hate going on a blog and realising I have ZERO to say to their interesting post because I don’t know any books they’re talking about. D: This drives me to keep up with all the books, but I totally think that’s a personal preference. I think everyone should just read what they want to, regardless of the status of the book. *nods*
YES! I totally do not understand when people don’t read books just because they’re popular! If you don’t like the summary or genre, fine, but don’t read something just because it’s on the best-seller list! A lot of books have a lot of hype surrounding them and turn out to not be the amazing book ever written, but many best-sellers are very good!
~Sara
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I do get curious though…like WHY is it so famous?!?! I had to read harry Potter for that reason. Although I read The Hunger Games before it was famous. #hipsterCait hehhe I think sometimes publishers hype up a book too much?! I trust reader-hype over publisher-hype.
That quote has been rattling around in my head a lot recently, so this post was oddly well-timed. I agree that reading what you want is the most important thing! I find it annoying sometimes when people refuse to read a book because of its popularity, or think that they are SO much smarter thank people who did read it because they only read complex philosophical books no one’s ever heard of (not that philosophical or unheard-of books are a bad thing!). As for the quote itself, I think it’s a bit of a half-truth. In the sense that if you only consume the exact same media as everyone else, you will have only that same media to draw on when thinking or problem solving or whatever it is true, and it is also true that if you read a wide variety of books you will be able to have a broader perspective on the world thanks to those books. On the other hand, however, people’s life experiences extend well beyond only what they are reading, and everyone is so different it is impossible for you to be thinking only what “everyone” is thinking. This comment ended up being rather long-winded and philosophical. Oops. :p
Anyways, thanks for posting! I think this is a great discussion for us bookworms to have.
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YES. I saw it on Facebook. Did you see it there too?? It kind of played on my mind a lot and I had to just dump it all in a post. xD I will never understand the haters-of-popular-stuff-for-the-sake-of-it-being-popular. It doesn’t makes sense to me. Read a book because you want to, or don’t read it because you don’t want to. The status of the book shouldn’t REALLY make a difference, right?!?!
*whispers* I did also just realise I don’t even know the context of the quote. xD I hope I didn’t horribly take it out of context?! Although if I DID, then I blame it on Facebook because they did it first. 😛
So I’m going to shameless copy/paste part of my comment from a comment I left on Deborah’s blog.
Yes, I think you’re right about that quote. We will definitely all think different things if exposed to the same idea, because we have been through different experiences, have different personalities, have been exposed to different ideas before. But if we all read the same books all the time, we are always exposed to the same ideas, which limits “us” as a society in our diversity.
I’m not even sure if that made any sense. 😛
Okay, now that’s over with.
I’ll admit sometimes I am one of those people who do not want to read something popular, because it is popular. I feel like I’m giving into the hype solely for the hype. Well, I don’t feel that way exactly, but I feel like other people think that of me? Does that make sense? Like sometimes I feel kind of shamed to be seen in public with the cover of a hyped book. I feel like I’m not regarded as a reader, but as a hype follower. . . Which is absurd. Anyways.
Not that holds me back from reading a popular book that sounds interesting. I’ve recently been enjoying Percy Jackson. As well as the Lunar Chronicles. The Hunger Games. Divergent. They are the best!
There are some that I really want to read also. Like, I still haven’t read any of Maas yet. I haven’t found the time. Also, I want to read the Maze Runner. Finish The Giver quartet. I could go on. But you probably don’t want my whole TBR. XD
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Althought that DOES also mean all the “same” books only have one idea, which is rarely the case, right?! Even in just the YA realm, all the “famous YA books” are soooo completely different in subject matter. like you can’t even compare The Fault in Our Stars to Divergent. SO YEAH. I think there’ll always be different ideas in the world, and people’s brains will always interpret them differently. But also, we DO need new stuff and obscure stuff. We need books to shake people out of their comfortable places. 😉
I clicked on this thinking that it would be about how we should branch out and read stuff that nobody else is reading, and I was pleasantly surprised! I agree with everything you said here. Part of the beauty of books is that they can be interpreted different ways, and like you said, it makes for excellent discussion. While it is true that it’s nice to read books that maybe aren’t so popular sometimes, I always get tired of people bashing on fellow bookworms for reading only the popular books. What’s wrong with popular books? They are usually pretty good because like you said they did get popular for a reason! A great post and discussion !
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I’m full of surprises. 😉 HEHE. AHHH BUT I’M GLAD YOU LIKED THE POST! lots of differing opinions here, which is tons of fun to talk about! 😀 And I’m sooo totally against the bashing because a book is popular. It totally saddens me. I feel like people abuse popular books a lot of the time for no reason other than THEY’RE POPULAR. And that doesn’t make sense. D: We should read what we want and not be ashamed if it’s obscure OR famous.
Hehe, I think the key word is *only*.
If we *only* read the best-sellers, or what happens to be on the goodreads/blogworld hypetrain, we’re gonna miss out on sooo many hidden gems. We should also actively try to discover books that *aren’t* on the NY Times best sellers list, or Oprah’s Book Club list, etc.
