Image of a heart in an open book.

What is hate reading about? 

Hate reading: Reading with the intent to criticize, mock, or feel  smarter than the writer. 

 My theory, and I’ll call it resentful reading, results from the  reader feeling betrayed, misled, or annoyed by how the author presents the content. Not enough action, unrealistic characters, or gratuitous violence. 

Too much of this, too little of that.                

Maybe the reader is having an awful day and a close reading to     find fault makes them feel better?

 I imagine the worst case is when the writer offends or insults the reader. For example, a glaring spelling error, albeit a street name, city, or beloved person.  A hate reading experience differs from analyzing an academic paper, where finding flaws and inconsistencies is expected. And valuable. 

Still, the question remains: Why choose to read something whose entertainment is derived not from pleasure but from hate? Reading with this attitude can’t be healthy, can it?

Hate-readers express their views with the same enthusiasm I do when I love the book.        

“I couldn’t help myself, now I was hate-reading it with vengeance,” a writer friend said, sounding gleefully satisfied.

“I kept hate-reading this book and was hoping I wasn’t the only one,” said a book club member. Why? Well, he wants everyone to “hate on it.”

 In my view, that particular book does not deserve the hate-reading treatment. Just because the author blends many genres, creating a book as unsatisfying a potluck lunch where the dishes all miserably mix together, leaving the diner with a tummy ache. Stick to one or two serving.   

My reading recipe is simple: Subtract one’s age from 100 for how many pages to read before committing to finishing the book. I will change my standard recipe if:

•  A trusted friend presses this book into my hands.

•  The book is by a family member, dear friend, or colleague.

•  It’s a book club pick.

• Open or closed, the book gives off scary spine-tingling vibes. I am a sensitive reader, friends.

 In the end, I want my relationship with books and people to enrich me.

I will spend time, money, and energy to find, finish and enjoy reading. Love, not hate keeps me reading. 

           

Footnote: Hate reading is not yet in the Merriam Webster’s dictionary.