Could you date someone who doesn't read?

Vogin · Post by **Vogin** » 27 Feb 2011, 05:21

Hardly, because people who don't read books are usually less intelligent and have different antecedence in their lives. I have a hard time even being on the bus and listening to dumb people, so any romance is out of the question.

StephenKingman · Post by **StephenKingman** » 27 Feb 2011, 05:49

Vogin wrote:Hardly, because people who don't read books are usually less intelligent and have different antecedence in their lives. I have a hard time even being on the bus and listening to dumb people, so any romance is out of the question.

Less intelligent? I certainly dont find that, in fact i know a lot of people who never read a book in their lives and are far more streetwise, intelligent and interesting than a bookworm who does nothing but read all day every day. Depends how you view intelligence, i suppose.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » 27 Feb 2011, 13:08

Vogin wrote:Hardly, because people who don't read books are usually less intelligent and have different antecedence in their lives. I have a hard time even being on the bus and listening to dumb people, so any romance is out of the question.

Ah yes ... I can well understand why they would be of that opinion.

Amber098724 · Post by **Amber098724** » 28 Feb 2011, 19:27

I personally don't think I could. I really love books and I'm constantly talking about them. If the person I'm dating doesn't read then I'm going to feel like I can't talk to them about one of my passions. I just don't think it would work out for me.

Tralala · Post by **Tralala** » 02 Mar 2011, 02:18

Fran wrote:
Vogin wrote:Hardly, because people who don't read books are usually less intelligent and have different antecedence in their lives. I have a hard time even being on the bus and listening to dumb people, so any romance is out of the question.
Ah yes ... I can well understand why they would be of that opinion.

Well put, Fran. Some people just have a hard time sitting still, or reading just doesn't appeal, for whatever reason. Doesn't mean they're dumb, necessarily. YMMV, I guess.

Diy-day · Post by **Diy-day** » 03 Mar 2011, 01:35

I would go out with someone who didn't read. I'm not sure I would start a family with them; I need someone to join me in setting a good example for our kids, as far as reading is concerned.

Habeebi · Post by **Habeebi** » 08 Mar 2011, 14:06

I have just joined this forum and read your topic with interest! My current beau whom I have been with for 5 years now does not read books and it drives me nuts! Mainly because I feel he is missing out on so much.

The only two books I have managed to get him to read are A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown and Watch my Back by Geoff Thompson both of which he loved. He basically does not have time which is true as his hobby is music and his band. I will keep working on him though as I miss out on anyone to have book banter with apart from my folks! Hence the reason I joined this forum!

x

Jeny473 · Post by **Jeny473** » 08 Mar 2011, 17:36

My husband does not read. It is frustrating because I spend a lot of time reading, I always have. (My mom forced me to play sports in middle school. I would do some bone headed thing to get benched. "Oh gee, now I'm really sad. Good thing I brought this copy of Wuthering Heights along.") I would really enjoy it if he did read more because I do like to debate and discuss the things I read about and the new ideas the books inspire.

LadyJeanette09 · Post by **LadyJeanette09** » 10 Mar 2011, 03:32

I read a lot of chick-lit so I'm certain my potential boyfriend would probably not be into that. However, I would want him to pick up a book now and then where we might have some common interest (sci fi, historical fiction, biography, classics, etc).

I always loved it when my dad would read aloud to my sisters and me as a child. My father wasn't fond of reading for himself, but he didn't mind that. So, if I could find a boyfriend who didn't mind reading aloud (or had a great read aloud voice) then I'd be satisfied.

MisterD86 · Post by **MisterD86** » 15 Mar 2011, 18:39

I have never dated a fellow reader, although I would love to try sometime. =D
I agree that reading and intelligence do not necessarily go hand in hand, although reading and vocabulary usually do, which I suppose could be construed as intelligence.

TornUpReaper · Post by **TornUpReaper** » 16 Mar 2011, 12:02

Scott Hughes wrote:Could you date someone who doesn't read? I don't mean someone who can't read, but someone who chooses to read almost nothing, and who almost never reads a book. Could you get into a romantic relationship with such a person?

