“It’s Not You, It’s Your Books…”

The New York Times’ Book Review section had an interesting, Modern Love-esque column this weekend about how hard it can be dating someone whose taste in books you hate. Like the writer, Rachel Donadio, when I was single, I seriously considered it a dealbreaker if a guy I was interested in had a thing for Ayn Rand—I think she’s a terrible writer and a total fascist. The guy could be the nicest person in the world, but loving Atlas Shrugged definitely told me he had a secret heartless side. Likewise, it can be a real turn-on to share a love for the same books with another person—I was once convinced that a guy and I were soul mates because we both loved J.D. Salinger’s Franny and Zooey. But judgment of ones’ literary taste can go both ways—I certainly would be pissed off if a dude wrote me off just because I like reading V.C. Andrews and Sweet Valley High “novels” while I get a tan on my roof deck. So how important is it to you that you share the same interest in books with the person you’re dating? [NY Times]