I agree with you though, we all have different interpretations of books, and it’s always nice to be able to discuss the same book with a ton of other readers.
On the other I also agree (to some extent) with the quote. This is because if we keep (and are only) reading what everyone else is reading, the market just becomes saturated with the same-old, same-old regurgitated material because that’s what publishers think sells.
I guess the important thing is a balance between the two.
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WE NEED BALANCE FOR SURE. *nods* My biggest point here is that, no matter the book, I think we all still interpret it differently. And ohhh I do agree with your point too, that, we need to keep loving those obscure books so more variety gets on the market. YES. 😀
YESESESES OMG i love this so much 😀
Yaaaay I AM GLAD, MADDIE! 😀
YES to all of this! All of it! I love talking to people about books and fangirl in the comments. It’s one of my favourite things about the online book community.
I also truly believe that you should just read what you want to read. There are quite a few of “must read” classics I haven’t read yet but I’m getting over the guilt/shame slowly but surely… Hehe.
EEEEP! Fangirling = FUNNESS OF LIFE. It’s so easy to talk to people if you’ve read what books they’ve read, right?! And yes yes, I’m totally in agreement: read what you want to read. And if you want to read popular books? THAT IS GREAT. DO IT.
I saw this quote going around recently, too, and I had to wonder about it myself. I will admit–I’m the kind of person who sometimes gets embarrassed to admit I’ve read a popular book. It’s not that I balk at reading that popular book, it’s just that some demented part of my brain is ashamed that I’ve read and enjoyed something other people have also read and enjoyed. Please don’t ask me why that is, because I honestly don’t know. So, as you can probably tell, I definitely advocate reading more obscure books–I really enjoyed Imaginary Girls, for instance, and that one’s not all out there. But I do agree that it’s very worthwhile to read what everyone else is reading, so you can at least appreciate what everyone else might be thinking about. And I agree, there are so many interpretations, you won’t turn into a mindless, puppet robot if you only ever read the big stuff. But…I do think maybe the quote is aimed at those who think they only have to read what the trend is? Maybe not. If you do think that you can only read what other people are reading, then maybe you have the mind to search out what other people are thinking and absorb those thoughts rather than forming your own.
Anyway, I’m not as widely read in the popular books as I’d like to be, and I do feel like that’s a detriment to me because I think it’s helpful to know what strikes a chord in other people, even if it’s hard to determine what about a work strikes a chord. As a writer, though, if I only read what’s not popular, I’ll probably just write a book that’s not popular, since my pattern will be unpopular. (I hope that makes sense.) So yeah, great discussion! Thanks for bringing it up. 🙂
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I have no idea WHO the quote is aimed at, tbh, or even if I’ve taken it out of context of something. XD I saw it on FB (is that where you saw it?) and it just sort of sparked this, although I maaaybe wrote it too hastily without hashing out ALL my thoughts. I’m a big advocate of reading what you want to read though. OF COURSE. But I still stand by the fact that famous doesn’t equal dodgy necessarily. xD Aaaand, I kind of always read what’s popular so, as a writer, I don’t go and write it. BECAUSE OMG. I totally wrote a book that was sooo similar to a mega popular one once (and I hadn’t read it so I didn’t know) and that was embarrassing. *facepalm*
Ack, I know how you feel–I’ve written some stuff before, thinking it was really original and all that, only to find out someone else had done it before–and better. I try to console myself that my own take on different ideas would be unique enough that, even if that were to happen again, it wouldn’t be a huge issue.
I actually saw the quote on Twitter, but it’s not surprising it made it to Facebook. And your blog post didn’t strike me as too hasty–I just saw it as your impression of the topic, and impressions can change, or they can stay the same. Opinions are like that. But you were bringing it up, I think, with the idea of leaving it open for discussion, so… Anyway, I think I forgot where I was going with that train of thought.
Liz Brooks recently posted…I am Seven
OH OH YES ME TOO. Even if we do write something that’s already “been done” it’s not like our version is going to be the same, right?!?! Although I did write a book with a main character in the same genre as Divergent with SO MANY similar names. >_> I changed them all…not saying my book would ever even get published, but I like to be prepared, hehe.
Aw, thank you! 😀 I’ve just had second thoughts on whether I took enough time to sum up my feelings. (I’ve had SUCH a brain fog lately with this flu that’s hung around for like, erm, over a week. gah!) It’s interesting to see so many different takes on the one quote, anyway!
I totally agree with you. I tend to read popular books because I want to be able to join in on the conversation instead of sitting there like a limp piece of lettuce who can’t lend any support to the discussion. Just because we all read the same things doesn’t mean we think the same things. It merely means we’re able to discuss a topic from even more angles. You hate a book. I love a book. Let’s find out why we have different opinions. Third person comes in and points out something neither of us realized. The masses bring new information and read more into the story, and they create fan art and it’s awesome. The problem with reading the less popular stuff is NOBODY ELSE READS IT AND WHO ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT IT WITH?? My co-blogger, Ace, reads a lot of less famous work and she’s always freaking out and enjoying the characters and I have no idea what’s going on or why I should care, making me un able to intelligently converse with her. Long story short, reading popular stuff promotes discussion and further thought.
