You know, I have decided not to read Blog of a Bookslut anymore. I have enjoyed some of the witticisms and interesting comments of Michael and Jessa, but I’m just damned sick of their book snobbery:
This column by Brian Hennigan makes me want to either move to Scotland or marry Brian Hennigan.
Let me also say that, yes, I have read a Harry Potter book. It was nice enough — for a children’s book. But at no point did I ever think that I was involved in anything other than a book for children….
Adult fiction recognises that the contemporary world is a complex, difficult place with demands on our reasoning that require careful consideration. I have nothing against Harry Potter or any of his genuinely juvenile followers — children should be bursting with juvenility — but his adult disciples are little more than cowardly escapists.
I was getting used to seeing anti-Potterisms from Jessa, but et tu, Michael? Weren’t you the guy who said,
These types of articles usually drive me crazy. It’s medical — pretentious we-know-what’s-good-for-you assholes wringing their hands and asking, “How can we get America to read more William T. Vollmann?” actually give me these weird hives, and I have to get a shot. I kind of feel that if someone wants to read nothing but John Grisham novels, they should just be left the fuck alone. But Newgard is actually charming and tongue-in-cheek enough to pull this off. (Although: Anne Rice’s vampire novels are decent? Really? Ah, well, vive la difference.)
Since both of you are tearing your hair out trying to get the literary establishment to respect graphic novels, you’d think you would both be a bit more open-minded.
cowardly escapists?!
That was just uncalled for.
This is practically word-for-word what I ended up saying in my blog. I even wrote Schaub and pointed out how he always goes ballistic when someone writes this kind of article about comics readers. We'll see if he responds.
I'm going to keep reading Bookslut, because they're usually pretty smart, but I'm very disappointed.
I just started reading HP this weekend. I have to say that I can tell it is geared at kids, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. I found it hard to put down. I've finished the first book, and while it's not incredibly deep, it was enjoyable.