A lot of the sort of rock boys I used to date just didn't read. They'd read magazines, but not books, and certainly never novels. (that said, some rock boys are literate, but I was surprised by how many aren't.)
Also, office people. I work with a lot of people in IT or accountancy. I swear to god, the last bloke I dated, he owned five books - 2 of which were Grisham and 2 Dan Brown. He simply did not read. I could not get my head around it.
My girlfriend in high school was forced to keep her books out of sight because her mother thought they were "messy". They watched TV in her family - even her sci fi/fantasy books were viewed with suspicion.
I kind of take it for granted that people read, because that's the kind of family I come from, and the kind of people that I have for friends. But there are lots of people that simply do not.
It's hard not to make it sound like a value judgement or snobbery, but honestly these people's way of thinking and worldview is so far removed from mine that I've learned not to even contemplate a relationship with someone who doesn't read voraciously. It just doesn't work, it's like you're speaking different languages.
And - again, this is my opinion, not a value judgement - I would never date someone whose only reading material was bestseller standards. I mean, it's one thing to read Harry Potter or Dan Brown as a supplement to a well-rounded reading diet, but quite another if that is the only thing a person reads.
― masonic boom (kate), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 11:42 (seventeen years ago) link
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 11:46 (seventeen years ago) link
-- Andrew Farrell (afarrel...), February 14th, 2007. (afarrell) (later)
HA HA HA!
Srsly Andrew, that's mental talk.
-- accentmonkey (tris...), February 14th, 2007. (accentmonkey) (later)
yeah, really! there's something misaligned in your head/soul, my friend.
― emsk ( emsk ), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 11:50 (seventeen years ago) link
(Hrrmm, now that is one of my biases - I automatically equate "not reading" with "no imagination".)
― masonic boom (kate), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 11:51 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 11:56 (seventeen years ago) link
― masonic boom (kate), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 11:59 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 12:03 (seventeen years ago) link
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 12:05 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 12:06 (seventeen years ago) link
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 12:09 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 12:10 (seventeen years ago) link
― masonic boom (kate), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 12:14 (seventeen years ago) link
I think the only books that could actually put me off someone if they were given to me would be extreme right-wing politics. I don't think I would dump someone just because they had different taste in fiction.
― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 12:16 (seventeen years ago) link
― masonic boom (kate), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 12:18 (seventeen years ago) link
Cycling has kind of killed my bookreading - it should in theory get me home in time to get an hours reading in at the evening, but it never seems to work like that.
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 12:22 (seventeen years ago) link
For example, many of the people in Mister Monkey's office do not read books or appear to engage in much culture beyond the internet and computer games in any way at all. And even, Andrew, a lot of the people we both know from the Place You Used to Work are not readers. As an example, I offer you the case of our friend C, who now runs his own company. He only reads books like "How to Maximize your Money" or else textbooks. My old friend Stephen C is the same. It's just how things are.
― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 13:25 (seventeen years ago) link
Is this our friend C who's now worked in two jobs with Mister Monkey? I didn't know he has his own company, but I'm not surprised. He's got a missus who does all the reading, no?
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 13:44 (seventeen years ago) link
Framed black and white photos of two hobo children kissing made me think of this:
http://ec3.images-amazon.com/images/P/0740735403.01._BO2,204,203
It's not so much that I would dislike someone who liked this book as I would dislike someone who was so dim as to have ever spoken one word to me and yet still somehow think that I would like this book.
― Handgun O. Mendocino (pullapartgirl), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 14:08 (seventeen years ago) link
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1559120177.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
― Handgun O. Mendocino (pullapartgirl), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 14:09 (seventeen years ago) link
― Handgun O. Mendocino (pullapartgirl), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 14:10 (seventeen years ago) link
That is the very chap.
Anne Geddes wants kicking.
― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Wednesday, 14 February 2007 14:11 (seventeen years ago) link