Up Close and (un)Conventional – Before PNR

Posted 6 January, 2017 by Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Discussion Posts / 48 Comments

Up Close and (un)Conventional - (un)Conventional Bookviews

Up Close and (un)Conventional Before PNR

Welcome my first Up Close and (un)Conventional of 2017. This is where I discuss both things that have to do with reading and blogging, and things that just have to do with life in general. This week, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about what a book snob I used to be… Way back when (hehe, actually, not that far back.) At first, it was because I only read ‘serious’ literature, big names who had won literary prices, classic literature, and some contemporary authors, but only those who wrote about realistic themes and subjects.

Books - before PNR

Then, I discovered romance novels after my first child was born. And that was when I started to feel how other people kind of judge us based on our reading material. I can’t promise I never did that myself, but I don’t think that I did. And I always try to be openminded about reading now. No matter what people read, as long as they read something, right? Then, apart from Anne Rice’s Vampire Diaries, I hadn’t read any novels with any kind of paranormal creatures in them. That all changed in 2009, when I read Twilight before letting my daughter read it (and watch the movie)… A whole new universe of books opened to me! Actually, more than one world was suddenly there for me to discover! Shifters, vampires, aliens, robots… and thus, my genre preferences were expanded so many times.

Of course, now, it makes me laugh a little bit how naïve I was back then when it came to reading. However, I’m ever grateful to myself for not being afraid of trying new things! Now, there is no limit to the books I can read – nothing is out of reach when it comes to imaginary friends and foes. And age is no hinderance, either. I enjoy Young and New Adult just as much as I do the more mature reads, and expanding my reading horizons have also helped me expand my actual horizons! I have met bookish people from all over the world thanks to Goodreads and blogs. People of all walks of life, of every ethnicity and nationality, of different ages, and who have one important thing in common – the love of books and reading. And really, when it comes to paranormal romance, there just is no limit! So many authors have made their own claim on the genre, and I am still somehow surprised when picking up a new take on those creatures and the world they evolve in.

Were you more restricted in your genres before? Has blogging and meeting many other booklovers online (or off) helped you expand your reading horizons as well?

 

Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.

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48 responses to “Up Close and (un)Conventional – Before PNR

  1. Xxertz
    Twitter:

    Do people in blogging judge you for reading romance? I understand how easily it happens outside of blogging, but I want to believe bloggers are less judg-y about it. I feel a stigma ( or embarrassment) because I read a lot of YA, but I get embarrassed very easily. Blogging is the only reason I discovered I enjoyed it ?

    Xxertz recently posted: New Year Resolutions, here I come.
    • No, other bloggers do not seem judgey at all to me – no matter what we all read 🙂 It does happen out in the real world, though – and maybe more so because I’ve almost finished my Master’s degree in English language and literature – co-students have a lot of trouble understanding why I want to read something that’s not a classic 😀
      I love reading in any genre and age-group, though, and I have grown to have enough confidence to not let what other people think mess with my enjoyment 🙂

  2. Actually I think I’m more narrow in my reading preferences now than I used to be, but not because I’m worried about people judging me, simply because I know what I like now. I can’t say I’ve ever worried about what people thought when it came to what I read though. I think everyone should read whatever they want without shame 🙂

    Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight recently posted: Book Review: Shadows of Humanity (The Immortal Coil Book 2) by J. Armand
    • That’s great, too, Kristen! Knowing what you like and where you can find the most enjoyment in your reading is definitely important. I don’t think I ever cared all that much about the judgement, I just noticed it. And I still notice it now – it’s like a forty-something woman with a degree ‘shouldn’t’ read those kinds of books. And then I just laugh and ask them how many they’ve read, and if they have any idea about how well world-building and character development are done 😀
      And I agree with you – we should all be able to read whatever we want, without anyone trying to shame us for it 🙂

  3. Great topic, Lexxie!

    You have me thinking back. I’ve always been a reader from a family of readers. I didn’t feel people judged me so much for what I read so much as that I actually voluntarily picked up a book and read. I had coworkers who accused me of judging them for reading romance simply b/c I didn’t spend much time talking about books. I thought this was hilarious b/c I’ve been reading romance since I was a teen.
    As to changing, yes, my habits and tastes have altered in the sense that I’ve expanded what I’ll read. Some of that, I think, is because books are more available and I have more sources (go book bloggers!!!!) to discover what books are out there nowadays.

