Originally posted on The 100 Greatest Books Challenge:

Over here at “The 100 Greatest Books Challenge,” we love all books. (By “we,” I really mean me, all by my lonely self—”we” just sounds cooler, like there’s a whole professional task-force taking shifts on a 24/7 Classic Literature reading schedule.)

At least, I love all kinds of books. And while there are particular titles that I predict will never make it onto my reading list (East of Eden comes to mind; also Twilight, the eye roll heard ’round the world), there’s no genre or style or author I would outright refuse to read. I don’t have any sweeping literary prejudices equivalent to some people’s generalized hostility toward, say, country music.

Other readers, apparently, do—and they’re entitled to their opinion, like all of us. But the line between “having an opinion” and “declaring yours is the only acceptable opinion” is not so fine that it’s invisible, and it’s across this…

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