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SquirrelAkl t1_ix0co6r wrote

Reply to comment by DukeofVermont in [OC] Inspired by movie barcodes, I made some emotional barcodes for books by Campbell_MG

I like your distinction of “easy art” vs “harder art”.

I am well over 40 but I pretty much only consume “easy art”. My job is mentally and emotionally demanding, I read (economics & business stuff) all day, and at the end of the day I like to be able to switch my brain into neutral and just consume entertainment.

Perhaps I’m missing out though? Perhaps what you describe is what the people who say “I love reading!” actually love about reading?

Hmmm, food for thought. Thank you.

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DukeofVermont t1_ix2hrww wrote

Hey nothing wrong at all with having personal relaxation time. Like I said I love slow complex movies but I can't watch them all the time, just too taxing and not what I want to do after a long day.

I also think it really depends on what you are looking for. I love reading because I can really connect with characters, and find it interesting to explore how they think/feel/etc and I like loooong books because you can spend so much time with the characters.

I wouldn't say you're missing out because it might not be your thing and that's a-okay. It's like food, some people love to try new things, challenge their tastes/ideas of what food can be, explore textures, flavors, etc. But it's perfectly fine if you are not a food person and like sticking to what you like.

That said it's hard to know if you are "a gourmet" or "a cinephile" or love classic literature until you try it with an open mind. No one is ever too old to try new things and if it isn't for you there is nothing wrong with that. I love complex Lit/Film but oh boy do I have no interest in modern art. I've tried to get into it, and I can learn and understand what they are going for but I just don't like it and have zero interest in it. It's just not my thing.

I'd suggest figuring out what types of shows/films you like and find an old classic book that's on the same topic. Also not all old books are "hard art" for the snobs like me. Just like how not all new books are "easy art".

Agatha Christie's crime mysteries and Sherlock Holmes were/are the popular media of their day. Agatha Christie is the most successful author of all time with over two BILLION sales (she's only behind the Bible). Her play "The Mousetrap" opened in 1951 and has played continually ever since (but stopped for a year due to corona). They are somewhere close to the 28,000 performance now. I think they both are great because they are engaging and can really pull you in as you try to figure out what happened.

Lastly I should say that it's also super dumb shove everything into the two boxes of "easy" and "hard" art because we all know it's much more on a spectrum. But it is important to try new things, challenge ourselves and explore what it is to be human.

So try new things, but don't feel bad if it isn't for you. The world would be a boring place if we all had the same interests and tastes.

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SquirrelAkl t1_ix2ouva wrote

Agatha Christie is a very good recommendation for me. My favourite genre of TV is “British cop drama”, so Christie will be a good place to start. I have 3 weeks off coming up over summer, so I’ll add “figure out how to use Libby and get some books out” to my list :)

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