    Sophia Rose recently posted: .99 cent SALE for ONCE PERFECT #Excerpt
    • Oh when I was a kid, I guess I was a nerd before there were nerds 😀 Always with a book in my backpack, and for our big recess, I would read more often than not 🙂
      That’s funny, that you had co-workers thinking you looked down on them because they read romance, when you were just not talking about books at all… Maybe they were used to feeling judged so much, they were actually judging you before you could do it to them?
      My tastes have altered since I started blogging, too, Sophia. There are so many different genres and sub-genres I didn’t even know existed, and that is so exciting!

  4. Berls
    Twitter:

    Ha! It’s so hard to imagine YOU being a book snob! You read EVERYTHING! But I have no doubt that you NEVER looked down on others for their reading choices. It’s not in you to be that way, of that I’m sure.

    I’ve never been a book snob, but I did use to stay away from anything remotely paranormal. I know, right? Me? The lover of PNR and UF above all else. But I didn’t stay away from it because I didn’t like it. I stayed away from it because my parents were super religious and when I read my first fantasy book (I was like 8) and it kept me up all night so I could finish it (I loved it that much!) my dad told me it was because it had magic in it and it was from the Devil. The Devil had kept me up all night and that was why I couldn’t put it down. Well, as an 8 year old. That scared the shit out of me! It wasn’t until Harry Potter, which I started when I was about 21, that I dove back into fantasy worlds.

    You’ve just inspired a Fun Questions post – if you don’t mind me jumping off of your post! Happy Friday ! {Hugs}

    • LOL, NOW I read everything, and I’m always happy when I see other people reading, too! I don’t think I was ever judgey towards other people, because you’re right, I just don’t really act that way. 🙂
      Oh my gosh, Berls, that would have scared the crap out of me, too! I am so sorry you were led to believe the devil was hiding between the pages of your book, and that this was why you had stayed up reading all night… And I’m very glad you don’t feel that way anymore.
      Of course you can jump off my post! I can’t wait to see what your fun questions post will be like!!
      Have a fantastic Friday yourself. {{{HUGS}}}

  5. You read so many different genres, it’s hard to imagine you ever didn’t. I still have fond memories of Twilight for that exact same reason as it also was the book that led me to reading more genres.

    When i was a kid I actually read a lot of genres and then once I became a teenager I mostly stuck with High and epic fantasy and basically didn’t think anything else would catch my attention. The one day I saw someone reading twilight in the lunchroom on my work and it looked interesting, so I decided to look it up. The bookstore only had an english copy left (all the dutch copies were sold out) and the seller encouraged me to read it in the original language if I could. And so I did.

    I loved that book and it marked the moment after which I started reading more genres and english books instead of dutch. After that I read many more genres. Nowadays I read almost every genre as long as the book sounds good. I still can’t believe I stuck to reading one genre for so long, it’s no wonder I eventually got burned out with as I was reading the same genre for years. But I am glad that lead me to discover twilight and become more open to reading other genres.

    • I read almost all the Nancy Drew novels one summer, and the one after, I read a lot of Agatha Christie. Then, I got to reading more literary acclaimed novels, and found that to be really nice. Now, I still do read some classics and those novels that may win the pulitzer prize, but I also enjoy the more fantastical tales I find in paranormal and urban fantasy.
      It’s great that Twilight also opened you up to reading more in English, Lola! I used to read a lot in Norwegian and French, but now, I read most in English. If I read a Norwegian or French-speaking author, I’ll read in the original language, though, as I agree with the person who sold you the Twilight copy – original language is really better in many ways. Something is always ‘lost’ in translation, it seems.
      I’m glad we both are open to reading more genres, I think it really helps to open our minds!
      Thanks for stopping by, Lola 🙂

  6. I’m not a big reader of the paranormal romance and I never touch contemporary romance but I find it distasteful when I see fans of the genres being told on Goodreads or bookcrossing to read ‘proper books’ and treated as if they are dumb. It’s rude and bitchy and I see it way too often for my liking. Thinking it is one thing-we all have opinions on everything after all, but contacting strangers to lecture them on what they read is just horrible. I like to see people reading for fun whatever the genre they pick and everyone should be allowed to read what they enjoy in peace. I get stick for loving my zombies sometimes and I just tell those people where they can go! Book sites and years of reading experience led me to try all kinds of genres but I mostly stick with my favourites now, though I’ll read anything that grabs my attention even if its a genre I don’t normally favour. I like your honesty about your changing views Lexxie, and it’s a great post!

