# HuffPo Link: Nine Books that Make You Undateable **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 19, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733 "2012-07-19T16:14:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/41 "2012-07-19T19:51:18Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Lolita is one of my favorite books, too, but you’re right; I’ll never admit that in public. When a thread was started to have people quote beautiful passages from their favorite books, one of the first that came to mind was the intro to \*Lolita \*- could Nabokov express more delight in how he opens the book? > [@](#): > > Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta. But, yeah - not one I’d call out as a fave in reply to a first date question…:eek: ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/42 "2012-07-19T20:36:25Z")
Just because you like or even love a book, it doesn’t mean you want to be like the main or title character. I love The Great Gatsby, but likable characters are pretty thin on the ground. Owl-Eyes, maybe? And we only meet him twice. The others range from seriously flawed to insufferable. But they need to be that way to tell the story F Scott Fitzgerald wanted to tell. Another controversial book I love is The Catcher in the Rye. Which characters can you like there? Once in a while we see a glimpse of something genuine in Holden, but other than that, we’ve got his kid sister and his memories of his dead brother. Everyone else either really _is_ a big phony, or they’re genuine and genuinely unpleasant. I hope I’m a better person than Jay Gatsby or Holden Caulfield, even though I enjoy reading the stories about them. The only favorite books that make me think someone is not going to work out as a friend (I’m happily married so it’s been a while since I’ve dealt with finding a romantic partner…) are the ones that lead people to Rethink Their Whole Philosophy On Life, which means political nonfiction or politically loaded fiction. And yeah, Ayn Rand is definitely on that list, but she’s not alone. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/43 "2012-07-19T21:23:40Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I have called Gatsby my favorite book at times. Gatsby is great because it’s so awesomely beautifully written. Your feelings about the characters shouldn’t matter. You shouldn’t want to be like the characters in Hemingway, either, or Faulkner, or Sinclair Lewis or really any writer of that era. > [@74westy](#): > > It’s not about whether it’s your favourite book or not; it’s about assuming that if it’s your favourite book, you must be like the character in the book. So if your favourite book is Lolita, it means you want to fuck a 14 year old. Dolores is 12 when the book starts. The entire point of the book is that she is pre-pubescent. She’s older in the movies, of course. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/44 "2012-07-19T21:28:40Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I’d be fine with a woman whose favorite book was 1984, so long as she invited me into her room 101. Really?!? What, uhm, is the worst thing in the world for you?!? :eek::dubious:😕 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/45 "2012-07-19T21:30:13Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Really?!? What, uhm, is the worst thing in the world for you?!? :eek::dubious:😕 I can already see the end of their encounter in Room 101: > [@](#): > > \*\*Voyager \*\*loved Big Sister. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/46 "2012-07-19T21:32:44Z")
> [@](#): > > **Voyager** loved Big Sister. **Andrea Dworkin?!?** :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/47 "2012-07-19T21:32:52Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > …his book The Right Stuff was an interesting read about the space program… That might be my favorite book. Does that make me undateable? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/48 "2012-07-19T21:33:59Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > HuffPo uses that launch point to list a few other books, like On the Road, Anna Karenina, Atlas Shrugged, the Simarillion, etc. as books that, if named, should be a red flag dating-wise, for different reasons. I would marry a girl, sight unseen, if the Simarillion was her favorite book ---
**Author:** ![ScarletNumber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@ScarletNumber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ScarletNumber)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/49 "2012-07-19T21:42:50Z")
Does it violate Godwin’s Law to put Mein Kampf on the list? ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/50 "2012-07-19T21:49:29Z")
They forgot _Dianetics_, _Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You to Know About_ and [Listen to the Warm](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/482214.Listen_to_the_Warm). ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/51 "2012-07-19T22:03:09Z")
Nothing aside from Atlas Shrugged belongs on the list. This is some hipster BS right here - “Oh, you like [mainstream classic book]? How cute. What’s my favorite book? Oh, you’ve probably never heard of it - they haven’t finished translating the fifth volume from Urdu yet.” ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/52 "2012-07-19T23:18:52Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Nothing aside from Atlas Shrugged belongs on the list. This is some hipster BS right here - “Oh, you like [mainstream classic book]? How cute. What’s my favorite book? Oh, you’ve probably never heard of it - they haven’t finished translating the fifth volume from Urdu yet.” You left out, “And you wouldn’t ‘get’ it anyway.” ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/53 "2012-07-19T23:27:01Z")
In all seriousness, the first … three, four? too damn many spaces on that list can be taken up with the current “favorite” of way too many people who ought to know better: the _50 Shades Of Gray_ dreck. Talk about running for the hills. I know it, I’m a snob. I like a coherent train of thought every once in a while, and don’t even get me started on my horribly elitist taste in grammar. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/54 "2012-07-20T00:05:16Z")
Gay faggot article. I bet the “author” hasn’t read anything of importance in Weltliteratur since being shat out of his momma’s cunt. People who write about books as a rule don’t read. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/55 "2012-07-20T00:13:09Z")
> [@Jaledin](#): > > Gay faggot article. I bet the “author” hasn’t read anything of importance in Weltliteratur since being shat out of his momma’s cunt. People who write about books as a rule don’t read. **Jaledin** , you’ve been warned about this kind of thing before. Knock it off. You’re threadshitting and your language is completely inappropriate for this site. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/56 "2012-07-20T00:30:46Z")
It’s a blog/blurb which is illiterate and deserves scorn. Scilicet whatever bad words may be supplied. Thanks for the warning. The thing with people who work in publishing is that they are generally not well-read and, therefore, their opinions and published writings should be ignored and derided. ETA obviously there’s no anti-gay feeling from me – but I support the argument that any derogatory comments may contribute to some Alabama white hick honkey shitkicker getting a tick in its fur and feeling empowered to perpetuate some genuine bigotry. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/57 "2012-07-20T00:42:14Z")
My “Undatable” list - if your favorite book is: 1. Anything by Ayn Rand. 2. The Bible. It’s OK to have read it, it’s OK to believe in it even, but for it to be your favorite book…no. 3. Any self-help book, whether that be Men are from Mars, 7 Habits, or Rich Dad Poor Dad. If that’s your favorite book ever, it bespeaks a lack of imagination. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/58 "2012-07-20T03:17:16Z")
Thanks for providing the list, **Inner Stickler** – I removed the descriptions as material written by the person who created the slideshow. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/59 "2012-07-20T04:28:19Z")
Wow. What a weird list. Red flags in books I would think are as variable as anything else. While I might consider it a red flag if a person I was dating listed The Silmarillion as a favorite, someone else could thing that made such a person an excellent prospect. (Note and fake edit: Probably a number of people right here on this very board.) And the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test? Really? On the Road? My red flag: American Psycho. I don’t mind if you read it–I read it. But if it was your favorite book, then I’m stepping away, changing my number, and considering the witness protection program. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733/60 "2012-07-20T05:19:07Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I can already see the end of their encounter in Room 101: > > 😉 An analysis of the book pointed out this - consider what part of the female anatomy can be represent by 101. Hint - think of the 1’s as legs. 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huffpo-link-nine-books-that-make-you-undateable/628733.md?page=4)