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It is said that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But many do it anyway. Some go a step further by judging people for the books they own or proudly display on their shelves. When a reader who goes by the name BaileyReadsGood recently asked, “What’s a book that, if you see it on someone’s shelf, you immediately start judging them for it?” the internet didn’t hold back.
The book lover received over a thousand comments on her TikTok post. And it’s been viewed more than 68,000 times. Scroll down to see what people had to say, so that you can clean up your bookshelf before your next guest comes over. Don’t forget to upvote the ones you agree with, and let us know in the comments if you have any books to add to the list.
RELATED:
This book enthusiast was curious to know what should *not* be proudly displayed on anyone’s bookshelf
Image credits: baileyreadsgood
From the Bible, to the classics, and some modern best-sellers, people didn’t hold back…
Image credits: amazon
Image credits: amazon
Image credits: amazon
Image credits: amazon
Image credits: amazon
Image credits: amazon
Image credits: amazon
Image credits: amazon
Image credits: amazon
Image credits: amazon
Image credits: amazon
Image credits: amazon
Image credits: amazon
Image credits: amazon
Image credits: amazon
Image credits: amazon
“Anything Colleen Hoover”: here’s why people are divided over the It Ends With Us author
One of the names that came up a few times was Colleen Hoover. In case you’re unfamiliar, Hoover is an American author who has written several books, mainly romance novels. Perhaps her most famous one is It Ends With Us. The best-seller was recently been adapted into a Hollywood movie, which, if you’ve been following the Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni drama, you’ll know has racked up its own fair share of controversy.
Critics have hit out at Hoover for romanticizing domestic violence. The way one op-ed, published on domesticshelters.org, puts it is that the book “feeds into the very structures of toxic masculinity that it purports to combat” by “romanticizing red flags” and glorifies a “charismatic-but-dangerous man.”
Some felt the book’s bright and cheerful cover was inappropriate for its heavy and triggering theme. Hoover came under fire again in 2023 when she announced the release of a coloring book based on the main female character of It Ends With Us.
As Glamour reported, many “criticized this as an out of touch and inappropriate way to sell merch, and the backlash was so vocal that Hoover and her publisher decided to cancel its publication.”
The author quickly pulled the coloring book and addressed the controversy in a post on Instagram. “I hear you guys and I agree with you,” wrote Hoover. “No excuses. No finger-pointing. I have contacted the publisher to let them know I would prefer we don’t move forward with it. Thank you for the respectful discourse and accountability. Nothing but love.”
Hoover’s publishers later weighed in. “We developed this book to be uplifting and empowering, mirroring Lily Bloom’s story; we appreciate the feedback and discourse and have the greatest respect for Colleen Hoover’s fans. Thank you for the honest conversation and passion for the world Colleen has created in her books and the characters within,” read Atria Books’ post on X at the time.
Despite the controversy, It Ends With Us has been hugely successful, having sold more than 10 million copies worldwide in print, ebook and audio form since its first release in 2016.
Image credits: Matias North / unsplash (not the actual photo)
Many people felt no one should be judged for what books they read
Some readers were thrilled that the question had been asked
Poll Question
This post may include affiliate links.
How do you feel about judging someone based on the books they display?
It's justifiable based on the book's content
It's unfair to judge without knowing the person
It's only a reflection of their reading taste
Books shouldn't be judged at all
What do you think ?
Parmeisan 13 hours ago
If I see something problematic then I would probably ask them about it. If the answer is "oh yeah I really love Mein Kampf it's basically my Bible" then I'll go ahead and judge. Otherwise you never know if they studied it in school, are trying to understand the mindset, inherited it from someone, didn't know what it was, etc etc. So yeah, I think if they really loved something and it goes deeper than a difference in tastes, then judge away.
Crystalwitch60 8 hours ago
Never judge anyone ! says more about you than it does them !
Load More Replies...
Space Invader 12 hours ago
You can judge me for the books I read. But then I have to judge you for being so quick to judge others.
Robin Roper 13 hours ago
Come on, Harry Potter? My son and I read all these books together and made wonderful memories together. When I see these books on his bookshelf, I smile. Other than HP, I've not read any of these books or any from the authors; I tend to read non-fiction but just started to reread The Godfather; I read it the first time over 50 years ago.
Novel Idesa 3 hours ago
I was a huge HP nerd for a very long time. Then Rowling showed her true colors, and I packed up all of my books and memorabilia. But after a few years, not having them on my shelf started to feel performative. I already paid for them, Rowling isn't getting any benefit from me rereading them or displaying them with my other favorite books. I still love the story, and I'm not actually doing anything to combat transphobia by pretending like I don't.
Load More Replies...
Parmeisan 13 hours ago
If I see something problematic then I would probably ask them about it. If the answer is "oh yeah I really love Mein Kampf it's basically my Bible" then I'll go ahead and judge. Otherwise you never know if they studied it in school, are trying to understand the mindset, inherited it from someone, didn't know what it was, etc etc. So yeah, I think if they really loved something and it goes deeper than a difference in tastes, then judge away.
Crystalwitch60 8 hours ago
Never judge anyone ! says more about you than it does them !
Load More Replies... Space Invader 12 hours ago
You can judge me for the books I read. But then I have to judge you for being so quick to judge others.
Robin Roper 13 hours ago
Come on, Harry Potter? My son and I read all these books together and made wonderful memories together. When I see these books on his bookshelf, I smile. Other than HP, I've not read any of these books or any from the authors; I tend to read non-fiction but just started to reread The Godfather; I read it the first time over 50 years ago.
Novel Idesa 3 hours ago
I was a huge HP nerd for a very long time. Then Rowling showed her true colors, and I packed up all of my books and memorabilia. But after a few years, not having them on my shelf started to feel performative. I already paid for them, Rowling isn't getting any benefit from me rereading them or displaying them with my other favorite books. I still love the story, and I'm not actually doing anything to combat transphobia by pretending like I don't.
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