Kind of books I read are not worthwhile books. I read them for enjoyment, they have no literary merits and I feel ashamed for liking them. They are usually popcorn fiction. I would like to be a cool person who reads cool books but I read shitty books. Please tell me how can I enjoy valuable books such as classics maybe.
Books I love;
Dresden Files
Fablehaven
Cradle series
Chivalry series by Christian Cameron
Altered Carbon
Books I would like to love but not enjoying currently;
Shakespeare works
Nietzsche's books
Balzac
Marcel Proust
Someone shamed me for my taste in books please help me 😢
by ExtensionTourist856
10 Comments
Don’t worry about assholes opinions and just keep reading what you enjoy.
People who shame others for what they read aren’t cool people who read cool books they’re just snobby jerks.
I won’t sit here and act like Shakespeare and Proust and stuff don’t have a lot of literary and historical value, but you’re not cooler or smarter than anyone else because you’re sitting at the coffee shop reading Nietzsche. In fact if the only reason you’re reading Nietzsche is because you want to be cool and smart for reading Nietzsche you’re gonna be a huge dork. Read whatever you want. People might judge you, although most probably don’t give a fuck, but if they do, they’re the losers for judging someone for reading what they want. And they’re probably enjoying reading less than you, because they’re reading stuff to look cool and smart, vs reading what they want.
It’s good to push your boundaries and read challenging stuff or works to try to learn something new from them. But it should be an organic and wholesome desire to learn and not a superficial reason to look cool. I may suggest some nonfiction about interesting shit and maybe narrative style so you’re still technically “learning” but it’s fun too.
If you enjoy them then they’re worthwhile books. Read what you like and don’t worry about other people’s dumb opinions.
Anyone who insults your taste in books is a snob. Please ignore them.
Please read Jim butcher’s other books, the Codex alera series, and the Cinder spiers series.
One of Jim butcher’s favorite authors is the multiple Hugo Award winner Lois McMaster Bujold. Please read her Vorkosigan Saga series and World of the Five Gods series.
For more urban fantasy, please read the Rivers Of London series, by Ben Aaronovitch.
I would wager that the shamer: 1. doesn’t read much of anything, let alone philosophy or Shakespeare. 2. is miserable. 3. hasn’t read anything weighty since college/university. For classics, try The Count of Monte Cristo or The Odyssey.
Unless you are self-trying to expand your horizons, the question should be: why should I change my taste in books?
I don’t think it’s cool to shame other peoples’ taste. You can read whatever you want. However, if you do want to read something less popcorny, do not jump straight to Proust. These “heavy duty” classics are usually rather long and have winding descriptions and can be sooo boring in comparison to fast-paced fiction like Dresden Files. Try reading equally fast-paced modern classics like The Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Book Thief, Cloud Atlas, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, All The Light We Cannot See, etc. Maybe try Oprah’s book club list. If you are ok with longer and less “action-filled” books you can then try something like Balzac.
Tell them to shut it. Read whatever you want. If you like Shakespeare, great throw him in there – but if it feels like a slog, why do it? Reading anything is better than reading nothing.
Don’t even try to *read* Shakespear in my opinion. Go for the performances. Some that I would recommend:
Ran, Throne of Blood, The Bad Sleep Well – King Lear, Macbeth, and Hamlet as samurai movies. They don’t use the Shakespearean language, but being foreign language films, Kurosawa is considered highbrow. (And being Kurosawa, they are amazing films)
Hamlet (2000) – Hamlet as a corporate thriller with Ethan Hawke. It is a time capsule of a movie
Romeo + Juliet – No one has captured the vibe of the play as well as Baz Luhrman. Ever. Watch Leguizamo’s performance and see how hard Hollywood dropped the ball when it came to his talents and screen presence.
Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999) – Set in ‘Tuscany’ with Stanly Tucci, Callista Flockhart, Christian Bale, and Kevin Kline. Charming and cozy
Titus – Titus Andronicus with Anthony Hopkins. A blood-soaked revenge fever dream with all the content warnings
Much Ado About Nothing (1993) – with Denzel Washington and baby Keanu Reeves. A rom-com of manners. Frothy, fun, and one of my top 5 Michael Keaton performances
King of Texas – King Lear as a Western with Patrick Stewart. Nowhere near as good as the above movies, but it’s such a weird series of choices that I can’t help but like it
All the cool authors you mention write in a very different style and subject matter than what you currently read. It will be hard to jump from where you are now to reading the cool authors.
One suggestion is to start reading books in between popcorn and cool. (Comment section help me think of titles and authors here 😹) This way it’s a transition from easy reads to more difficult ones, and you’re less likely to burn out due to going too big too soon.
I also find that learning about a subject makes it easier to appreciate it. Maybe learning about these cool authors, the world they lived in, why they wrote how they did, would give context to their writings. Which could make their writings more approachable or relevant to you