NationStates Jolt Archive

The article is here (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/books/review/Donadio-t.html?em&ex=1207108800&en=3c42341da951f2dd&ei=5087%0A).
Does anyone here actually do this, base your impressions of people based on the books they read? I can understand if someone's favorite book were Atlas Shrugged and you were a socialist, or someone's favorite were the Bible and you were an angry atheist, but the whole idea seemed Seinfeldian to me. What do others think?

EDIT: Just to clarify, neither Rand nor Brown has destroyed a marriage. But they have caused people to drift apart and break up, according to the article.

how did she fall in love with a man with such poor credentials?


Some years ago, I was awakened early one morning by a phone call from a friend. She had just broken up with a boyfriend she still loved and was desperate to justify her decision. “Can you believe it!” she shouted into the phone. “He hadn’t even heard of Pushkin!”


i dont much care what kind of books people read.

More reasons to hate Ayn Rand and Dan Brown.


I mean besides their shitty, shitty writing.

I can't say I've ever broken up with anyone specifically over their taste in books. But I have thought less of people, lovers and otherwise, when I found out what they like to read. I think it's a pretty important reflection of who they are.

The examples given in the OP article are to the extreme fersure, but I do think it's an important part of a relationship. If your love-interest thinks Dan Brown, for eg, is an excellent writer then it does speak volumes about their intellectual capabilities. At some point, you are going to have to converse with them, y'know.

My current g/f certainly made herself a helluva lot more attractive to me when I noticed her on the ferry reading Umberto Eco's "Name of the Rose". This was just before I asked her out. It wasn't the deciding factor in my gathering up the courage to do so, but it certainly did enamour me more towards her.

Meh, I was a former english major, and my fiance reads garbage with no literary value...I mean romance novels. And we survived.

The examples given in the OP article are to the extreme fersure, but I do think it's an important part of a relationship. If your love-interest thinks Dan Brown, for eg, is an excellent writer then it does speak volumes about their intellectual capabilities. At some point, you are going to have to converse with them, y'know.

My current g/f certainly made herself a helluva lot more attractive to me when I noticed her on the ferry reading Umberto Eco's "Name of the Rose". This was just before I asked her out. It wasn't the deciding factor in my gathering up the courage to do so, but it certainly did enamour me more towards her.

I've been meaning to read that. Now that I know I can use it to take you away from her, it's even more attractive. :)

There's a lesson to be learned here; don't read.

Don't know if it would be a deal-breaker, but I think I'd probably be quite a bit less likely to date someone if I heard them gushing over how great Deception Point was.

Meh, I was a former english major, and my fiance reads garbage with no literary value...I mean romance novels. And we survived.

yeah in these days of dwindling literacy i find it more important THAT they read that WHAT they read.

I've been meaning to read that. Now that I know I can use it to take you away from her, it's even more attractive. :)

i have never read a worse book that was so incredibly popular than the name of the rose.

Meh, I was a former english major, and my fiance reads garbage with no literary value...I mean romance novels. And we survived.

Take my jaded, post-divorce cynicism for what it's worth (if anything), but fiance =/= "survived".

Books? Are those things still around? I thought they all died with the advent of radio? Isn't that why Video Killed the Radio Star (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=XWtHEmVjVw8)? For revenge?

Books do say a lot about the person. So does the pop-culture references that they have. My favorite girlfriends, especially the ones that I parted with on good terms, could all:

A) Identify Lex Luthor's price for his assistance in Superman II,
B) Could name the important Kevin Smith movie, character, and scene where "Come to me, son of Jor-El! Kneel before Zod!" is said, and
C) Were able to correctly name the Greek goddess whose scent was reminiscent of napalm.

I couldn't take anyone who likes Ayn Rand seriously to be honest.

Other than that, I don't really care. I'm not much of a reader myself.

You can tell a lot about a person from what they like to read.

Randroids would probably be out of the question, but beyond that, it's more taste in movies than books that really matters to me. A woman who despises Leone would probably not get along with me. At all.

yeah in these days of dwindling literacy i find it more important THAT they read that WHAT they read.

Indeed. The last woman I was serious about read nothing but fashion magazines. That ended well... :rolleyes:

i have never read a worse book that was so incredibly popular than the name of the rose.

If I read it Demented Hamsters will be mine, but I'll lose Ashmoria. How can I choose?

What the fuck is wrong with those people? :mad:

Jesus Christ! This is the dumbest crap I've heard in a long time.

The bookshelves are the first things I look at when visiting someone's home. If they're full of good books, I will indeed think more of them, and if they're full of crappy books, I will indeed think less of them. I see nothing particularly odd about this. A person's taste in books is a reasonable shorthand for their personality: a bookshelf full of Asimov is almost certainly going to belong to a geeky person with an interest in science, a bookshelf full of Limbaugh and Coulter is more than likely to indicate a particularly devout conservative, a bookshelf full of Shakespeare, Beckett, and Miller is going to be that of an artsy theatre fan - duh. We can get even more obvious - someone with tons of books on art is probably the sort of person who's interested in art. (Go figure!) Or, of course, we can get rather more subtle - a bookshelf in which the books are sorted by size or color is likely to belong to someone who really doesn't read all that much. All of these are entirely reasonable deductions, and all of them are things that can and should reasonably affect relationships.

