I could never be a professional critic

because I love almost every book I read, adore almost every movie I see, and thoroughly enjoy almost every kind of music I listen to. Sometimes I think this is a bad thing (surely I should be more discerning, more harshly critical, etc. - surely that is some kind of mark of intelligence), but generally I feel all right about it. I think I experience things more intensely because I'm not looking for flaws. Yes, there are moments in House or in some of my favorite movies when I think, "I could have written that better." In general I believe that Jasper Fforde could have excuted his ideas more effectively. Sometimes I find Jane Austen dull; often I want Margaret Atwood (my favorite of favorites! my writing idol!) to just get to the fucking point already. And when one of Anita Shreve's novels misses the mark, it really, really misses it. But that doesn't bother me, you know? I read voraciously, starvingly, passionately anyway. I know the authors I love are only human, and I don't usually feel it's necessary to make a huge deal out of their mistakes. I don't want to be a critic; I want to be a voyeur, standing on my tiptoes and looking in through the windows of books, watching my favorite characters living and loving and screwing things up, or not, depending on what kind of story it is.

Mmm. That's what I read for.