I have recently let myself get into it on different subs about books. Bad and good. And I had an epiphany of sorts and wanted to see if it resonated with anyone here.
I will absolutely recommend bad books. And by bad, I mean ones that are poorly written, predictable, shallow, lack character development. If someone says to me, "I'm so tired of watching 'love is blind', I am shoving ACOTAR and everything Miller in their hands. Because the point, for me, is to match people with things THEY like and not just pontificate on what I enjoy.
This is a new development btw. Years ago I would use a book recommendation to assert my reading prowess lol But now, I just want more people to read. Even if it's not what I like. (however, if I asked, I will still defend my opinions on books).
by grumpylumpkin22
7 Comments
Patronizing.
Virgin killer by Jon Stone. It’s structure is broken, themes unfollowable, and plot threads that go everywhere.
Bad: One by One by Frieda McFadden
Good: My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
Why would people enjoy bad books rather than good books
Reminds me of how people think less of booktok and romance readers and try to get them to read “better” books. It’s great to want someone to at least try to read outside their comfort zone, but for a lot of people reading is for entertainment, so why not recommend them books you think are up their alley? I’m not going to force a heavy novel on a casual romance reader that I know they won’t enjoy.
I often read books that I find entertaining but aren’t particularly worthy of critical acclaim. I guess those qualify as ‘bad’ books, but I still love them and will recommend them to people who might enjoy them. Is that what you mean?
For me, it depends on the person I’m making the recommendation to. I am a “heavy topic, lots of feeling, I hope this book makes me sob” person. My best friend is not. She is a “cutesy small town romance hallmark movie” type of book person. For the exception of crappy thrillers, we do not like the same books. So I don’t recommend her books that I know she isn’t gonna like. Well… sometimes I tell her if she is ever in the mood to sob uncontrollably, I have several recommendations but nonetheless. My dad however will read anything but mainly enjoys sci fi. I’ll recommend him every book I love unless it has gratuitous sex in it lmao. But mainly, recommending what they’ll enjoy is usually the way to go!