If I read it Demented Hamsters will be mine, but I'll lose Ashmoria. How can I choose?


i dont much care what kind of books people read.

youll never lose me.

youll never lose me.

Then I'll start as soon as I can get a copy.

Then I'll start as soon as I can get a copy.

let me know how you like it.

it was my theory for years that no one actually read the book. they just bought it (or were given it as a present) and put it on the shelf. im always amazed when someone says they liked it--it implies that they READ the damned thing!

All of these are entirely reasonable deductions, and all of them are things that can and should reasonably affect relationships.

Indeed. I generally do the same.

it was my theory for years that no one actually read the book. they just bought it (or were given it as a present) and put it on the shelf. im always amazed when someone says they liked it--it implies that they READ the damned thing!

I read it, and a lot of other stuff people poo-poo. Bu7t then again, I'm something of a bibliophage. ;)

There's a lesson to be learned here; don't read.

I think that is kind of the message, or if you do read keep it a secret.

Books do say a lot about the person. So does the pop-culture references that they have. My favorite girlfriends, especially the ones that I parted with on good terms, could all:

A) Identify Lex Luthor's price for his assistance in Superman II,
B) Could name the important Kevin Smith movie, character, and scene where "Come to me, son of Jor-El! Kneel before Zod!" is said, and
C) Were able to correctly name the Greek goddess whose scent was reminiscent of napalm.

Do you make girls take a written test before you date them???

I've been meaning to read that. Now that I know I can use it to take you away from her, it's even more attractive. :)
oh...stop it! You're making me blush.

Anyway, you'd have to be a real Jack Vance geek in order to woo me.

We can have differing tastes, as long as she can defend them passionately. Too many or to completely contrary though, and what's the point?

Books do say a lot about the person. So does the pop-culture references that they have. My favorite girlfriends, especially the ones that I parted with on good terms, could all:

A) Identify Lex Luthor's price for his assistance in Superman II,
B) Could name the important Kevin Smith movie, character, and scene where "Come to me, son of Jor-El! Kneel before Zod!" is said, and
C) Were able to correctly name the Greek goddess whose scent was reminiscent of napalm.
My, but the girls must be falling over themselves to get with a guy that has that sort of knowledge to bestow.

I bet you even know what Isaac Asimov died from, don't you?

(it was AIDs in case anyone out there is curious and ignorant)

yeah in these days of dwindling literacy i find it more important THAT they read that WHAT they read.

No kidding!

Although if they ever say "The movie was better", then that's pretty much a deal breaker. :p

I'm more interested in people's opinions about what they read - I read lots of stuff out of curiosity (I even read Dianetics :( ) so its worth finding out why they're reading it and whether they're taken in by it.

I mean besides their shitty, shitty writing.
Everyone always says that about Ayn Rand. But to be honest, that's like saying Pollock is a shitty painter.

Not only is taste not a matter that can be debated, not only are Pollock paintings not necessarily attractive to look at - but the purpose of a Pollock painting is not to hang in a room and get people to swoon because it looks so pretty.

I know Ms. Rand herself might be quite annoyed if she heard this, but I don't think what she was doing was creative writing for writing's sake. She brings across a certain philosophy in a way that is easier and more intuitive to understand than it is in a treatise on the same subject. I think that few people read Atlas Shrugged and come out of it asking "So what is objectivism?" So in that sense her book does what it's meant to do and criticising her writing becomes a bit silly.

I would have understood if that girl had left the guy for not liking objectivism. That's not particularly astonishing or unjustified. I might have trouble living with a committed socialist activist too. But to actually leave someone because of the writing style of the book, that just seems stupid.

Which neatly brings me back to the OP's topic, preventing an Ayn Rand-related hijack.

Hopefully.

Goddamn page-turners spreading their evil and strife. Bring back mass illiteracy I say.

We can have differing tastes, as long as she can defend them passionately. Too many or to completely contrary though, and what's the point?

I'm more interested in people's opinions about what they read - I read lots of stuff out of curiosity (I even read Dianetics :( ) so its worth finding out why they're reading it and whether they're taken in by it.

I think these statements are around where I fall on this. In fact, I'd almost rather not have similar tastes in literature to my girlfriend because I enjoy variety. I don't understand people who read just one genre of literature or only read a single author to the extent that they ignore others.

Anyway, if she reads often and enjoys it, that alone makes her incredibly more attractive to me, at least on an intellectual basis.

Good thing my BF doesn't read anything if he can help it.
Me, I go through 2 books a week on average. I find that my tastes are changing, though... I used to be into good novels and would only very occasionally touch a non-ficition book. But the more selective I get about novels, the less choice there is, so now I'm expanding.

