I spend A LOT of time sifting through book reviews to find my next read, and I’ve discovered there are two types of book reviewers: book snobs, and people who just want to read a good story.
The reason I am not a book snob is simple: I like what I like, and my mood changes. It’s really the same reason I’m not a movie snob. Did I like The Godfather? Sure. But I’m also a huge fan of Nacho Libre, and that isn’t exactly a cinematic masterpiece.
You don’t have to be a Pulitzer-prize-winning writer to create a good story. However, a Pulitzer-prize-winning writer could publish a mediocre story, and I’d still read it.
Case in point: The Goldfinch. I definitely didn’t love that story, but the writing was so impeccable, I never gave up on it. Donna Tartt’s story line was secondary to her writing, and thus it was her writing that held me through to the end. So yes, good writing is important, but I would rather be satiated at the end of a book, instead of feeling like I “got through it.”
I believe there is a healthy and potentially lucrative benefit to not being a book snob.
Writing is about communicating, and there isn’t a formula for perfect communication, because everyone communicates differently. It’s important for writers to explore as many genres and authors and stories as we can. So while I liked The Goldfinch, I loved The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series. It spoke to me. It gripped me. It made me feel.
The more books and authors I read, the more diverse I will grow as a writer and communicator. I can learn about creating a world of humor, quirky characters and subtle romance from Sophie Kinsella and her Shopaholic series, and I can learn about conveying the psychological and spiritual struggles of man from Dostoevsky. They are both useful tools in my arsenal as a professional writer.
I refuse to only read “the classics” because I refuse to believe there is only one way to tell a story, only one kind of author worthy of my time or one style of communication that rules them all.
A well-rounded writer should have a well-rounded library.
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