Of Love and Literature

Hey there.

The New York Times has a funny essay on romances and reading - that is, how what we read sometimes affects our romances. Though it amuses me that people have broken up over literary tastes, it doesn't surprise me. I once read of a woman who broke up with a guy because he didn't like Pearl Jam. And people wonder about our high divorce rates...

Most of the guys who would interest me, I'd bet $1000, are Sci-Fi readers or of some related ilk. I hardly ever crack open a sci-fi/fantasy book, ever. But this difference doesn't send me running for the hills. In fact, I think it broadens my horizons. One friend, for example, had a love of comic books - the old school Spidey, Batman et al books. While I'm a long way off from becoming a fan of any superhero, I did gain a huge amount of respect for graphic novels and zines.

I think the only kind of reading that would turn me off would be someone who hasn't read anything or who has an active dislike of reading. Then again, I like geeky and nerdy boys, so there ya go.

People in our society, I believe, are often too quick to dismiss a mate, a love, even a friend, because the tastes don't line up as exactly and as frequently as the planets align themselves. Newsflash: People like different things. And thank goodness, too. I mean, it's wonderful to find the similarities with someone, especially in the early stages of a relationship, but it's the differences that make the other person unique and isn't that what drew you to him or her in the first place?

x.