"The problem is people don't read classics anymore"
No I think the problem is people don't read WIDELY. The ONLY ya and/or fantasy romance crowd is just as insufferable as the ONLY classics crowd or the ONLY litfic crowd or the ONLY nonfiction crowd and vice versa.
You gotta get some variety in there my guys
Upon this post I have seen people assert that nobody needs to read 'books by dead white guys' to be widely read with the context that they believe only dead white guys wrote classics,
People saying that because classics are in fact written not only by dead white guys you can get by on only reading classics,
And the classic (hah), people are just always going to be insufferable.
All of these have missed the point and are examples of why people should in fact read widely.
Read widely. Read beyond what you've been told are 'the classics'. Read works by authors from other times and places. Read works by authors who are different from yourself.
dare i add: read a bad book once in a while too. flex your critique muscles a bit
Actually yes this last point is an extremely valid addition
Not only does it help you learn and hash out your critique skills, you might be surprised
I think more than anything, you've got to read for different reasons. Like, sometimes you read because you want to learn something. Sometimes you read because you want to have a silly fun time and a bit of a laugh. Sometimes you read because you're horny. Sometimes you read because you want an adventure. Sometimes you read because you need a good cry. Sometimes you read because you want to improve yourself. Sometimes you read because someone you care about likes a book and told you to read it.
All these and more are great reasons to read, and if you're going to read for a variety of reasons over the course of your life, then you're going to end up picking up different books from different eras by different people.
