My Bookish Hot Takes

I see a lot of frankly odd debates about books and reading online. Some genuinely baffle me.

In response to those, I have decided to share some of my "hot takes" when it comes to the topic of reading.

Note that some of these may not be steaming hot, but I have seen a lot of people share the opposite online in elitist threads, and I wanted to give my two cents.

Hot Take #1: You do not need to read books “in the context of their time”

Your life and experiences do not exist in a vacuum. You cannot effectively read books from the context of the time they were written because you are here, in the present day. If you dislike a book from the 40s that is racist, homophobic, etc., that is one hundred percent fair and valid and you do not need to contextualize it. This point also leads us to hot take number two.

Hot Take #2: You do not need to read classics to be a “reader.”

Honestly, almost every classic I have read I have hated, and I just do not have the desire to read books I hate just to pander to the faux intellectualist idea that classics are necessary to read. You are not “erasing history” if you choose not to read novels from 100 years ago as there are more ways (and better ways!) to learn history rather thanabout reading books from racist rich white men.

Are there classics I recommend? Absolutely. Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, bell hooks, Audre Lorde, among other more modern classic authors are creatives and visionaries that have fundamentally changed me as a person.

At the end of the day, if you are reading for fun and don’t want to read classics, just don’t read them!

Hot Take #3: Reading is not inherently “feminine.”

I see a lot of people online talking about how “recently men are being discouraged or made fun of for reading if it isn’t non-fiction” and the only argument I have is that it is not a new phenomenon. Most fiction publishers tend to target women because for decades the majority of readers have been women. I think that this all falls into the patriarchy and toxic masculinity and has since before I was born.

If you want to read, read. If you don’t, don’t. There is no such thing as gendered books, regardless of the way a book is portrayed or marketed. Read books you enjoy!

Hot Take #4: Horror relies way too heavily on fatphobia.

Now this may not be a hot take, but as an avid horror enthusiast, I am constantly disappointed that in seemingly every horror book I pick up, the villain(s) in the story are fat. There is literally no point in this. Not only is it offensive and gross, it is also so overdone and not creative. Horror authors: please do something else. I am begging you. It’s tired and played out.

Hot Take #5: All methods of reading are valid.

You read physical books? That’s reading. You read eBooks? That’s reading. You listen to audiobooks? Guess what, that’s reading!

Using a format that works best for you in terms of time, effort or ability is amazing! You should take in books and information in ways that work best for you. I personally love physical books, but occasionally will read eBooks or audiobooks because I have really bad eyesight and it strains my eyes to read a physical copy. eBooks allow me to adjust the text size, which is a game changer! Audiobooks I almost only consume if it is a memoir or poetry book, but I have learned that they are great to listen to while I clean or work.

Read however you want and/or need to.

Do you have any hot takes on reading? Let me know in the comments!