    • Oh my gosh, those who think ‘proper’ books is only one thing are so annoying, Chuckles! I really don’t understand why someone feels the need to go tell strangers on the internet that they’re reading wrong :O We are reading, and no matter what we read, we do get to live for a while in someone else’s shoes. And those shoes can be comfortable or not. And they can be scary to walk in, or not… I don’t read a lot of zombie novels, but that doesn’t mean I’m not open to them at all. I just haven’t found that many that appeal to me.
      I totally get why you wouldn’t want to read contemporary romance, even if I enjoy those a lot 🙂 They can be a little cheesy sometimes, but often, they also make me think a lot about things.
      Thanks for stopping by to comment today!

  7. My genres have always changed around from year to year but I always seem to fall back on mystery/suspense and horror with a bit of historical romance thrown in. I have been that way since I was a teen. I actually discovered a love of classics after watching some movies that mentioned certain novels. 🙂 You Got Mail mentioned Pride and Prejudice so I had to try it…lol. Renaissance Man was about a guy teaching some misfits Hamlet and I had to go out and read it myself. 🙂

    Stormi Johnson recently posted: Review of Stalked
    • Now you made me want to check statistics of what genres I have read more or less of in a given year, Stormi. I’m pretty sure it’s not always the same, you know? Some years it’s been very heavy on the paranormal, whereas in others, there has been horror or mystery rather than anything romantic…
      I love that some of your classics have been discovered through movies! That just shows that we can cross over between different media as well 🙂

  8. Over the holiday, our guests looked at my bookshelf and said, “boy you read a lot of romance.” This was intended at a cut, but then I looked closely at my shelf–it is overwhelming urban fantasy, fantasy, horror, historical mysteries, suspense, and thrillers with a few romances. So I turned to them and said, “Well I can tell you aren’t readers of fiction, this bookshelf contains very little romance. However feel free to view my library downstairs, you’ll find plenty. ” @uck um, I am not ashamed of anything I read.

    kimbacaffeinate recently posted: The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian
    • I wonder what I’ll say when I’ll get a comment like that on my shelves, Kim… We haven’t had guests over since I got new shelves, and now, by books are much easier to see – and there’s really a bit of everything here… From Shakespeare to Reisz, the Brontë sisters to Charlaine Harris etc 😀 It shall be fun to see what people will zero in on 😀
      I guess some non-readers think the UF covers (especially the ones with kick-ass ladies on the cover) look like romance? Not sure 😀
      I’m not ashamed either – I love all my books 🙂

    • It’s great when we manage to try something that is new to us, and then that just opens up a whole new world of possibilities, right?
      And it’s OK that you don’t enjoy YA contemporary, it’s not like you’ve never read one, and just ‘think’ you don’t like them 🙂

  9. I was DEFINITELY more restricted in what I read but now I read much more widely. Plus a lot of YA stuff! And I have to say meeting so many bloggers and readers has expanded my horizon so much when it comes to reading. There a re a lot of books I would have missed!

    Greg recently posted: Bookcover Spotlight #82
    • Yeah, if it wasn’t for Twilight and my daughter wanting to read it – and my need to check it first – I don’t think I’d have gone online to find other adults who had loved it. Which then led me to a fantastic group of women I’m still in touch with. And they helped me discover Goodreads, which led me to blogs and blogging 🙂
      I wold have so missed out on books without the blogging community, too, Greg. Which is one reason why I’m so thankful for it.

  10. You expanded your horizons a bit before I did, wifey. While I did read some romance from my mom’s shelf as a teenager, once I graduated high school, it was all about literary fiction for me. I didn’t read anything outside of that. Then, as you know, I read a series you’ve heard of…Twilight…also because my older daughter wanted to read it. 🙂 And from there, I dove into everything. I read everything YA, PRN, and UF I could get my hands on. And working in a bookstore, I am privy to a lot of judgement concerning what people read. But I’m with you, as long as they’re reading, I don’t care what it is!
    I’m so happy we both stepped out of our comfort zones with reading…and then got into blogging. We’re a match!! lol
    Happy Friday, my darling! **Kisses, Hugs, and LOVE**

    Bookworm Brandee recently posted: #COYER Review ~ Alex ~ Sawyer Bennett
    • *grins* You and I are a match made in heaven, Brandee! And I am so happy I started blogging so that I could find you. My life would definitely be less without you in it <3
      I want to keep stepping out of my comfort zones so that I can keep discovering new worlds and new characters through literature, too. It's so amazing all the things we can discover, and all the feelings we can feel without actually having to live through some things ourselves 😀
      I bet you see a lot of judgement regarding what people read. And that just makes me sad. The important thing is to read - no matter what!