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Sitting like limp lettuce is not fun. It is not. *shakes head vigorously* AND YESSS THANK YOU! 😀 Reading the same isn’t thinking the same. Particularly when books are so subjective and easily interpreted differently.
Agh, and YES. The struggle is real being alone in a fandom. I mean, partying by yourself is fun and all, buuuut…it’s more fun to have a lively discussion with more people, right?!
I agree, Cait! We all interpret books differently, and sometimes, I can read the same book twice, but depending on my mood each time, what I get from the book is completely different as well.
And it’s true that being able to chat with other bookworms about the books we have in common and that we have read is amazing! The best conversations start out as bookish, IMO 🙂
So yes, it’s a good thing you came around to rule the internet, Cait 😀
Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews recently posted…Review: Menagerie – Rachel Vincent
YES ME TOO. I totally have gotten COMPLETELY different things from books during rereads, and my sister and I have had massive discussions because we’ve thought a book meant something completely different. XD Bookish conversations = so much win.
I am a gift to this universe to be honest. 😉
I do read popular books! But only if I’m interested in them. I agree with you about saying it’s great so you can chat with people,a nd I LOVE this: “I believe it’s because a lot of people read it and said to their friends” It’s so true! Most famous YA books? Well, I’m not sure if I’ve read them ALL, but I’ve read plenty of them, i.e. The Hunger Games, The 5th Wave, Divergent.
P.S.: Nothing to do with this post, but I read another of your posts (Monthly Fury #?) and I forgot to say in my comment this: I LOVE FORENSICS TOO! I especially love when a substance is analyzed, but I might be biased in this part since I am a chemistry major. xD
Vane J. recently posted…Review: Under The Dusty Moon
FORENSICS FTW!!!! Okay. That’s probably morbid/creepy of me?!?! But seriously, I’m glad I’m not the only one. XD I totally flopped in science in highschool, but now that I’m done with all that I’m genuinely interested in it. OH WHY IS MY BRAIN THIS WAY.
I think a lot of books get overhyped by publishers and stuff, but they’re not FORCING people to read the book. I think people alienate and criticise popular books too much, tbh. >_< I mean, no one should read stuff they're not interested in. That doesn't make sense. But I also don't believe in scorning books just because everyone else likes them. xD
So… I don’t really know the person who said the quote, but i think it may apply to nonfiction books too? Like, books that are opinion based and analysis based and not story based.
Because when you look at books from the perspective of story, even if the writer had a certain agenda in mind, the book is going to be interpretable in a thousand different ways (if the writer is a good writer). I think layers are what make a story good, and when there are layers, the book can have multiple interpretation and depth. Fiction is a mirror of real life, no? So by reading fiction, we are helping ourselves to figure out the world around us, and how people work. And we all figure it out in different ways.
I don’t know if that makes sense but there it is.
I read mostly popular books because I want to be entertained and have my brain stretched by story, and if a book is popular, that means I have a good chance of liking it, because so many people have liked it too. This is also why I read classics.
I also appreciate your disclaimers very much. 🙂
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*whispers* I don’t know the person who said the quote either. xD I saw the quote on FB and that’s what sparked the post. And I totally see where you’re coming from. *nods* YOU MAKE SENSE. 😉 I read popular books a LOT because I want something to say to people!! It’s super easy to fall into discussions when you’ve read the book or at least heard of it, right?!
I like to read the popular books because then I can talk about it with other people. Sometimes I read books so early though that there’s no one else to discuss with me xD Reading is half the fun part, discussing with others is the other half! But then again I like to read books that are lesser known and spread the love to other readers 🙂
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Omg, isn’t that the problem with reading too early, right?!?!? I nearly DIED because I read Everything Everything WAY TOO EARLY and couldn’t discuss it with anyone. *collapses in a tantrum* hehe Buuuut I digress. I think discussing IS the super fun part. And it’s way more easy to leave comments and chat with other bookworms when I know what book they’re talking about. XD
This is a really interesting post! I agree with you. When I’ve read something someone else has read, it gives me something to talk about with them. I’m super awkward so this is always good! I work in a library so this is *especially* good 🙂
Beth @ Fuelled By Fiction recently posted…Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling │ Review
ME TOO. I cannot think up conversations to save my life, but if I’ve got a book in common with someone? WE ARE SET FOR HOURS. XD hehe
I always try (try being the key word) to make a point of reading what everyone else is reading so that I can discuss it and have an opinion. However, I also try to balance that with things that I’m interested in and things that I’m maybe not as excited for, but feel will broaden my reading horizons.
