Wednesday, April 02, 2008

READING & DATING


The other day I read an article on Galleycat that discussed dating deal breakers based on, of all things, non compatible reading choices. Yes, people, there are folks out there who have ended relationships because of the things the people they were dating liked to read.

If I was dating a man and discovered he had the Hit Man's Handbook or Bomb Making for Dummies on his bookshelf that would be a definite red flag. However, as a woman who is approaching her 42nd birthday, and isn't dating much at all, I must admit my criteria for what I'm looking for in a mate is dwindling daily, though good personal hygiene, employment, and mental stability remain a must. Personally, I'm happy if I meet a man who reads at all.

Most of the men I meet either don't read or only read nonfiction. Would I love to meet a man who's reading tastes were as varied as mine? Of course! Would I reject a perfectly good guy because all he read was the newspaper or Sports Illustrated? Nope!

So, what about you guys? Have any of you ever ended a relationship because the person you were dating 1) Didn't read at all 2), Read things you couldn't relate to, or 3) Criticized your reading choices?

Inquiring minds want to know ; ).

Angela

5 comments:

SomeAnyEvery said...
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SomeAnyEvery said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
SomeAnyEvery said...

**okay, let's try this more time**

Hi Angela,

Great subject for discussion. I'm glad you won't rule out dating a man who doesn't read novels. But I certainly understand where you are coming from.

Steve (my better half) is a big Stephen King/Dean Koontz fan, and while I think both are brilliant writers (Koontz is a genius with words), the horror genre isn't one of my faves. But on the other hand, my better half has always been a big movie fan, and I have never been much of a movie buff.

So you're right, it is all about compromise. I can personally attest that over the last five years I’ve learned to enjoy movies a whole lot more, and Steve's reading selections has definitely expanded beyond King and Koontz. Who would have ever imagined?

Certainly not me (smile).

~ Charlotte a.k.a. "The Nine to Five Diva."

Anonymous said...

Charlotte,

Hi! I've never not dated anyone because they were a non reader. However, I've nipped things in the bud early on because a guy I'd been out with a few times made fun of the fact that I love to read and made negative comments about my personality because of my love of books. Life's too short to put up with that crap cause I'm NOT changing!

Anonymous said...

Most of the guys I've dated didn't read much. The one who didn't read at all thought it was mystifying that anybody could spend time with their noses buried in a book, and enjoying it!

Eugenia O'Neal

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