    • Oh, I’ve had periods when I hardly read anything at all, too. As you, when my children were young and I had a lot of work as well. I think I was so wrung out I couldn’t take the mental work it is to read a book.
      I love that you’ve always had a rather eclectic tastes in books 🙂 It is definitely eye-opening to read about things we’ve never experienced.

  11. Most people don’t judge me for what i read, more that I do read. Like I am wasting my time or say it must be nice to have time in the day to read. Well I make time. I remember my first Romance. I was 17 and my mom had a book in her draw, a romance novel, I asked if I could read it and was totally hooked. It was the novels with the sexy covers, I was so embarrased to read them in public but eventually got over it 🙂 Now the covers are even worse and I show those off to anyone that wanted to see them. 🙂
    My taste changes all the time but I do think I was more selective when I was younger. Reading Point Horror books as a teen and Historical Romance as an adult, it wasn’t until Harry Potter that my love for books expanded into trying out anything. MG books are totally not off limits to me, I love those. Even chapter books I will read. Sometimes you need those “as far away from real life books” to me they are relaxing.

    Michelle @Because Reading recently posted: My To-Be Read List ~ Lets Vote ~ Jan 2017
    • Yeah, like, how do they have time to hang out for two hours over coffee with their friends? Or how do they find the time to watch seven TV shows every week? Heh… we just spend our free time a little differently is all 😉
      Oh those sexy covers! I was just over at your to be read list, and you have some definite eye-candy over there, Michelle! Yum <3
      I just read whatever people put in my hands when I was younger, and that was a lot of detective stories, plus some Norwegian and Swedish authors I still have a very big place in my heart for 🙂
      You're right, too, sometimes, we just need something that is about aliens or dinosaurs to take us completely out of reality for a little while 🙂

  12. Great post Lex! Loved it! I think we all have our snob reader moments! LOL

    I often say on my posts and reviews that I read “dark and edgy” [which is true] and “roll my eyes” and joke about not being a “romance reader” [which I am tough!!!] and make fun of the “shirtless guys” covers but I just do it for the sake of joking, and “stirring up the pot” and get people talking.

    I have come out of the closet and confess my romance reader life many times. 🙂

    Last night went through ALL the books on the HUGE pile on my nightstand, most of them Fantasy/Sci-fi of course. I read all first pages and NONE caught my attention. Reading slump alert! I started to panic. So what do I always do when I feel it creeping on me? SHIRTLESS GUY BOOK!

    Michelle got me reading Tyrant right now with her updates on GR 🙂

    So matter how much I joke about it I LOVE reading romance. Even about sparkling vampires which I use to tease Kristen about all the time. Despised all the teasing, I LOVED Twilight. One of my few rereads.

    I loved your first post. Keep them coming please!

    Dragonfly recently posted: Book Review: The Unbecoming of Maya Dyer
  13. It’s always fun to read dark and edgy, but really? You enjoy teasing us romance lovers? :p I had never noticed that about you at all, Daniela!
    I’m just so happy there are so many different genres out there! It’s so much fun to pick up a book and be transported to a world that is completely different from ours, and to discover new species of something that could be human, and see how their interactions are close to ours 😉

    • oh yeah!!!! EVERY TIME I post a romance post I go about how I AM NOT A ROMANCE READER and joke about it : P

      I’m actually trying to figure out how to post my romance reviews on my family blog. Mostly concerned about books like the Original Sinners series because my kids and my elders read my blog often LOL!

      is snowing and I want to get to Tyrant so I’m being a lazy blogger today I’m actually using your post and my comment to set up the Sunday Post 😉 😀 😛

      Thanks for the inspiraton Lex! You will properly featured and linked of course 🙂

      • LOL 🙂 And yeah, I’m so happy I have a pseudonym for my blogging activities! The Original Sinners series is one reason! I teach in high school, and it just wouldn’t do for my students to read my review about how hot Søren is, even if he is also scary as all hell… And it’s none of their business, either, so yeah. Your kids reading about Søren, Nora and King might be a bit strange, too. You should have kept your book blog open a little longer, I guess… Or maybe review those books only on Goodreads or Booklikes? I don’t know.
        😀
        Have fun with your Sunday Post <3

