You disliked the one they loved.
With the recent success of Divergent and now the movie release of The Fault in Our Stars, I think a lot of people are now aware (or much aware) of the existence of the books. If you didn’t know, I don’t have a fondness for books (the latter, well, I have no interest in reading it). I know that the fanbase of these two are massive, so that’s probably one of the reasons why it did well (or will do well in TFIOS’s case) at the box office. And I also liked the approach of the producers to the films; I think they like to cater the movie to both fans, which is the wisest method when it comes to adaptation. You’re not only pleasing the fans but also the moviegoers.
But I digress. I did watch Divergent and still loathed it. Why did I watch it when I hated it? I just called it morbid curiosity. I, for one, seem to like torturing myself by exposing myself to materials I hate. But hating what most of the population likes or even loves stinks big time. Do I want to be in this position? Hell to the no (and back and forth). I don’t want to be on this side of town. It sucks because I want to enjoy something like the others do. Do I read to critique? Nope. I read for fun, and that’s always my goal whenever I open a brand new book.
But here I am hating the one they love. And it’s not a really good position to be in, but at the same time, it just shows how diverse readers’ tastes are, which is actually good for everyone. How does my dislike of the book, or the dislike of another person, benefit everyone?For me, it just adds dimension and variety to our reading. Because it’s going to be boring if we end up liking the same thing. And if they are producing the same damn thing. I’m pretty sure that there are people who hate the book that I love, and that’s ok; I don’t fault them for that. Some things work, and some things don’t. It’s just the way it works.
I don’t judge people based on their reading preference or their opinions on the book (yes, if you’re an adult reading YA, that’s ok). I’m one of those people who will not judge you!). I believe every opinion is valid (but how you handle that is very important, too), because the reader interpreted it in his or her own way. I always believe that reading is something very personal. I think an author once said (which, once again, I forgot) that once your book is out there, it’s no longer yours.
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So how about you? Have you read a book that you ended up disliking but everyone else seemed to love? Care to share it with me?