I might be a book snob
It isn't that I think my preferences are above anyone else's. Read what you like, let it bring you joy! But I don't know many people who share my interests when it comes to books. I know lots of readers! But it seems like they're mostly all reading the same stuff, and it's not my taste. Even local book clubs I've found are reading things I honestly just don't care to delve into.
I don't like reading smut, and I'm not particularly drawn to romantasies. It seems like these things are surging in popularity right now and sometimes I get bummed out that I'm not part of the in-crowd—but not bummed enough to try to change my interests.
I like to read things that make me think. This is what makes me feel kind of snobbish. When someone suggests I read the newest romantasy, I just can't muster the enthusiasm. I enjoy contemplating what the writer intended, the message they were trying to send. Social commentary in a fictional story captures my soul. Political commentary sends my heart aflutter. And while these things are sort of innate, in that the writer's choices often unintentionally serve as commentary of some kind, I prefer a more intentional serving. George Orwell. Octavia Butler. Ken Kesey. Khaled Hosseini. Margaret Atwood. (note the common dystopian threads.. I do have a clear favorite genre right now!) I want to message to be loud and clear. Of course there is always room for interpretation, but I just feel so drawn to things where the writer was trying to say something with their storytelling.
I kinda miss the days when I could run away into a horror novel and not think about an underlying message. It's not that I can't, I suppose. I could slip into a thriller and I'm sure it would feel like a warm blanket; familiar, safe. But even while I miss them, I don't really yearn for them. I like what I like. But I wish it was more popular, so I could better share it with my friends.
A trade would be fun, I think. I could probably find some enthusiasm for something like that!