  14. I’ve done some limiting in my reading before. I know as a young teenager I read books that I was required to for school (Where the Red Fern Grows, White Fang, etc) and I know I read The Outsiders. I’m sure I read other books for this age group, I just don’t remember them. Then I started reading Stephen King when I was like 12. Then when I was in high school, I read Interview with a Vampire before the movie came out. I stuck with Anne Rice until I was out of college (I didn’t read much then). Then I picked up Anita Blake, Bitten, Twilight, Mercy Thompson (all in one vacation week at the cabin). That is when I really started to read like I do now. I stayed strictly paranormal for a long time. I don’t remember what was the first romance I read that wasn’t paranormal, but I started reading more romantic suspense, some more contemporary stuff (Tiffany Reisz mostly) and some darker stuff (Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty series, Kitty Thomas and Skye Warren). I’m still in mostly those same genres. I rarely venture out of PNR, UF, Fantasy, Horror, Romantic Suspense, some darker romances. I keep saying that I’m going to try more contemporary, but the pull of these other genres just keeps me busy. Very interesting topic.

    • Yeah, I read books required for school, too, but I think we had quite a bit of choice, even when it came to the classics (Norwegian authors, of course) as long as we covered at least one novel per time period. And that helped a lot! Stephen King was an author I really enjoyed reading before – now, his books scare me too much…
      I haven’t read the Sleeping Beauty series, but I do have it on my kindle, somewhere, do you think I’d enjoy it? Tiffany Reisz is awesome, isn’t she? I found lots of novellas and short stories on her website yesterday that I hadn’t read yet, and stayed up way too late reading them 😀 *sighs* Søren….
      As long as the pull of the genres you prefer continues to be strong, I don’t really see a reason for you to change. The important thing is to be able to read and not feel like you’ve read it all, in a way. And switching genres certainly helps me with that 🙂

  15. We have to admit– there are a small handful of judgemental bloggers out there who are rather snobbish towards genre readers, dabble in classics and literary fiction, and don’t care for any other discussions. I’ve lurked on their blogs, but kept moving. Thankfully, the vast majority of us appreciate reading in every form, from children’s books to erotica… and everything in between.

    I used to only read mysteries and suspense. The furthest off track I got was picking up a Dean Koontz book or two, and Rosemary Rogers romances back in my twenties. My first book blog was only geared towards suspense and thrillers. But when I joined the blogging community full-tilt, I was exposed to so many various titles that it was like opening a treasure chest of goods, and I didn’t look back.

    Yes, I still read predominantly mysteries, suspense and the like. But I like to think of myself as eclectic, since I also read cozies, small-town contemporaries, memoirs, fantasy, etc. As a matter of fact, I feel like my blog suffers a bit from this, because folks who have a mainly one-genre blog appeal to readers who share that interest, and followers gravitate towards the expected genre. But I don’t mind– I just follow my heart, and my mood.

    Thanks for this interesting discussion! I don’t read much PNR or UF, but that doesn’t stop me from lurking here and reading your posts, and now I’m following you because… who knows… I might discover some titles here I will fall in love with! As a reader, I’m always evolving.

    Rita @ View From My Books recently posted: My Weekly Update & Thoughts 1/6/17
    • I don’t think I’ve encountered any bloggers who have judged me based on what I read, but I believe you that they exist, Rita. I think that as I get older, I care less and less what other people might think of my reading choices (and many other choices I make in my life, frankly), and I don’t want to spend my time on negative stuff, so I tend to not even notice some things that others do notice.
      I do love reading mystery and suspense, even if I very often read those with at least a dash of romance as well 😀 And I need to check out your blog – can’t let you suffer from expanding your horizons when it comes to reading, now, can we?
      And I don’t think I read more PNR or UF than other genres, so please don’t be shy about lurking or butting in with comments whenever you feel like it! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

  16. I read a bit more “seriously” when I was younger as well, but now I find that I prefer fantasy (which I always loved, even when I was younger), paranormal and YA (pretty much any genre). It’s funny how that works, but I think as I’ve gotten older, I actually prefer my reading to be a bit more escapist. I’m fine with that since I am spending time doing something I love!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction recently posted: Why Does Technology Scare Me So? Let’s Discuss!
    • It’s really great to me that YA is read by so many adults, Nicole. I think there is a lot to be explored in a ‘coming of age’ story, because the character(s) are at the beginning of everything, and anything can happen 🙂
      Escapist books is all good – I read mostly depending on my mood, and while I enjoy realistic fiction, the books that carry me far away are somehow the ones I end up reading more of, too.

