A lot of posts come through this sub asking why XYZ book/author/series is so popular, or have some questioning what they’re “missing” — the answer is just about always that you simply don’t like the book, and that’s perfectly fine. I don’t read horror books because I do not like horror, but that’s not a criticism of the genre itself, nor do I look at horror enthusiasts with confusion — I’m just not someone who personally enjoys horror.
Some people read books because they enjoy the plot, while some couldn’t care less about plot holes as long as they like the characters. Some people look for good prose in fantasy while others are hopeful for strong world-building. One person might want a memoir to be interesting and full of new information, while someone else might want to be able to empathize with or relate to the author’s experience.
We all read books differently and while I can see why it might be confusing to think a book is bad, despite seeing so much praise for it, it doesn’t mean that you’ve “missed” something or that its other readers must be reading “wrong” if they think its good — you’re just looking for different things in a book. I think it’s so cool that we can all experience the same thing so differently — and this extends to other forms of art and media as well.
This is also why positive, negative, and “meh” reviews are so useful. I always look at the 2 and 3 star reviews of a book on Goodreads, to see why people thought it was just fine rather than good, because it often de-influences me if I realize I’m likely to run into the same issues. Sometimes I read a 1-star review and immediately pick up the book, because the reviewer’s gripes are things I actually love, while a 5-star review can turn me away if the things being praised aren’t things I typically care about or enjoy.
Books aren’t one-size-fits-all! And that’s the beauty of them 🙂
by hannah_nj
2 Comments
Totally agree!! I do the same thing with Goodreads reviews.
Would be a really boring place if we all enjoyed the same books.