Reading in Public No. 12: Why I like reading books I don't love
In last week’s In Summation newsletter, I shared that while creating my Paperback Summer Reading Guide, I realized that I am quite good at selecting books to read that I know I’m going to like. I also realized that I don’t need or even want to exclusively read books I love. I read for many reasons—yes, a big one is finding books that will I adore, books that consume me, books that will be forever favorites. But I’ve rarely felt like reading a book I didn’t enjoy was a waste of time, and over my years of reading, I’ve found that I crave an eclectic reading life, including reading books that aren’t necessarily just right for me.
I recognize that this is a personal preference, a privilege of getting to read so many books each year, and quite likely an unpopular opinion. In the book space, we often hear that we should DNF with abandon because life is too short to read books that aren’t for us. Or that we shouldn’t yuck other readers’ yums by being critical of books outside our wheelhouses (@thestackspod shared some great insights on negative reviews recently). I don’t disagree with the advice to DNF—slogging through books you hate is a great way to stop reading entirely—but that advice isn’t always right for my reading life.
I’m certainly not here to convince anyone that they should read books they don’t enjoy! Of course, I too read for the love of books and the pure pleasure of a fantastic work of fiction, and that remains the biggest reason I read. But there are many other reasons I engage with books and sometimes that means reading books that aren’t perfect fits for me. I read to engage with trends across time, to learn about history and unfamiliar places, to challenge my perspective, and to be part of the conversation.
I get all of that and so much more out of picking up books that might not be “for me,” so here is a non-comprehensive list of what I get out of reading books I don’t love.
13 things I get from reading books I don’t love
A non-comprehensive list
A further understanding of my own taste.
Books I can recommend to readers whose tastes differs from mine.
Practice engaging in criticism.
Practice writing thoughtful, helpful negative reviews.
Rich conversations with other readers.
The possibility of surprise.
A deeper understanding of genres.
Knowledge of publishing, marketing, and readership trends.
An appreciation for the vast variety of reading opinions and preferences.
The pure fun of eye rolls and side-eye.
Getting to see connections between books I do love and those I don’t.
An appreciation for the way different authors approach similar topics differently.
The chance to develop an acquired taste.
This last point is the only one I want to develop further today, because I think it’s the most important to me and the biggest reason I would advocate for reading books you don’t enjoy (if I were ever going to advocate for it 😉). I really believe that some reading tastes are acquired and that my appreciation of a wider and wider range of literature is because I continue to read books that aren’t “right for me.” And this is not necessarily about high brow books or experimental fiction! For me, romance has been an acquired taste. The more I read in the genre, the more I learn about what I like and the greater appreciation I have for what the genre is doing.
So continue to DNF with abandon! Don’t pick up books you know won’t work for you! But if you, like me, enjoy engaging with books you don’t enjoy, that’s okay too. I’m going to keep reading what I want for my own reading reasons, and I hope you will too!
I’d love to know some of the reasons you read and if you too enjoy reading books you don’t love. Tell me in the comments why you read and if there’s anything you find valuable in reading books that aren’t perfect fits for you!
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-Sara
"Why I read" is such a hard question to answer... because for me, it's a necessity for a full life! I do love other people's stories; I'm a school social worker, and I've learned EVERYONE has a story and something to teach us. Reading give me empathy and compassion and teaches me about all kinds of topics and places and people I would otherwise never experience. I also really get a lot out of "mirror books". I have suffered 4 major losses of people I love over the last 3 years, and this year, books featuring grief as a major plot point have done more to help me process and examine my experience and feelings than therapy could have!
I do not, however, enjoy reading books I don't like- mainly because there are too many I do and not enough time as is to get to them all! I do like reading negative reviews though from other readers whose tastes I'm familiar with. These often give me insight into books and authors that help me curate my TBR. I do sometime enjoy hearing or reading author interviews about books I may not want to read or that didn't like, however. I still appreciate the craft and often find the stories about the inspiration for books and the writing process very interesting- there are couple of authors I adore whose books I didn't enjoy at all!
I read to escape into a life different from my own, to admire the craft of writing, and to learn something. Lately, the escapist aspect has been the strongest! I used to always finish each book I started, but now I am more willing to DNF. Like others said, if I dislike the book I am reading so much that I am not reading at all, then I stop. If I read a negative review from someone I trust, I probably won't pick that book up. That being said, I definitely stick with books I don't particularly like if I find them compelling for some reason. Mrs. March comes to mind. I am definitely a mood reader, so if I pick up a book and it isn't working for me, I may try it again at a different time. I also finally decided that I don't HAVE to read all of the buzzy books that others like. (I sometimes think I am the only romance reader in the known universe who doesn't love Emily Henry's books.) My FOMO is strong, though, so I'll probably end up reading her latest. Anyway.