Book snob

I love chick lit, it can be so well written, eg Marion Keyes and Celua Aherne . I've just read Alan Bennetts autobiography which I got from a charity shop. Great read!

MoorlandMooner

These are the books the nation gives away to charity. We keep the good ones ourselves to read again and again

yup, this

I am reading a detective story at the moment. I will then be reading Fern Brittons new novel. I read anything.

My English teacher always used to say something along the lines of that to appreciate a good book, you have to read bad ones!

I love reading. Other people’s reading genre doesn’t concern me… we can’t all be the same.

Avid user of the library here. I won’t waste my money on a ‘read once’ book to then give it away. More people should use the library- use them or lose them!

I have had books refused by charity shops as 'too academic or serious' We are out there...just not in charity shops.

I think everybody should read some ‘trash’ so that they can judge what is really good literature. Most of the ‘trashy’ books at charity shops have been purchased for quick reads on journeys, or on the beach.

Far better to read any book than none at all.

MoorlandMooner

These are the books the nation gives away to charity. We keep the good ones ourselves to read again and again

This.

The books that you read are a very personal choice and different things suit different times. I’m not averse to giving anything a go and quite enjoy a real mix of detective novels, chick lit, biographies and more serious novels. I’m on a book blog and it’s very clear that we all enjoy different books but I’ve also tried things which others have suggested and found that I really enjoyed them. Be open minded, read what you enjoy and don’t judge others on their choice.

I’m a terrible book snob. In fact I’m so worried about the trash I’ve been reading during the Pandemic I want to delete the Kindle cloud app on my iPad before I die. My kindle app is not as embarrassing as I can put books into categories like I wish I hadn’t read this or this won’t delete. I WISH I could delete some kindle cloud books as they are dreadfully badly proof read.

Actually think it is very rude and snobbish to scan anyone's bookcase and judge what kind of a person they are. Tells you what kind of a person the scanner is

I enjoy nothing more.weather permitting, than sitting in the garden with my Kindle reader. This is vastly being spoiled.no not weather,so call me old fashioned, by what seems present day authors, finding it difficult to leave out F words or giving the reader vivid descriptions of what A is engaged in with B.
How did the authors of yesteryear manage to become so successful and keep us 21 C like myself still wanting to read their works using ones own imagination.

What a great thread! I’m reading it for recommendations on books I haven’t read yet and am compiling a list.
My latest favourite is Klara and the Sun by Kashui Ishigara. Still not entirely sure about it so will read it again. I’m never sure how I feel about his books, fascinating but also a frightening view into a weirdly scary future.

Not sure if looking at someones bookshelves would really sort people into categories.
I have an Honours Masters Degree in English Literature, but looking at my many bookshelves you would see mainly Detectives and Science Fantasy.
I have been stereotyped by this in the past giving a nasty surprise to those doing it.

But who is choosing which are ‘bad’ books? Had a very stressful job and books by Janet Evanovich amused and distracted, Fifty Shades of Greg stimulated, Bare Foot Soldier makes you understand bravery and comraderie. Sometimes we do not want to read worthy books especially if having to read academic or scientific textbooks. Is Hilary Mantel bad or C J Sansom? If you have had an awful marriage or not had a lover ever what is the harm in reading Mills and Boon or Black Lace for erotic passion? Black Lace was a recommendation from a young lady at University.

I started a book club in our village which ran for a couple of years. Members took it in turns to choose the book of the month. In the beginning it was great but, after a while two or three members started to choose really highbrow books (I think they were competing to show who was the most intellectual). The rest of us gamely ploughed through the books but hated them. For my part I felt as if I was studying for a literature degree every month and never had time to read any other books. Eventually I handed management over to another member and, sadly other people dropped out too. I agree that Book clubs should
introduce members to books they may not choose themselves but the books should surely be enjoyable. Have any Gransnetters had a similar experience?

Sadgrandma
That’s exactly what pus me off book clubs, I would hate not having time to read the books I really wanted to.
Listening to my daughters book club tales, it just sounds like intellectual snobbery, who can find the most obscure book.

books by Janet Evanovich amused and distracted,

I really enjoyed the Stephanie Plum books, Carolpaint

I’ve been in book groups for many years and never experienced one like that! In my current group we chose books for the year in December. Everyone brings two or three suggestions and the rest of us decide which one of those we’d like to read. There are ten of us in the group so that works very well as we also have two social meetings a year.

Or maybe we’re just a low-brow group.

My bookshelf has everything from Dickens to James Patterson on it. I love a wide range of authors and genres.
What is considered a 'classic' these days? As great new authors are emerging each year what will be classed as a classic in 50-100 years time? Your thoughts please.

Years ago I studied English lit at uni. After that I didn’t pick up a ‘good’ book for approximately 10 years. I just read trash and more trash as some kind of reaction against all those well written serious pieces of work. Now I read a mixture though I can’t read utter trash I must admit but I love a good psychological thriller.

ElaineI

Actually think it is very rude and snobbish to scan anyone's bookcase and judge what kind of a person they are. Tells you what kind of a person the scanner is

Totally agree. Who’d do that? No one like that would get past our front door.

ElaineI

Actually think it is very rude and snobbish to scan anyone's bookcase and judge what kind of a person they are. Tells you what kind of a person the scanner is

I agree. It's a really unpleasant trait.

Of course we are all aware that some books are more high brow than others. Just like people. However, the two are allowed to mix.

My great uncle was an Old Bailey Judge. Well educated. Knew more about the classics than most of us. However, he loved to read the News of the World on Sunday. Thought it was such fun in comparison with the broadsheets.

Let's not be judging.

"One man's meat is another man's poison"

The proverb applies to reading matter too!

As others have said the books we give to the charity shops are the ones we either didn't care for, or felt we would never re-read.

The others are on our bookshelves, where I personally have some of my parents' and grandparents' favourites as well as my own.

During her final illness my mother read books she once would have stigmatized as "trashy novels" - she explained her change of reading matter as follows:

"It doesn't matter if I fall asleep in the middle of a chapter or if pain makes concentration impossible - the story is so predictable that I can pick it up anywhere and follow it."

After her death we packed up all these "trashy" novels and gave them to a hospice for those in the last stages of AIDS. The year was2002 so there were still a lot of poor souls just waiting to die, so to speak in those hospices then.

The matron of the hospice was delighted by what she termed "our kind thought" as it was just the right type of books for her patients.

So don't deride "trashy novels" we may be glad of them one day!