Read Whatever You Want

John Guillen30 Comments

One of the things people really like doing here on WordPress is recommending and/or asking for book recommendations. And then you have people like me (no, I’m not the only one) who do neither of these two things. No asking for reading recommendations and no taking them. But I think my group is lacking in the numbers department.

See, I don’t understand how come everyone who likes reading can’t just read whatever they want. Why does anyone care what somebody thinks of their reading habits? You think I do? Think I care at all what any other person thinks of what I’m currently reading? I don’t. Think I care at all what any other person thinks of the particular genres I enjoy reading? I don’t. Think I care at all what any other person is reading? I don’t. And I don’t understand why everyone else seems to believe otherwise.

For instance, I have my opinions on particular books and have vowed to never read a few titles. Why would what I’m doing have any influence on what you’re doing? Or why should my vocal opinion have any influence on what you’re doing? Neither of them should. Who cares what I think or say? My opinion matters just as much as a stranger’s. Cause that what most people are on WordPress…strangers.

So stop asking other people what you should read next. And stop telling other people what they should read. Every person should read whatever he/she wants to, regardless of what others think.

*drops mic*

 

On this day in 2014 I published Officially Entered Into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.

30 thoughts on “Read Whatever You Want”

  3. Most people either don’t know me well enough to recommend something I’d actually enjoy or they try to force me to like what they like. Not going to happen. I don’t think I’ve truly enjoyed a book someone recommended. Maybe one or two, but I can’t think of any.
    And I don’t recommend books. I’ll recommend movies, but books are a different thing entirely. We’re all so different in our tastes and reading preferences, it’s nearly impossible for me to tell whether someone will like a book I like. I can’t even remember the last book I recommended. Maybe to my sister. But that was over a year ago.
    I’m well able to pick my own books.
    And I find it interesting that, as soon as I say I like to read, people say, ” Oh, you’re a reader? Here’s a book you’ll love!” and they shove the book into my hands. Blech. No thank you.

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  4. I agree to a point, I don’t like when people offer unsolicited recommendations but sometimes I find some of the best unknown books I never would have discovered otherwise.

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    • There are plenty of books that you’ll never discover. Way more than you will. I don’t know that “discovering new books” has anything to do with reading what you want to read rather than what someone else tells you to.

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      • Well I never mindlessly read things just because someone told me to. If I’m at the end of my reading list and a friend who knows my reading habits recommends something I might look into it. I don’t read everything people tell me to but if I find it does look interesting I have read recommendations and usually they turn out to be pretty good. (at least the very few I decide worthy to look into).

        I understand what your saying and do agree that strangers and even fellow wordpress blogger friends probably wont be able to make a good recommendation. But a best friend or close family member might.

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  5. I don’t consider some of my WordPress friends asa strangers because they have somehow touched my life in one way or another. Sometimes I like book recommendations too because I am curious what other people are reading but that doesn’t mean that I go all out and buy a copy. I prefer to discover books on my own.

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      • Hahaha, not always! But if they are good reviews, I do read some of them. We each have our own favorite authors, right? And it does not mean that because the book is popular, one has to go with the flow.

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  7. Reblogged this on Laura Michaela Banse, Author and commented:
    When the Twilight saga came out, I remember a huge uproar over how far from the standard vampire trope Ms. Meyer had deviated. Then, and now I say: who cares if you think it’s garbage, at least people are reading.

    Even my objection to FSOG isn’t that people are reading, but rather that people a) romanticize the abuse, b) think it’s representative of the BDSM community, and c) think the writing is actually good.

    Read whatever you want, don’t worry about the opinions of others.

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  8. I don’ t think READERS care or want to know what book you’re reading—but WRITERS do. And since the vast majority of readers are also writers, it’s in their best interest to know what’s being read.

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