Friday, February 3, 2012

I Am A Book Snob

You might as well know it now before you read any further.

I am not a stuff snob. I am not a clothes snob. I am not a car snob (I drive a Subaru Outback covered in grime from the Calgary streets, for Pete's sake).

But I am a book snob.

I openly admit it and embrace it.

As part of my snobbery, I rejoice in the fact that I have never read the Twilight Series. I am not sure I believe it should even be allowed in our school libraries.

And don't give me that crap about "well it sure does get young girls reading." Sure it does, but then they stop. The don't read that and then move on to something else. Garbage.

I feel the same way about Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Do you want to know why there were a few people at the boys old school who didn't like me? It may have had something to do with the fact that in 4th grade, when the kids were doing book reports, I told Warren's mom that I didn't think picture books should count for 4th grade book reports. Warren did his report on Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

In 4th grade.

He did not have a reading disability.

He did have a parenting disability. But that is another story.

J did his on A Wrinkle in Time.

Does that make J better than Warren? Possibly.

So when I visited a new blog and the book review was on "The Greek Tycoon's Unexpected Wife" published by Harlequin Romances I knew I could close the page and never go back.

To each his own and all of that. But if you want a romance? Pride and Prejudice. The Night Circus. Anna Karenina.



*I get that when there is a reading disability involved there are different rules. I am not cruel. Just a snob.

**Before you get all pissy with me. I have come around to the idea that if you can get kids reading at an early age (and it might take Diary or Captain) then that might develop into a life long love. I'll buy into that. But if you never give them anything else beside Captain or Diary then you are doing them a disservice. We own Diary. M read them for about a month then moved on out of boredom. He is my non-reading child. He can read quite well, but he doesn't enjoy it like J does. My theory is that in the limited time he reads, it better be something worthwhile.

***I am NOT trying to tell you what to read. Read whatever you want. It doesn't matter to me. I am just not going to discuss it with you or read your review.

3 comments:

Book Dragon said...

you may not enjoy my blog but I love reading yours!

I am not as much as a snob as you are ;) but we have some of the same feeling about what our kids should be reading.

Have a great day!

Book Dragon said...

LOL!

I'll be around....except when I'm off line for something....

all about the books and totally shallow ;) I started "My Corner of the Matrix is a Library" (here) but I'm not as involved over there.

Sure there is more to me but that stuff isn't as fun to write about :D

I'm sure we'll make each other mad but as long as we don't start throwing dishes we should be fine

Annie Kate said...

Yep! I am so happy when my kids read quality, and I steer them in that direction with a lot of leeway...but I allow none of the options you mentioned.

The Boxcar Children maybe (but only the first 19, which are old), Little House, and so on. And it works. They keep on reading!

Proof: My 16 yo is reading the Odyssey, my 14 yo is obsessed with The Scarlet Pimpernel, but since she also devours Austen and Dickens, I'm OK with that. My 11 yo is looking forward to next year when I will let her read G.A.Henty--a bit of waiting makes the books more appealing and adds joy to a birthday! And my 8 year old just finished Little Town on the Prairie.

I feel for you, waiting so long for Amazon. We needed the books for Friday, so we're super-thrilled. Which books, you ask? Swallows and Amazons and The Lost Baron. Both wonderful!