*googles pushkin*

meh, there are more important things than what someone reads.

If someone actually bought in to Rand's "philosophy" or Brown's conspiracy theories, that'd probably put a damper in our relationship. But just having or reading it? I've read both and own books by both, so I can't really fault someone else for doing the same.

Good thing my BF doesn't read anything if he can help it.
Me, I go through 2 books a week on average. I find that my tastes are changing, though... I used to be into good novels and would only very occasionally touch a non-ficition book. But the more selective I get about novels, the less choice there is, so now I'm expanding.

I kniw what you mean. I just can't be bothered to read crappy fiction anymore, and good fiction is hard to come by.
So I stared reading nonfiction and french novels.

I love Rand, yet despise Brown.

The one thing I can't stand is Shakespeare. He was a period playwright, and not a very good one at that.

The one thing I can't stand is Shakespeare. He was a period playwright, and not a very good one at that.

"You can take a horticulture, but you can't make them think." Yay for Dorothy Parker.

I think what a person reads says alot about who they are. It also says alot if you read alot or not. Not in a bad way or anything but it is indicative of how you might think or act, all things being considered.

If one doesn't read I'm saying that's fine, but in my expirences, I generally observe that if one side of the relationship reads and the other doesn't or not as avidly, there is the potential for problems.

Books especially the heavy philosophical writings of Ayn Rand (of which I'm a fan) do influence people and the way they think, even how they view the world or other individuals. People's minds could change and this could hurt a relationship.

I don't think books or thier ideas cause people to break up, the book is probably just another little thing amongst other little things that pile up and ruin a relationship.

I love Rand, yet despise Brown.

The one thing I can't stand is Shakespeare. He was a period playwright, and not a very good one at that.

You love Rand yet thin Shakespeare isnt a very good playwrite?


Oh boy...


At least no ones lept to the defense of Dan Brown yet. That guy is my pet hate when it comes to authors. Not because of his conspirecy theories, but because hes a god awful writer.

You love Rand yet thin Shakespeare isnt a very good playwrite?


Oh boy...


At least no ones lept to the defense of Dan Brown yet. That guy is my pet hate when it comes to authors. Not because of his conspirecy theories, but because hes a god awful writer.

hmmm does that mean that no one here has read any dan brown (although i seem to remember posts that tended to indicate that someone has) or are we all so intellectual that we ALL recognize crap when we are stupid enough to read it?

i am in the "good lord im not going to read that crap" camp myself.

hmmm does that mean that no one here has read any dan brown (although i seem to remember posts that tended to indicate that someone has) or are we all so intellectual that we ALL recognize crap when we are stupid enough to read it?

i am in the "good lord im not going to read that crap" camp myself.

I have this weird thing where once I start reading a story or watching a movie, I really have to finish it, even if it's total crap.

I've gotten caught watching way too many late-night B movies that way.

But yeah, I've read one of Dan Brown's books.

hmmm does that mean that no one here has read any dan brown (although i seem to remember posts that tended to indicate that someone has) or are we all so intellectual that we ALL recognize crap when we are stupid enough to read it?

i am in the "good lord im not going to read that crap" camp myself.

I think its because anyone here who would be discussing the merits of writing in this thread is bright enough to realize Brown his a hack.


I wouldnt have touched that book with a ten foot poll if the Catholic Church hadnt tried to get it banned. Seriously, when the catholic church tells me not to do somethings, it increases the chance that Ill do it tenfold:p

I think its because anyone here who would be discussing the merits of writing in this thread is bright enough to realize Brown his a hack.


I wouldnt have touched that book with a ten foot poll if the Catholic Church hadnt tried to get it banned. Seriously, when the catholic church tells me not to do somethings, it increases the chance that Ill do it tenfold:p

lol. maybe dan brown paid them to do that. reverse psychology and all.

i saw the movie. i understand that it doesnt follow the book exactly but it was stupid enough for me to (in a movie theater) rant about how stupid it was. its (almost) interesting to me that he stole all the cool ideas and was only really responsible for the stupid plot and the crappy writing.

I think its because anyone here who would be discussing the merits of writing in this thread is bright enough to realize Brown his a hack.


I wouldnt have touched that book with a ten foot poll if the Catholic Church hadnt tried to get it banned. Seriously, when the catholic church tells me not to do somethings, it increases the chance that Ill do it tenfold:p

I remember trying to read that book twice, I couldnt get past the louvre chapters. The writting was just far too offputting.

lol. maybe dan brown paid them to do that. reverse psychology and all.

i saw the movie. i understand that it doesnt follow the book exactly but it was stupid enough for me to (in a movie theater) rant about how stupid it was. its (almost) interesting to me that he stole all the cool ideas and was only really responsible for the stupid plot and the crappy writing.

The book before The Da Vinci Code was about a secret organization that was trying to destroy the Church. Brown probably wanted to appear fair-minded. :)

And the deception point just sucked.

Pushkin?! How can Pushkin be intelligent? He got shot in a duel!