An Annoyed Bookworm

In my experience as a reader, I have encountered many types of people. From the ones who love to read as much as I do, the ones who read just a little, to those who don't read anything at all. Do I have a problem with these? None whatsoever. My problem is with the people who come at me disrespectfully, trying to shame me for the things I read, and other book aspects. And that's a big no no from me. 

In this post, I will be writing about ten very annoying things (at least for me) that people have told me about books and my love for reading in general. I will explain each one of these annoying things as I mention them. Before I go on, my wish is not to offend anyone; I am just writing my opinions, so please don't take any of these personal. 

Without further due, let's get started! 

1- "Classics are the only good books."

Excuse you? Literature, not matter it's form, is always valid. I really dislike it when people who only read classics try to shame other books and my taste for me. I have nothing against classic books; I've actually read a few of them and I really liked them. They're just not my preferred way of literature, and that's okay. I believe classics are good to read, but they're not the only books out there. Why should I limit my reading experience to just them? Besides, classic books were once rejected by society in favor of the older books that were considered the classics back then, proving that just because there's something new it doesn't mean it's bad. 

The only classic I want to read right now. 

2- "Fantasy literature is a waste of time." 

I've been told these by fellow students when I was a undergraduate student at college, from teacher colleges and even from relatives. They've said these books are stupid, that I'm not learning anything from them, and even that I'm rotting my brain- I'm not joking. I mean, dude! Do you know how hard it is to create your own world and its rules? In fiction books that don't revolve around fantasy, the story relies on our own reality, so you're not creating a world at all; in fantasy, you must create everything from scratch, and that takes A LOT of work. Besides, fantasy books are enjoyable, you can learn many things from them, and they are also a valid form of art. So leave me alone; I'm going to read whatever the hell I want. 

One of my favorite fantasy works. 

3- "Comics are not books."

Lord, give me strength! Okay... as far as I know, a book is a collection of written pages that either tells a story or provides information about a certain topic (such as text books). Therefore, comics are books. They are a bunch of written pages that are giving you a story. They have a plot development, fleshed out characters, and also some very beautiful art. Just because the story is not written in paragraphs it doesn't make the book and its story less valid. 

Believe me: these are way better than their
Netflix adaptation. 

4- "If you don't like Harry Potter, you're not a fantasy fan."

Alright people, let me start this by saying something very simple that lots of people tend to forget: J. K. Rowling did not invent fantasy, and Harry Potter is not the only work of fantasy in the world! I am not a big fan of Harry Potter, get over it. I am not committing a crime for stating this, so don't come at me. I love fantasy, it is my favorite literary genre of all, and just because I don't like Harry Potter that doesn't make me less of a fantasy lover. I've read fantasy works that I consider better than Harry Potter, and this story is not the blueprint for every other fantasy one. Also, just because everyone loves Harry Potter that doesn't mean I have to love it too.  

When I think of something better than Harry Potter
I always think of "His Dark Materials". 

5- "You shouldn't spend so much money on buying books." 

My sweet darling, honey... it's my money, not yours. I work hard to earn that money, and I'm going to spend it however I want. I pay all my bills, I administer all my accounts as responsibly as I can. My car payment is on point, I have all my necessary groceries, and everything regarding my house is paid on time. To summarize: my money, my rules. I don't judge anyone for how they use their money, so leave me alone. 

The Shadowhunters books are currently 17, 
with other 7 still being written. I own the first
17. Will I buy the rest? HELL YES. 

6- "Reading is boring. I always fall asleep when doing so."

Does it look like I care? If it does, then I sincerely apologize; it was never my intention to show any emotion regarding your situation. I do wonder, why do people find the need to tell this sort of thing to book readers? Do you know how annoying this is? It would be as if I was talking with a baseball fan, only for me to say "I think baseball is the stupidest sport there is." Isn't this kind of disrespectful? I don't care if you don't like reading; mind your own business and show some respect next time. 

I always knew Sansa was meant for great things. 

7- "Fairy tale retellings are stupid. They're a waste of time, and I don't like when they change the original story." 

Honey you do realize that most of Disney's classic films are retellings of their original counterparts, right? Actually, many things in fiction that we enjoy are retellings. Narnia could easily be seen as a retelling of the Bible. Every single Marvel Universe film is a retelling of their comic counterpart; even the Thor comics are a retelling of the original Norse myths. If you don't like fairy tale retellings specifically, that's on you, but don't come at me insulting a literary genre. A retelling can give us the opportunity to imagine things differently, explore new ideas, improve some concepts, and create even more stories. Don't be a hater dear, be a lover. 

One of my favorite retellings ever! 
It's the story of the Queen of Hearts from
"Alice in Wonderland". 

8- "I don't use bookmarks: I dog-ear the pages instead."

What kind of monster are you? For me this is like the people who let things such as coffee, juice, soda or other liquids fall into books. Or the people who don't care if the book falls in a puddle of mud, or gets soaked in rain. If you don't like using bookmarks that's perfectly fine; I had this wonderful student once who loves to read, but never used a bookmark because she could always memorize the page where she stopped reading (that girl is so amazing, I can't even). But please, for the love of everything that is good in this world, don't dog-ear your book pages. 

I lose a little bit of my remaining sanity
every time I see something like this. 

9- "Light literature has no quality."

People please: just because it's light literature that doesn't mean it's bad. The quality doesn't decrease because of this. I prefer a million times a book written in a more simple but understandable way, than a book whose use of sophisticated language is so dense that almost nothing can be understood.  Of course, the use of the English language varies depending on the era, but I see so many modern authors trying to write in a such a complicated and sophisticated way that they end up looking preposterous. 

Don't be like John Green. 
This book's writing style was a nightmare. 

10- "You should buy a Kindle instead of buying the books' physical copies."

No. As I previously stated, I do what I want with my money, and a Kindle is not something I'm contemplating to buy. I do understand it's practical use, and I know it's a better option for many people. But that doesn't mean it's going to be a good option for me. I am a book collector, so I enjoy buying the physical copies a lot. I love feeling their weight in my hands, smell the pages (this is how bookworms get high), put them in shelves and admire their pretty covers, and gush over them every day. My house is full of books, and I can't picture it without them. They're my silent but always present friends. 

Me talking to the Kindle. 

In conclusion, I would like to finish with some quick thoughts. First of all, let people read whatever the hell they want. Just because you don't like books like "Twilight" or "Fifty Shades of Grey" it doesn't mean that other people can't like them. The same goes for books that you love. For example I adore the "Throne of Glass" series, but not everyone does. Does it bother me? Not at all. Just because you like it that doesn't mean everyone else must like it too. Which brings me to my second and last point: please stop feeling superior to others just because you have different tastes than theirs. You're not better than anybody for reading "Madame Bovary" or "Frankenstein instead of "The Lightning Thief". 

P.S It felt so good to let all of this out of my chest.