Surprise! MOJO HAZ A COMPLAINT.

Very recently—like, say, this morning—a book-themed website I follow on Facebook published a title on a blog post—miraculously disappeared an hour or so after they posted it, when I went specifically looking for it so’s I could complain bitterly about it in a more informed fashion—that basically said (from memory), “What to say to people who DRIVE YOU NUTS when the dastardly liars *CLAIM* they don’t have time to read!”

I like books. I read books. So there’s that.

But you wanna know what DRIVES ME NUTS? People who constantly THROW THEIR OBSESSIONS in your face and attempt to DICTATE EXACTLY HOW you should live your life. And WOE BETIDE YOU if you fail to live up to THEIR exacting standards.

If someone says “I don’t have time to read” all it REALLY means is, reading is NOT THAT HIGH a priority to them. So what? Perhaps it’s not as high a priority as, say, earning money for food or spending time with their family and friends. Maybe it’s not as high as, say, watching reality television. I don’t know. YOU don’t know. The point is, THEY ARE LIVING THEIR LIFE THE WAY THEY WANT TO at that moment.

Period.

I can only assume (hope?) that the article--which (ironically) I didn’t have time to read—was taken down because the very premise was so utterly snotty and egregious that even smarty-pants book readers could see that it went too far. At least, judging by the headline. I wouldn’t want to have anything to do with such a person, book lover or no.

If you like books, cool. We can talk about books, although there’s a good chance I won’t know a thing about any contemporary authors you are reading. As I have said many times before, I am a Classics weenie, so there’s a real good chance, if your book was not originally discussed at LEAST a hundred years ago, I have not read it. And I’m TOTALLY not into genre fiction, most authors who publish twenty books a year, and (frankly) TIRESOME stories about people who traipse unprepared into the wilderness and/or some vaguely exotic spot on the map to Learn Valuable Lessons About Themselves and Others. (Such as: people in different parts of the world are different than me and like different things! WHO KNEW?)

On the other hand, if you DON’T like books, that’s cool as well. Very few things in this world actually revolve around books. Whatever makes you happy is cool. It’s when you start pushing it obnoxiously on other people is when the problem starts. Not everyone likes books, or video games, or animals, or fill-in-the-blank. If they express the slightest disinterest in it, LET IT GO, FOR PETE’S SAKE.

And if you are utterly convinced they are THROWING THEIR VERY LIVES AWAY for not agreeing with you, here’s a clue: LET THEM. It’s what makes THEM happy. NOT YOU.

Unless, of course, your primary source of happiness involves dictating every tiny thing in the lives of those around you. But, for the record, I have ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST in that. So, yeah, I am going to be the SUPREME DISAPPOINTMENT in your life when I fail to live up to your standards.

To which I say: Boo-hoo.

Mojo