Here’s the short answer: I can say unequivocally that you definitely have good taste in books. In fact, you probably have great taste in books. And I’m so right about this that everything else seems wrong.
The first step in figuring out whether or not you have good taste in books is to ask yourself this question: Why do you read?
The trick is, the answer might vary depending on the book.
You might read for any of the following reasons:
- Intellectual stimulation
- To challenge themselves
- To escape
- Simple entertainment
- To process emotions through a secondary lens like the characters
All of these are great reasons to read!
After reading the book, you might decide that you loved it or hated it or didn’t have a response to it at all. This isn’t a mark of your taste or the book’s value. It’s normally a sign of how well the book lined up with your reading goal.
In other words, you and your best friend might read the same book and have totally different responses because your goal in reading the book was different. Your goal isn’t any more or less valid, it’s simply different.
So, never let anyone tell you that you have bad taste in books because you didn’t enjoy Grapes of Wrath or Dante’s Inferno. This doesn’t mean that the classics don’t have value. It doesn’t mean that formulaic modern novels don’t have value.
Shaming other people for what they read or why they read or their opinions about certain books is a pointless exercise in sewing discord.
You have good taste. I promise.
Life is short, read the books you want to read for the reasons you want to read them.
Why do you like to read? What are your favorite books and why? Let me know in the comments!
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