I got into reading two years ago and have been exclusively working through all the great works of fiction I have always wanted to read. The list is endless. However there is a mounting list of non-fiction books I want to read. My problem is, I can’t help myself from sticking to fiction as the list is far longer. How do you manage the balance? Non-fiction in the day and fiction at night? Alternating books?
I think it’s less disdain than defensiveness. You never see non-fiction readers asking how to incorporate more fiction in their reading routine, but folks who prefer fiction are often treated as unserious or made to feel guilty for not seeking personal growth or using their time in a useful way. The reality is that there are valuable books on both sides of the shelf; we do everyone a disservice when we pretend that there’s inherently more to gain from self-help books or poorly researched pop history (my personal pet peeve) than there is from actual art. No offense to David Simon–I loved the Wire–but I’m skeptical that it hits harder than, say, Richard Wright or Toni Cade Bambara or Toni Morrison for that matter, reality notwithstanding.