Reading mediocre books is not better than not reading at all

Maybe an unpopular opinion but I’m sick of seeing this statement. Not all reading is equal and some books are clearly better than others. It’s fine to read for light reading. I read an occasional thriller or sci-fi here and there the same way I might have a McDonald’s cheeseburger on a cheat day. Reading Harry Potter is not the same as reading Charlotte’s web, Alice in wonderland, or Narnia. It’s not even close. Brandon Sanderson will never be on the same level as Leo Tolstoy or Jack London. Rupi Kaur will never be remembered as a good poet in the same way as T.S. Elliot or Emily Dickinson, and no, Stephen King is not equivalent to Charles Dickens. Andy Weir will never be as good as H.G. Wells.

This might seem like a rant and a bit snobby but I’m just tired of this statement because it’s not true. Literature develops our empathy and critical thinking skills. Plot driven genre fiction just doesn’t do that at all. Self help books are also awful and I’ve learnt more about life from Fyodor Dostoyevsky than from any self help books. Anyways, thanks for reading. I’m just so sick of literature being commercialised into an assembly line. I hate that the art form I love is being destroyed for profit.