I think that the idea of everyone reading the same books means everyone thinks the same is ridiculous. Those books that are really popular are usually the ones that force the reader to think about an issue; they don’t tell the reader how to think. The beauty of fiction is that it forces the reader to think critically, instead of just informing them of an issue and the author giving their opinion (which is what traditional non-fiction does).
Sunny Smith recently posted…Reading Recap: Summer 2015
SAME. XD Balance is key here, I think. XD And I’m a big advocate of reading what you want to read…and I usually want to read the famous books. I think both. BOTH IS GOOD.
I have always been the person against reading the books everyone else is reading–if you are ONLY reading them BECAUSE everyone else is. I think you should read what YOU want to read and not just what everyone else has read. And while we all do interpret books differently, I think there is a point to that quote up there. I want to have a wider range of thoughts on books than everyone else–since I am the queen here, Cait, HELLO! And, therefore, I need to be above all of my lovely subjects. XD
WHAT? WHAT? I DON’T UNDERSTAND THIS COMMENT. THIS COMMENT HAS A BIG TYPO. I THINK YOU MEANT TO SAY THAT I AM QUEEN. Are you threatening my status here, Erin!?!? DO I NEED TO COME OVER THERE WITH MY MINIONS AND MY CAKE? omg.
How about a healthy balance of both? Sometimes I want to read what everyone else is reading because I want to take part of that conversation. I want to fangirl along with the rest of the bookosphere. But then, I don’t always want to read what everybody else is reading. Sometimes, I want to read a book that is free of the influence of all my friends and acquaintances. Plus, we have to have people who don’t read what everybody else is reading– that’s how new books are discovered and shared and eventually fangirled over. It’s kind of a paradox.
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A healthy balance of both sounds like the best idea of ever. XD And I guess it depends on what you want to achieve right?!? I personally wanted to talk to people about all the books…so I read them. But if that’s not a thing that MUST happen for you, then it wouldn’t even rate as a priority, right?!?! I’m always a big advocate of read what you want to read. XD
You really ARE throwing tough life questions at us, huh? (Though I don’t second your vote for scrambled eggs for queen because if there were a food that deserved to be royalty it would be cheesecake. Or beer. Possibly chocolate.) Anyway, you have left me with THOUGHTS. Not just thoughts, but THOUGHTS.
I’ve seen this quote many times (and have been getting into Murakami’s books lately, coincidentally) and I kind of interpreted it without consciously thinking about my interpretation, if that makes any kind of sense at all. What I mean is that I didn’t read the quote as meaning we *shouldn’t* read things other people are reading, but that we shouldn’t ONLY read the things that other people are reading.
Like you, I read books that are getting a lot of play so that I can engage in discussion of those books with other bloggers and readers – but I also love discovering a hidden gem; one of those books I don’t have any preconceptions about but that blows my mind.
I think that’s what the quote means – to me, anyway – that we should read *everything* that appeals to us. Popular books, new books, old books, obscure books… whatever strikes our fancy. That way we can participate in discussions (and hopefully bring our own unique perspectives on what we read to them) but we can also share our enthusiasm for the books no one else we know has read…. yet. It’s all part of taking over the world to make sure they do read those. All of them. Now. Right? 😉
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THAT IS WHAT I AM HERE FOR. *nods* Okay but I concede. Chocolate is better than eggs. Unless we’re going to talk about chocolate eggs which are DIVINE.
I do wonder if I hastily interpreted the quote, actually. XD Maybe I should’ve thought on it a bit more?! Because I tooootally see where everyone is coming from here (with the it’s about reading ALL the books, not just the popular ones) but yeah. XD I felt it was a bit of a blanket statement to say we’re all going to think the same.
I both agree and disagree with this. I think there’s definitely some validity in the fact that even though we all might be reading the same things, we can all look at what we read from a different perspective. At the same time, however, by doing that you’re also exposing yourself to the same ideas as everyone else while a few readers might be branching out and soaking up ideas and perspectives that a lot of other readers just don’t get. Personally I don’t read many popular books. It’s not that I have anything against popular YA books but it just so happens that a lot of them don’t interest me (except for books like The Lunar Chronicles and The Book Thief and Code Name Verity. I shall gobble those books up). It’s definitely harder for me to have conversations with other readers about what I read but what I love about blogging is that I can find a community that enjoys the same books that I do and I can still be exposed to different ways of thinking and different ideas than the majority of readers.
All in all, though, I think it just comes down to reading what makes you happy. That’s really important.
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It’s all basically about balance, right?!?! I mean, we shouldn’t “have” to read ANYTHING we don’t want to. OF COURSE. I’m a firm believer in reading what you want to read. *nods* But I guess it also depends on what you want to achieve? Like I wanted to have conversations, so I read all the popular books (even if I wasn’t always interested in them…tho, tbh, that’s just me and I don’t think EVERYONE should do that. :P) and I do see what you mean by we’re exposing ourselves to the same ideas. I just think there’s so so many interpretations and it’s nearly like saying if we all eat chocolate cake we’re only going to think the one kind of cake exists. (Omg, that was a terrible analogy. xD Hopefully you know what I mean.)