I doubt that I could. I could never get emotionally close to a person who doesn't read books, mainly because we could never discuss a specific book, and the person would never be able to take any of my recommendations let alone make any recommendations of their own to me.

(This is nothing that's happening to me right now, just a random hypothetical that I've been pondering when I can't sleep at night and such. )

Yes.
I currently am. My boyfriend does not like to read because it is difficult for him, and I understand that. I do not force him to read. I actually wrote him a book for his birthday and he struggled through it for me, making me feel great that he actually did read it.
We have a solution, though, that works for us. I read aloud to him. That way, I get to read as much as I want and it doesn't make things difficult for us because he is listening to me read, so he gets to hear the stories as well.
Granted, we are both too old for story-time like in Kindergarten, but it is something that bonds us in our relationship, because we both enjoy the same types of stories, he just doesn't have the patience to actually sit down and read them himself.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » 16 Mar 2011, 13:28

TornUpReaper wrote:
Scott Hughes wrote:Could you date someone who doesn't read? I don't mean someone who can't read, but someone who chooses to read almost nothing, and who almost never reads a book. Could you get into a romantic relationship with such a person?

I doubt that I could. I could never get emotionally close to a person who doesn't read books, mainly because we could never discuss a specific book, and the person would never be able to take any of my recommendations let alone make any recommendations of their own to me.

(This is nothing that's happening to me right now, just a random hypothetical that I've been pondering when I can't sleep at night and such. )
Yes.
I currently am. My boyfriend does not like to read because it is difficult for him, and I understand that. I do not force him to read. I actually wrote him a book for his birthday and he struggled through it for me, making me feel great that he actually did read it.
We have a solution, though, that works for us. I read aloud to him. That way, I get to read as much as I want and it doesn't make things difficult for us because he is listening to me read, so he gets to hear the stories as well.
Granted, we are both too old for story-time like in Kindergarten, but it is something that bonds us in our relationship, because we both enjoy the same types of stories, he just doesn't have the patience to actually sit down and read them himself.

Your post reminded me that lots of classic literature feature one adult reading to another on a regular basis ... usually a daughter reading to her aged or ill parent. Possibly it was a consequence of lack of treatment for failing eyesight or in some instances where the parent may not have had the benefit of an education. I recall my mother telling me that when she was a child it was common for one person in a household to read the newspaper aloud to the family. Something else that telly probably put an end to!
Reading to your boyfriend sounds really romantic

TornUpReaper · Post by **TornUpReaper** » 16 Mar 2011, 14:38

Fran wrote: Your post reminded me that lots of classic literature feature one adult reading to another on a regular basis ... usually a daughter reading to her aged or ill parent. Possibly it was a consequence of lack of treatment for failing eyesight or in some instances where the parent may not have had the benefit of an education. I recall my mother telling me that when she was a child it was common for one person in a household to read the newspaper aloud to the family. Something else that telly probably put an end to!
Reading to your boyfriend sounds really romantic

Why thank you Fran! You're right, it does seem similar to those kinds of situations. I've never thought of it that way, I just thought that it would be a fun thing to do, and a good way for us to connect, especially since then we have something to talk about afterwards.

C0ldf1re · Post by **C0ldf1re** » 18 Mar 2011, 08:11

Just by chance, "Catcher in the Rye" caught my eye in the local library. (I was really there to take my twins in.) I remembered the horror when an ex- heard that I had never read Catcher. So I borrowed it. What a pointless book. I'd want a *good* reader as a date.

BooksByEssie · Post by **BooksByEssie** » 23 Mar 2011, 12:42

My husband and I have been together for 10 years, married for 5, and he never reads books. I think in the last 10 years, aside from programming reference books, he's read 5 books. We have plenty to talk about, and always have. I tell him about books that I'm reading, and he gets really into the storyline. He also reads everything that I write, and helps me to improve it. Its nice to be with someone who is different from yourself.

How many men who play video games would stay single forever if they said that they could only date someone who played video games? There aren't that many gamer chicks. Its about finding other common interests.