Why are we different?

 Why do we like different things, have you ever wondered that? What colours our judgements, is it our up bringing, education, life experiences? I often wonder.. 

For example books:- 

So many people raved about this book, so I got it from the library and took it back with a DNF note on my lists. I didn't hate, it but it didn't appeal to me and my mind kept wandering and as I turned the pages I realised I hadn't taken in what was written!

But this one, that a lot of readers did not like I loved. In fact I read it twice, because it was chosen for the Book Group I belong to and on the second reading, I read stuff I'd missed the first time. When some of the group said they didn't like it and thought Eleanor was unlikeable, I wondered if we had read the same book! I loved her quirky ways and understood her need for routine, it was safe!

I've had my views totally changed by some books. I looked up the reviews of Mad Honey, as it was suggested that it was a 'marmite' book. You either loved it or hated it. So I approached it with some trepidations. 

Trans gender issues have never been in my sphere of understanding, and one of the comments had a spoiler alert,  that this book dealt with trans gender issues. I read it and didn't just enjoy it, it opened my mind to how it can just be something that is there, whether you are willing or not. And a very young person, who wanted to be a different gender to that which had been written on their birth certificate, was ok. Jodi Picoult wrote this book with Jennifer Finney Boylan, a trans gender person. It was heart rendering and I was very emotional reading it. It changed how I thought of trans gender people.

And yet this wildly acclaimed book was not for me! When I started to read it, it was fine. I liked the storying, the style of  how it was written, then even before I was a quarter of the way through, it lost me. It was 700 pages long and I thought, do I want to read a story like this. Life's too short to read books you don't like' is a mantra I often say. Whether it is alright to write about anything you like, for me its a no no. So I couldn't bring myself to read it.

But this book by Patrick Gale was amazing and dealt with the same subject as 'The Hearts Invisible Furies.'

The author thought that the character, Harry Cane could have been his great grand father, living back in the 1920s when homosexuals were imprisoned.

A shy middle class man, who abandoned his wife and child and emigrated to Canada, to a place called Winter. A beautiful story full of emotion, hard work and heart ache. I loved reading it. Dh and I had the pleasure of listening to Patrick Gale talking about it. when he was a guest at the Essex Literary Festival. 

So I ask again what is it in our make up that defines what we like, while other people hate what we like?

To all intents and purposes I had a Victorian up bringing, as it was my grand mother, born 1887,  who brought me up, it was very straight-laced and narrow... but I had a wide education in a school that taught me, that I could have my own opinions and a BIG local library! And my Aunt bought me a set of Arthur Mees encyclopedias and I read all 10 volumes cover to cover, so it kind of straightened out my narrow up bringing. I still do have some hang ups, I couldn't wear trousers in church even if you paid me, but other things are in the past!

What about you?

Chrisxx