  17. To some extent I do limit my genres, but not completely. I’ve tried all sorts of things and just lean toward the ones I find most enjoyable. My whole goal for reading is to get away from what is reported on the news daily. I handle physical reality in the real world and want my books (and movies) to take me away to another world. Sometimes the world is not better (as in the Hunger Games or The Fault in Our Stars) but written in such a way as to help me better deal with my own world.

    I’m sorry to say I still refer to many romances as “bodice busters,” but I don’t judge those who enjoy reading them. Like you said, “as long as they are reading something.” Everyone has their own preference of what they enjoy reading: newspaper, magazine, journal, comic book, graphic novel, etc. If it is exciting to them – cool!

    I’ve always leaned toward cozy mysteries, fantasy, science fiction, and classic fiction. Meeting different readers has expanded my author selections. Chatting regularly with a certain book club made me aware of so many great realms to visit. 😉

    Unfortunately for my professors, I’ve never enjoyed deconstructing an author’s story to look for symbolism and underlying themes or messages. [Although, I’ve found some authors these things jump off the page for me to see.] That naivete helps me defend books others like to condemn or to fully immerse myself in the workings of the world the author has created.

    Reading to me is like a vacation or staycation (I really do not like that word). I may be stuck in Pennsylvania in 20__, but I can still visit places like Scotland, Ireland, California, etc. in my books.

    Happy reading, all!

    Xyra recently posted: Belated Blogiversary
    • See, I do that too, Xyra. I do tend to read more in some genres than others, but that has to do with preference and mood more than being a snob now. And I think it’s great that you like expanding your reading horizons, even if you have some favorites.

      I do enjoy a good critical read every now and then, but reading for my own pleasure, I don’t tend to do that very much. I will still find some strong symbols – if they are ‘jumping out at me’ – but I tend to just be immersed in a story if it’s good 😉

      And yeah, visiting Scotland, Ireland, the Colorado Mountains etc through books is definitely a pleasure 🙂

  18. oh what a great post you have here!!! I have to agree that my reading tastes have changed over the years as the romance genre has grown. I remember when I only read historical romance, because that was really the only genre of romance out there. Then more in Contemporary and that is when PNR was born and I was HOOKED!! I used to worry so much over what others may think about my reading, but now I don’t because I LOVE what I read and I am not ashamed of it.

    • I don’t really remember ever actually worrying about what others might think about my reading, but I did notice the judgey stares every now and then. I think it’s fantastic that we have so much choice now, and like you, I do enjoy a little romance no matter what book I pick up 😀

  19. I never read before I got into blogging/the bookish community because I didn’t want to read adult books (bored the hell out of me) and the YA selection wasn’t what it was back in the day. Now it is awesome. So, the community helped me find some wonderful books, and I am thankful for them.

    • I’m happy you found the blogging community and YA then, Lyn! I think sometimes, too, reading for school can kill our pleasure a little bit. I try to include one contemporary novel each year for my students – If I Stay has been a big success with them 😀
      I’m thankful for you and the rest of the blogging community, too, Lyn! I have discovered so many new to me authors and my shelves will never be empty 🙂

  20. I started reading horror and then found my way into romance so I’ve never been a book snob but I have experienced the snobbery. Oh have I ever. I remember sticking book covers over my books in high school and later when my kids were little so I wouldn’t have to deal with the “what are you reading?” followed by a “she’s a weirdo” or the “snooty” face. Now I don’t give a crap.

    Laurie @ Bark's Book Nonsense recently posted: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
  21. I was introduced to a range of literature when I was young so I never really had a kind of block on what I thought I should and shouldn’t read, but that did leave me to think I was better than other people my age (we’re talking back when I was like 13?) because what other person my age was happy reading King lmao. What a snob.

    I’m glad that’s changed though and I think way better about things. Meeting people through blogging + my online book club has been such a great thing.

    Lauren @ Northern Plunder recently posted: Review: Low, Volume 1: The Delirium of Hope by Rick Remender

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