I was a member of another online forum and found it very frustrating that people were using what they read as a way to create or strengthen divisions. Like between people who liked genre fiction vs. those who read the classics. Or one type of genre fiction vs. another. Or rejecting someone just because they read a book by a disliked author or on a taboo subject or whatever. Felt like high school when you could get rejected if you said you liked, say, a new age musician (as opposed to rock music or something).
I still feel quite wary about mentioning the books I have enjoyed reading, always worrying someone is gonna come out and judge me harshly and say, "How the hell can you like that garbage? I mean you are entitled to your opinion…but damn!"
I think a better question to ask, when someone talks about liking a book that you did not or the kind of book you would not read, is, "What did you like about it the most?"
Often the reason for liking a book has to do with more than intellect, it's something that speaks to the person's heart, validates their experiences or desires, and is true or enlightening in some personal way. You could of course say, "to each their own," and let that be the end of it, but I think by asking open-ended and nonjudgmental questions, reading can be used as a way to bridge gaps and brings us together, not push us further apart.
by mrRichardBabley