It’s Not a Competition

Has this ever happened to you?

You’re talking with someone and the topic of books comes up, so you say, “Oh yeah, I’m a huge fan of George R.R. Martin/Richelle Mead/Shakespeare.”

And your conversation partner’s eyes get that sneaky little glimmer, and they respond with, “Oh yeah? Have you read ___?”

And despite labelling yourself a fan, you have to admit that no, you’ve not read that particular book.

And your conversation partner gets all smug because THEY’VE read EVERYTHING that author has ever written and that makes them MORE OF and a BETTER fan than you.

How can you be a fan if you haven’t read EVERY book they’re ever written?

I don’t have time to read every book they’ve ever written. Some of them have written 20+ books and I have a stack of ARCs to get through.
Sometimes they write in genres I don’t read, ie adult or middle grade.
Sometimes, even when it is still Young Adult, it just doesn’t sound interesting enough for my personal taste.
Sometimes I’m late to the party and haven’t been able to read all of their previous books yet.
Sometimes I’m late to the party and I don’t like their earlier work.

Just chill, fictional hipster conversation partner. It doesn’t make you a better person than me. It’s not a competition!

About Nemo

A lover of kittens and all things sparkly, Nemo has a degree in English Literature and specialises in reviewing contemporary, paranormal, mystery/thriller, historical, sci-fi and fantasy Young Adult fiction. She is especially drawn to novels about princesses, strong female friendships, magical powers, and assassins.