5 ms·

Thank you, I appreciate being cute and funny! But I guess I can add more context. Yeah, Goodreads is like other websites in that people get a certain something

Thank you, I appreciate being cute and funny! But I guess I can add more context. Yeah, Goodreads is like other websites in that people get a certain something out of joining a chorus of criticizing voices. But I'm also talking about the sheer volume of reviewers who essentially read the same book over and over again, or who try to shoehorn every new book into a rigid (and unimaginative) notion of what a book is supposed to be. I think we valorize reading because, at its best, it's a uniquely immersive way of being exposed to new ideas; I think the preceding ways of reading thwart that. I don't begrudge people who just want to read fantasy novels forever, it's your life, but I don't think it's what we have in mind when we tell kindergarteners that reading is power.

gdulli 3y ago
What's the right number of times to read a book, and what's the right notion of what a book's supposed to be, and what degree of flexibility to it is required? We're all eager to start reading correctly but can't until you tell us more specifically how.
- cwmoore 3y ago
  The classic is "How to Read a Book": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21956990-how-to-read-a-book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21956990-how-to-read-a-b...
  - gdulli 3y ago
    Great, now I have to figure out whether to go by the standards of mycologos or Mortimer J. Adler.
- burnished 3y ago
  Are you not aware that there are some genres that have effectively unlimited volume, and low variation? A certain kind of romance novel and a certain kind of fantasy novel are the genres that I am familiar with. Reading these can be enjoyable, clearly, but the person you are responding to is noting that this kind of reading is not the mind expanding kind though it is referred to in the same way. I thought I should explain that because it was the only reason I could see for you to respond so defensively to a pretty uncontroversial opinion.

gdulli 3y ago

What's the right number of times to read a book, and what's the right notion of what a book's supposed to be, and what degree of flexibility to it is required? We're all eager to start reading correctly but can't until you tell us more specifically how.

cwmoore 3y ago
The classic is "How to Read a Book": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21956990-how-to-read-a-book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21956990-how-to-read-a-b...
- gdulli 3y ago
  Great, now I have to figure out whether to go by the standards of mycologos or Mortimer J. Adler.
burnished 3y ago
Are you not aware that there are some genres that have effectively unlimited volume, and low variation? A certain kind of romance novel and a certain kind of fantasy novel are the genres that I am familiar with. Reading these can be enjoyable, clearly, but the person you are responding to is noting that this kind of reading is not the mind expanding kind though it is referred to in the same way. I thought I should explain that because it was the only reason I could see for you to respond so defensively to a pretty uncontroversial opinion.