Loads of similarities we have, Cait! I tend to read popular books more than the ones which I haven’t heard about. And there’s nothing wrong in it. If you love quotes, there’s one which you might love. “No two persons have ever read the same book’.
And the way you write passionately about books, I can relate so much. I always do that with my friends. It’s always great to read your blog!
“I’ll give you the sun” is one of the YA I haven’t read. How’s it?
Aishwarya S recently posted…An Escape from Reality.
YES I DO LIKE THAT QUOTE TOO! 😀 It took me years to figure out what it meant though, haha, (I’m a literal person, and I’m like, “gee, my sister and I are BOTH sitting here reading the same book…what is this quote on about?!” *facepalm* But yes, it backs up what I’m saying right? We ALL interpret things differently)
I’ll Give You the Sun is INCREDIBLE. It’s very purpley prose, though, like arty writing…but I did so love it.
SQUEAK! I’M SO GLAD YOU LIKE MY POSTS. 😀
Yes, exactly the point! I’ll read it soon then! 🙂
Aishwarya S recently posted…An Escape from Reality.
I do love reading popular books, i love the discussion and the fangirling and the overflow of twitter/goodreads updates, it’s awesome, reading with OTHER people is one the best experiences blogging has brought me. But I will admit in 2016 my main goal is to move away from reading mostly hyped books and begin to return, for a little while, to the girl who would just walk into library and pick up whatever looked good – there’s something special about reading more unheard of titles, as if, whilst we’re reading the stories and revelling in the world and characters, we’re holding our own little secret – I think there’s good in reading a mixture really, of reading both popular and less heard of novels 😛
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Ahh, I used to be like that too. XD I’d just go into the library and pick out a bunch of random stuff and omg I found SUCH GEMS that way. Now I read a lot more “famous” books, but I still love them. And I STILL find incredible gems. xD And I get to talk to people about books, so that’s fun. 😉 BALANCE! Balance is good. *nods*
I remember years and years ago when I was a teenager in high school, we had to write an essay where we interpreted a book or a poem or something (I don’t remember specifics). And I got marked down because apparently I interpreted it wrong.
Isn’t the whole point of reading something, bringing your own thoughts and twist on it? That’s what I love about books, is that we all read them differently, and we can take something different away (or maybe we even take the same things away, if we’re brain twins). I may have interpreted it differently to how the author intended it (apparently), but that doesn’t mean I didn’t get something out of it.
I read popular books because I like discussing them, and in discussing them with others I learn things about them too! It’s like you get to see it from all these different angles that you never thought of. It’s awesome!
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omg thAT IS NOT FAIR THOUGH. The point of “interpretation” is that it’s all different, right?!?!? Like my sister and I have read the same book and come out with COMPLETELY different meanings for it. To the point where we were shocked the other one thought it meant such-and-such, because it was “so obvious” that it should be a different answer. XD And I 10000% agree with you! I think all our brains are different and we’re not going to become a zombified one-minded nation from reading the same books.
Even if I read a popular book and don’t LIKE it, I still enjoy the discussions!
I think people should read what they want. I read popular books, and I’ll cut the b*tch that would dare to tell me I shouldn’t.
Seriously, what is this hate for things that are popular? They are popular for a reason, it is usually a GOOD one. Popular books have relateablity, great writing, world building that is awesome, slow burning romance, and/or twists that weren’t predicted! That is the reason I read good books. I take people’s recommendations to heart and want to DISCUSS those books with people. Poop on the nayreaders of popular books.
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Hehe, I agree. XD I’m so bewildered by the fact that people hate on popular books just because they’re popular. It doesn’t make sense! Read what you want to read and don’t judge other’s choices. *nods*
I read whatever I want to read, which often means I pick up completely obscure things or super old backlist books. I do find it frustrating when I read something fabulous and I have no one to talk about it with though, so for that reason I think it’s nice to read popular books… but only if I actually want to read them. I’ve got zero percent interest in some of the books that I see all over the blogosphere and I won’t force myself to read them just because everyone else is.
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True, true! Reading what you want to read is the most important thing, I think! 😀 I’m weird, in that I always want to read the books that are getting fussed over. But I don’t really have a niche. I mean, just YA. But otherwise, I’ll read anything from contemporaries to horror. It’s soooo annoying to find a GLORIOUS book that no one else has read. D: I always feel the need to slap it in my friends’ faces. XD Although, that did kind of work with Alice and the Fly. TONS of people started reading it after I demanded they did or i’d come after with pitchforks. #threatswork
Great post! I agree with you 1000000%. It’s crazy to think that just because you are reading the most popular books, that you are thinking what everyone else is thinking. Uh, no. I LOVE being able to discuss all the books that I am reading with other people. It’s the reason why I started blogging! Sometimes I agree with them and sometimes I don’t. Either way, it’s nice to have the conversation.
