Non-reader Friends: Do they exist and are they even really “friends”?
Julie:
This is such an interesting topic, because don’t we usually choose to hang out with people we have a lot in common with? My husband is actually a non-reader. Well, he’ll read articles but not novels – he says he read enough in English lit classes (his undergrad is English) and then law school, and was done with that. I get it, I stopped reading in high school due to too many books we were forced to read and analyze to death. That kind of puts you off. But otherwise, I tend to hang out with my fellow book club people, of various book clubs. I’m sure my friend circle will expand as I meet more Moms now that I have something in common with them, but before my #1 hobby being reading meant most of my friends are readers too.
Rose:
NO. But it is not nice to tell them so. So smile. And nod. (and pretend to text while secretly reading via kindle app.)
Lynn:
Do I know know people who are non-readers? Sure. Family members. Work colleagues. But I think the foundation of most of my friendships is a love of books. Friends that read make the best friends! I do have other interests and like to think I am capable of having discussions not involving books. But for me, conversations don’t last long before I want to know what everyone is reading. Or before I’m recommending my latest book find. Casual non-reading friends are fine. But good friends? Those are the relationships cementing over books.
Interesting question. I find I don’t talk about books nearly as much in real life as I do in the blogging world. I think I’m afraid people will figure out how totally nerdy I am!!! 🙂 So, yeah, I think I have a lot of non-reader friends, but then I have a lot of other passions, so I guess that makes sense.
Thanks for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday! Hope your Advent/countdown to Christmas is going well!
Tina
Tina at Mommynificent recently posted…Booknificent Thursday Link Up Party #75
Nothing wrong with being nerdy 🙂
[…] Julie, Rose and Lynn chat about non-reader friends. […]
I think I may be sort of odd, because I only have two or three reading friends. The rest just sort of look at me oddly when I mention books. But I’m always trying to convert them! I think it is quite possible to be good friends with someone who isn’t a reader. Thanks for linking up to Quote Me Thursday!
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Hope you succeed in converting some of the non-reader friends. Cause reading is great 🙂
I do have friends that are non-readers. But we share other passions, so there’s that. My hubs is a non-reader…hadn’t ever heard of The Canterbury Tales. *gasp* But it seems to work for us…he’s very generous with allowing me to talk his ear off about books and authors. And he can offer comments and opinions on those I’ve talked about numerous times. But reading friends truly are the best! 🙂 Julie – you’ll have to start a book club in your moms group. That’s what I did. 😉
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But do you read mom books in your group, or the type books you’d normally read? You’re right though, you tend to make friends with people if you share similar passions, and reading is just one of those 🙂
We read books *I’d* normally read. I think I intended to rotate having members choose books, but it always ended up being myself and one other member who chose. We met monthly and tried to have a food that went with the book in some way. It was really fun.
Bookworm Brandee recently posted…**Release Day Blas & Giveaway ~ Havoc ~ Autumn Grey**
I have just realized that most of my close friends to tend to be readers. It isn’t something that I think about when making friends, of course, but it is something that seems to happen. Our get-togethers turn into book discussion. With several of my friends, I recognize almost every single book on their shelves because I have either borrowed those books from them or recommended those books to them.
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I think it is natural to have stronger friendships with people that have our more important hobbies in common with us, even if we aren’t doing that on purpose 🙂
This is a really interesting question. And I have to say that while they are rare, I do have a very small number of non-reader friends. But for some reason I can’t think of a name at the moment. I do know that they exist, though. Maybe because it’s so early in the morning? I promise I’m not making it up. Although maybe it depends on the definition of friend. My closest friends are all readers. But not as close friends and acquaintances are often not readers. And my husband isn’t at all a reader. That’s why I had to learn about football.
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LOL 🙂 Yea we’ll blame the early hour. That’s a good excuse.
This is such an interesting topic, partly because I’ve actually just discovered problems in describing what my own book (that I’ve just got a release date for) is to non-reader friends (I *thought* that saying it was a fairy tale retelling was a good enough description, apparently not). But saying that I do have a lot of none-reader friends. We’re close in other ways. I do have friends that are readers but none to the extent that I am, but now I find there’s plenty of people online that will talk to me about books, giving me the outlet I needed!
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That is an awesome thing about blogging – you meet all types of awesome people who love the same stuff you do 🙂
I do have friends that aren’t readers – but we’ve grown apart more and more over the past few years. I met them when I was on a reading hiatus & we had a lot on common. Now I have a couple friends who will remain close no matter what and they are casual readers, but the others are becoming acquaintances as we have less and less in common. Kinda sad, but I think that’s life – friends change because we change, but that doesn’t mean you they’re gone from your heart.
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You’re so right! We do grow up and grow apart sometimes, but that doesn’t mean the person doesn’t matter to you anymore.
Hi Lynn! 🙂
I have very few non-reader friends. And my closest family members are readers. Maybe they don’t read as much as I do, but they do read.
Terri M.
Second Run Reviews
Terri M. recently posted…Scenic Sundays #13: Doctor Who and Marjane Satrapi
Yea I think my closest friends are reader friends too. Met via a book club 🙂
Actually very few of my real-life friends or relatives are readers. They are still awesome friends though, and I leave the gushing over books thing to my blog and fellow bloggers 🙂
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Yay for having well-rounded group of friends, offline and on 🙂