Don’t judge a book by its cover
When I say, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” I’m not talking about gravitating towards books with an aesthetic pastel graphic design on their cover and diligently avoiding those with shirtless men plastered across the front. I’m talking about not judging other people for the books they choose to read.
Taking rigorous academic English/literature courses my whole life has instilled in me and many others an attitude of intellectualism. We spend years reading classic literature in English class and the idea that the books we read indicate how well educated we are is gradually ingrained in us. Upon college application season last fall, I was repeatedly asked in essay prompts and interview questions about my favorite books. I found myself worrying about whether the books I genuinely enjoy seemed intellectual and impressive enough to the colleges I applied to.
Despite how much I value learning, I firmly believe that the books you read outside of the classroom just for fun, should truly be for fun. So often genres such as romance, young adult (YA), fantasy and contemporary fiction are looked down upon because they are not explicitly academic. I mean, reading books with titles like Un-Honeymooners or The Love Hypothesis does not exactly demonstrate intellectual prowess.
However, after a long day of classes and midterms, I’m definitely not inclined to pick up some Fruedian theory for light reading. Personally, I am looking for something that is an escape from reality, entraining or endearing. In the past, I have found that forcing myself to read something for the appearance (to seem smart, or even worse, for the “aesthetic”) is not productive. When I’m not genuinely excited about a book, a reading slump ensues. While it can take me months to get through a 100 page classic, I can devour a good YA novel in days.
My intention is not to shame those who prefer to read Tolstoy and Shakespeare in their free time, or who find pleasure in critical theory or classic academia. And there is of course value in reading educational books and exposing yourself to new ideas to exploring new topics. My point is simply that you should not force yourself to read books you don’t enjoy just for the outward appearances. Regardless of the content of the book, reading anything (yes, even total fluff) is better than not reading at all. Reading consistently improves your memory, vocabulary, empathy, sleep readiness and stress levels.
I am always wondering when people tell me that they don’t like to read, whether they are just reading the wrong books. Maybe if there wasn’t so much judgment and comparison in what people read, more people would be able to enjoy it. Let’s stop using our bookshelf as another prop in our performance of intellect and instead start reading just for fun. So, if you find yourself staring at someone else’s bookshelf (or Goodreads), don’t be so quick to judge the books – and the person – by their covers.