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Ahh, thanks Cynthia! 😀 I’m getting a lot of differing opinions in the comments WHICH IS GREAT. It’s definitely helping me see from differen perspectives. But I feel like I wanted the crux of my post to be (whether I got this out eloquently enough is debatable now :P) to be that I think we’ll ALWAYS think differently, even if we read the same stuff. I particularly like having conversations about books. 😉
I agree to disagree. Or at least, I interpret Murakami differently, I see it as you shouldn’t just read popular books because everyone else is. Imagine if no one branched out and started reading fantasy stories? What if no one thought to try a new, less popular genre? We’d be missing out on a lot of wonderful stories, and ideas because people were afraid to stray from the norm. So, diverse books weren’t mainstream, but because people refused to accept that more diverse books are being created. And now more people are having their minds opened to new points of view and ideas because someone decided to turn away from the norm.
I might be completely wrong about the intent of the quote, but that’s how I interpret it. I have no problem with what other people read, but I feel like trying books that aren’t popular is important too.
Anne @ Lovely Literature recently posted…Anne’s Mini Reviews: July & August 2015
*nods* I do see what you mean, and it also only occurred to me now that I don’t even know the CONTEXT of that quote. OOPS. I jsut saw it going around (just like that, those few lines) on Facebook and it sparked this post. But yeah. I didn’t exactly research the context. MY BAD. FORGIVE ME, ANNE. hehe. And I totally think it’s fine to agree to disagree! 😀 Although I really can’t see how we’d all end up thinking the same from reading the same books. I mean, just throwing out the mega-famous YA ones, like TFIOS and Twilight and The Hunger Games…none of them are the same. So already reading those is going to give us wildly different view points. And I just think our brains are always going to understand and interpret things differently.
And reading unpopular, or well, just obscure! books is SUPER important too. Basically read what you want. 😉
Oh, I shouldn’t make it sound like I also don’t agree with your point of view, because I definitely do! I just saw the quote differently, and granted you could be 100% right about context because I haven’t seen in it in any other context than your blog. 😛
But your point about everyone else having a different take away from what they read is something I ascribe to. In college, I had to take a lot of literary theory courses, and the only type of theory I could get down with is reader response. Your post is the essence of that theory. We all bring our own experiences to the work we are reading, so what we interpret isn’t going to be the same as the person next to us. And it certainly isn’t going to be the same as what the author was trying convey (them having different life experiences then their audience and all.) I actually love that aspect of reading and agree that discussing what I got out of the text vs what you got out of the text is fascinating! And the best way to do that on a large scale is with popular literature.
Anne @ Lovely Literature recently posted…Review: Tonight The Streets Are Ours
Another fantabulous post Cait!
I have yet to read books 5-7 in The Harry Potter series *hides in corner*
I usually tend to read more popular books because there are always new ones coming out. This makes no sense haha. I just prioritize ones that I am sure to love. There are so many books on my tbr that I don’t like to read books that I “may” enjoy. I’d much rather read a book that I will enjoy.
Thanks for stopping by my blog! *waves*
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*hides with you* I haven’t read books 6 and 7 yet. XD SO I FAIL TOO. And I think it’s very important we read books that we enjoy! 😀 Although it also depends on what we want to achieve. Like if it doesn’t matter a single squish to a reader about chatting with other bookworms, then of course they don’t need to read what they’re reading, too. *nods*
I had a really long comment but I decided it would actually be better if I wrote my own blog post about it instead of letting it sit in the comments here. Because I feel like it’s important that I say why I mostly disagree with you, and I don’t want it to be a half-done disagreement but well explained in a respectful manner, as long as that’s okay with you.
I will say though, that while I agree with some of your beginnings, I have to disagree with your conclusion. I mean, I’m not a particularly social reader, which appears to be your focus, but more than that I kind of see the assimilation of thinking happening in the comments which is kind of why I am wary of reading popular books.
I mean, maybe that makes me a snob and in that case I apologize for intruding, but honestly, I think the quote is completely right. The popular culture and popular opinions that surround popular books don’t leave a lot of room for individual thought. But more on that later.
Heather recently posted…Thursentary: Commentary
I’m not sure what you mean by “he assimilation of thinking happening in the comments which is kind of why I am wary of reading popular books.” Sorry! I just have no clue what that means. >_< And you're welcome to disagree. ;) I'm never one for saying my opinion is "the only one" out there, of course! I think the crux of my post wasn't as well written as I thought it was though: because I REALLY want to say that I don't think everyone is going to think the same if they read the same books. I think we'll all always interpret books differently. *shrugs* I also believe we should read what we want to read, and if chatting about books with other bloggers isn’t a big deal for you then reading what other people are reading wouldn’t even need to happen for you! Besides, one book isn’t going to make us all think the same. How can it? All our brains are wired to received things differently.
And I feel like I was kind of mean while saying this and so I don”t mean that anyone’s opinion is bad or wrong or terrible or anything of that kind, because everyone is totally able to think individually in this space and stuff. Like I didn’t even say anything agree-y or nice. *headdesks* I was also distracted while writing so I sound like a robot.
