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Do people judge you?

R

rainlax

New Member
Do you feel like people judge you based on what book you're reading? Sometimes I read some fairly heavy books - I enjoy Tolstoy and other classics as well as non-fiction about war-torn countries and the Holocaust.

But, I also really like a few "fluff" books like the Princess Diaries series. (Yes, I know.) They're just fun to read and after some of the heavy stuff, I kind-of need a break!

I do notice that people react differently depending on which "genre" I'm reading at any given time. I have even gotten varying looks (nods of approval or raised eyebrows) while reading on the bus.

Is it just me? And do YOU judge others depending on what they're reading? (I admit that I do!)
 
Why would you want to read heavy books? Surley a book is only heavy if you are not altogether enjoying reading it.

I would find the Princess Diaries heavy going if I was forced to read them.:)
 
I've always wanted to read Mein Kmapf but if I ever did read it, I'm not sure if I'd read it in public.
 
chris302116 said:
Why would you want to read heavy books? Surley a book is only heavy if you are not altogether enjoying reading it.
Click to expand...

I don't know if you're being facetious or not but I enjoyed Guns, Germs and Steel but found it to be heavy reading. Same thing for Why the Allies Won and Military Blunders.
 
Yes. People do that. i don't know if they do that intentionally or not. They try to figure out what kind of a person you are depending on the books you read.

Maybe I do that a little too but i try not to.
 
I think all people are judgmental whether they think so or want to admit it. Of course some are more so than others but you can't help forming an opinion on what someone's reading.

I also have found myself not taking a book in public because I'm not sure what others will think, sometimes due to the book's content, sometimes it's title but often because of it's cover, if I don't like it's cover I'll read it at home. I volunteer every week at my library and so I also sometimes want to check a book out but don't because I wonder what they'll think:eek:
 
sparkchaser said:
I don't know if you're being facetious or not but I enjoyed Guns, Germs and Steel but found it to be heavy reading. Same thing for Why the Allies Won and Military Blunders.
Click to expand...

Well, am I being facetious? Maybe, but I am still making a serious point.

To me books are books, words on paper, whether it's Tolstoy's words or Dan Brown's words. What someone enjoys, someone else won't. The word 'fluff' is being used in an almost put down way.

If I find a book hard going I will stop reading it. It must not be for me or it's the authors fault for writing it in such a way as to make it hard going for the reader. :)
 
I see what you're saying. If I say a book is heavy reading, I mean that it is either fairly technical or demands attention to detail.
 
chris302116 said:
Why would you want to read heavy books? Surley a book is only heavy if you are not altogether enjoying reading it.
Click to expand...

For me a book can be heavy is two different ways.

The first is sheer poundage. When the book is difficult to drag around and dangerous if you drop it on your foot, it is heavy.

Other heavy books require concentration and a will to continue, but reward the effort. Is it "fun" to sweat on the tennis court? Not exactly, but it can feel good afterwards, especially if you win. I have an egotistical need to prevail over certain difficult texts. They are heavy for me, but I like the challenge of carrying them.
 
I read romance novels so I know I am judged. It doesn't really bother me, especially since I tend to read all over the place without being confined to a single genre. I like what I like, so there! :p

I try not to judge, but sometimes it can't be helped.
 
I think people do judge you when you read outside your home. The more provocative book, the more they judge you.
I just noticed this while reading a book by the finnish author Kreetta Onkeli. The name could be translated 'Beige: An Erotic Summer In Helsinki', so I got some pretty weird looks while reading it eventhough it wasn't that erotic. It just sounded bad ^^'
But it doesn't really bother me. I kind of like it when people get shocked over what I read or do :D
 
I think people do judge you by what you read... I try not to do it, I'm just glad to see people reading!!! But I have to admit I'm judgmental about some books, to me they're just a complete waste of time...
 
I used to be quite judgmental about what other people read, specially because here in Portugal most people usually read stuff like Dan Brown. Now I don't care what other people read. I sometimes have an urge to go to them and say "Don't bother" or "That book is quite good", but obviously I never do that.

In what comes to what I read, I don't care about what other people think of me. I'm not obliging anyone to read my book, so what's the problem? So, imagine I decide to read "The Princess Diaries"... people may not be impressed, but I know what I've read in the past. Who cares about their opinion?

Dharma
 
If people have judged me on the books I read, I haven't been aware of it. Not to say it hasn't happened because I'm sure it has plenty of times. Ah well, as long as they don't make their negative observations public . . .

I have had people come up and tell me that they enjoyed a certain author/book. That's always fun.

And yes, I do judge people on the books they read. I've long since given up on trying to put an end to that quirk.
 
I'm pretty sure they do. I read so many different things from Shakespeare to Harry Potter. I will say that I get odder looks when reading Shakepeare than any other book (it is a huge book though). They almost have that "Wow, she must be smart!" look on their faces. It doesn't really bother me except when that look also shows surprise. Apparently being semi-attractive and smart is not a normal combination (at least in the mind of the general public, especially the male version). Others look intimidated and afraid to approach me.

When reading Harry Potter I would get the "aren't you too old to be reading a kid's book?" expression. This didn't bother me either as I'll readily admit to being a huge fan of Spongebob, Foster's, Scooby Doo and other cartoons and kid's shows. I love to laugh.

I really don't think I judge people by what they read. I always like to discuss books and will ask someone if they're enjoying their read no matter what the book. I'm not a huge fan of books on war (the news is depressing enough), but I don't judge someone else for enjoying them. Different strokes for different folks. And, as someone else said, at least they're reading!
 
I just have to answer this thread again since this subject is one that made me nuts on the train this morning.
A man came into the train a bit after me and sat down infront of me and read something with lime-coloured covers.
After awhile he looked at me like I was mad. I hadn't even noticed I was basically lying on the bench with a sour look on my face while trying to find out what he was reading. Still don't know what it was though :confused:
Bet he felt judged for reading the book eventhough I didn't even see what he was reading and couldn't therefore judge his choice in any way.

And now that I think of it, this probably doesn't have anything to do with the whole thread but I'll post this anyway.
 
Not too long ago, I found at my parent's house a few books that I hadn't read since I was very young. They were Superfudge and Are You there God? It's Me, Margaret. I thought they would be amusing to read. You should've seen the looks I got from people when they saw what I was reading. Most of them gave me a sympathetic look that seemed to be saying, "Awwww, you're just learning to read at your age. How sad!" I found it rather amusing.

One lady actually came up to me when she noticed what I was reading, patted me on the shoulder and said, "Better to learn now, then not at all." I smiled and thanked her. Then, I believe I gave her a little shock when I told her that the book was a light bit of reading between stories in my other book and pulled out The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. She looked a bit confounded for a second and very, very uncomfortable. So, I let her off the hook by explaining that I had recently found those old books and thought I'd give them a re-read since I remembered enjoying them so much as a child.
 
I find that most times I get judged when I'm just reading, doesn't really matter what the book is but for the simple fact that I'm sitting on my lunch break and reading.
 
I think I worry about being judged more than I actually am. I like fantasy and I've had people look at me differently when I tell them. The one time I'm most self-conscious of what I'm reading is when I'm checking things out at the library. I always wonder what the librarian is thinking of my selection.

Because I know how many books I read and the wide range of genres and authors, I don't usually judge others by what they're reading.
 
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