1) Sorry for being weird and rude.
2) Still disagree but I want to talk about it more so I’ma write a post about it and link up with you and stuff.
3) You are also right, though, that we interpret things differently and that books are popular for a reason but I will also go into more depth on that in my response post except that thing is 1500 words so we’ll see what happens
4) It’s midnight here on a school night so don’t trust anything I say; I’m not even myself right now and I apologize
Heather recently posted…Thursentary: Commentary
Omg, it’s fine!! I didn’t think you were being rude! I actually have the flu at the moment so I feel like I have SUCH BRAIN FOG. Gahhhh. So I was just wondering if maybe I wasn’t understand what you were saying because of that? I look forward to your post on it anyway. 😉 Discussing things is always interesting!
I actually love that Haruki Murakami quote, although I guess I’ve never taken it in such a literal sense. I think it’s about the fact that we all have to read different things, we can’t rely on others to dictate what we read and we have to choose how and where to expand our interests. Because if we don’t, we don’t discover things that are unique from the things already discovered. Although I do still agree with you, Cait- I can have a completely different experience than you and a hundred thousand other bloggers with a single book. I think every person who reads a book reacts to it and takes something different from it. Like you say, from TFiOS I took the fact that there’s a giant rollercoaster up in the stars and WE JUST CAN’T SEE IT. My mother didn’t enjoy A Wrinkle in Time, whereas I saw myself in it in a way that was kinda blinding.
This is such an interesting, thoughtful post. Seriously. It is important to read what we want and not be dictated by others, but at the same time- I accept recommendations! When bloggy friends say I must read something, I won’t ignore them because they’re telling me what to do. I guess we CAN tell each other what to do, because it’s how our friendship is built.
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I quite agree with Harukami. That doesnt mean I disagree with you however. You have some great points and I accept and agree with them.
It’s just that I’m a firm believer of doing/reading whatever I want irregardless of anything. If we go outside our comfort zones, who knows what else we could find? 😉
I wouldn’t have discovered all these undiscovered precious gems if I keep sticking to what everybody does and read 🙂
Evelyn @ Books With Chemistry recently posted…How Books Influence Us
I mostly agree with everything. People DO interpret books differently, and it’s more fun to read things you can talk about people with. I think the key to Murakami’s quote, though, is the “only.” If you read NOTHING but the popular books, then you miss out on the worlds and ideas that flew under the radar of the masses.
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Oh I read the popular books all the time. I love reading books that everyone else has read because then I can see how my opinion and interpretation compares to others. I can have discussions about that book.
One of the most frustrating things about reading before I found the book blogging community was that after I finished a novel I wanted to TALK about it and ask people what they thought but there was NO ONE to talk to. When you read obscure books that not many people have read, it’s harder to be able to discuss them in full detail.
I’m not saying that I don’t read less popular books, but the reading experience for me is a lot better when I can see other people’s viewpoints.
Sometimes I even feel ashamed that I don’t read as many less popular books because how can I say I love books and reading when what I have read is so limited? But that’s another story.
Thank you for posting this because I saw the same quote a little while ago and it made me angry!
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I agree with you on some level.
I’m glad when people read, period. And that really should be the end of it. Book snobbery should NEVER be an issue; it should be a battle fought between readers and non-readers, none of this bothering about the genres and popular vs obscure books business. But. I’m a bit ashamed to say that I have some gripes with people who read ONLY books that are super popular, because EVERYONE has read it and so they must follow along. Basically it’s my overall gripe with conformity in general…
I’ve never voiced these opinions before, but my boyfriend only ever reads really popular books. Most of the books I have read have never even crossed his radar (he rarely reads YA – only those that make it to the big screen, like Twilight, The Hunger Games, TFIOS…). I should just be glad he reads at all, but. It would be nice if he were to pick up a book based on just my recommendation along, however he will only pick up classics or really popular contemporary novels. Go figure. He can be him, I’ll be me.
I’m actually glad that some other readers share the same opinions as myself. Read the popular books, but don’t make it the only thing you read… otherwise you won’t have anything NEW to contribute. And clearly less popular books are being read, because how could popular books come to rise in the first place? Through recommendations. Word of mouth. Awesome people like you and me who read WHATEVER THEY BLOODY WANT. Basically I’ll read whatever interests me.
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I AGREE COMPLETELY <3 I don't think this quote applies to any generation of readers, considering everyone wants to talk about books that they’ve read, preferably books that both parties have read! Besides, everyone takes away a different message from each book, so there’s that. Of course, people would like to have spoiler filled ranting/raving/gushing about books and sometimes those books are popular books that everyone has read–so I don’t really see the harm in reading those. We shouldn’t only stick to reading the famous books, or the books that are in vogue, but to each his own and seriously. IF I WANT TO READ ONLY WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS READING, IMMA READ THE S**T OUT OF IT.
Hyped books must have started being marketed as ‘that good’ for a reason, at least at the beginning when they started off without so much attention. I think there’s definitely no shame or problem with reading those popular favourites which EVERYONE seems to love, and having different opinions (perhaps even a negative one) or fangirling with others are just natural reactions. That being said, there can come a point where they are *overrated* and overtake other amazing books by other authors who deserve their time in the spotlight too.
Thanks for sharing Cait, insightful and thought-provoking post!
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I totally agree with you! Although I must say I haven’t read all the famous YA books because some of them are just not my cup of tea. I caved in and read TFIOS, and was happy because I thought it was a nice book (didn’t make me cry) but still, it is a really good book. HOWEVER, I (almost violently) agree that books are wonderful conversation pieces and conversations about books are the absolute best! Knowing bookworms by their favorite books is fun and worth the time to be honest.. It’s like what they say, it’s hard to trust someone who doesn’t read… Lovely post!
I’m with you. Usually if a book is popular then there’s a reason it is (most of the time. With you there with 50 Shades of Grey as well). I like reading popular books because they’re good for conversation, but I also like reading more obscure one. I think diversity in one’s reading is key.
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Hm. That’s a toughie. I mean, I suppose, I do read popular books. I tend to like them, and lots of people hear of them, and like them too although this is mostly in the case of debuts, I haven’t read quite a few YA fundamentals, I’m sure. I don’t want to read them just for the sake of them being the basics in YA, you know? I tend to seek out debut authors, and befriend them, and consume their literature. So, I would say, so-so. I probably read more somewhat known to obscure books than the “what every teen is reading” right now books unless I have an interest in the topic the book is covering. I totally see what you’re saying about how it’s easier to connect to people if you read the popular books because it opens roads to friendships with those people so yeah. I haven’t read Harry Potter, any Stiefvater, any Dessen, no Clare, Pierce Brown, etc. There are some popular books I may not read simply because of the behavior of authors and their treatment of teens, and their sheer disrespect of teens. Like, I will not read any Dessen because of how she disrespected teens with the John Green thing. I will not read any Stiefvater because of the John Green thing, and also because as much as she apologized, and I can move on from that, she said that there needed to be more white bestsellers writing literature. As if people of color asked for a white Savior?? Oh, and taking away a spot on a panel from a person of color in regards to Writing the Other, and unpopular races? DISRESPECTING HALSEY, ONE OF MY NEW FAVE ARTISTS? Honey, no. Sit down. Take several seats. Thank you.
If an author cannot respect teenagers, can not respect people of color, and can do the very same thing they criticize younger people for doing? I won’t be reading their books. I can forgive, I can see that she can improve, and change. I can applaud her and support her change and improvement. But during my anger of these events, and seeing the behavior says something, and will keep me from reading her books in the future.
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I agree with you.. for the most part LOL. I think it’s great if you can be part of the massive hype and like the same book everyone else has, I’m usually the minority who dislikes many books so I tend to stay away from super popular books. It’s still good both ways though, because then I can tell everyone why I didn’t like the book they happened to love. Great post!
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It does open up discussion, right?!? Even if you don’t like the popular book. XD ALTHOUGH, I don’t think we should force ourselves to read books we don’t care at all about just for the sake of discussion. heh, so I guess it’s all personal preference?!? 😀
I usually don’t have time to read what everyone else is reading (Throne of Glass series, Game of Thrones books, Outlander) because my blog is majorly all about indies and under the radar books. Any book or series that is already high profile is definitely low priority for me because with work and my son still living at home my reading time is limited. I am also a lover of being out and about: game night with friends, local Arts functions, two martinins at The Lost Dog on Friday nights, so there is even more time cut out. Geeze, now that I am thinking about it how do I have time to read any books at all? Oh, that’s right, sleep deprivation! 🙂
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Hello there, ruler of the universe and kudos for such a great topic! Because we bloggers tend to be in the same blogosphere, I’ve been known to read what’s popular based on reviews or general consensus of my bloggy friends. But…checking out new writers, or focusing on a different genre is what makes the world go round and round and round, and it gives us something cool and new to discuss. Sometimes daring to be be different is all the rave! Hugs…Ro
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Okay, I see your point here! We should read what everyone else is reading so that it is easy to have conversations and we can see why some got successful and so on! I am all for that actually; even if I haven’t read too many of the popular ones myself. I am working my way through them as well as making sure I am choosing some books for myself and some lesser known ones I can start my own little message sending situation to spread the word about! I think it is important to find a balance between those two things.
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Interesting perspective Cait! I love the quote because it kind of says that we should open up our mind to discover more possibilities. Like should we all read the best sellers or should we look for obscure quiet YA because we might find a new love? This reminds me of when I started getting back into reading again, when THG came out. I was reading Dan Brown’s and The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo and classics, because that’s what everyone else is reading. But it wasn’t an obsession that happened when I picked up Twilight and THG you know? But I totally get your point!
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