> the great writers were those whos portraits we had on the wall in literature class

It's completely up to the authorities to define great writers?

this was meant ironically of course. What I wanted to say is: all those stars and badges are bullshit, just read what you like. I've hated books that were on various "best of all time" lists, and enjoyed unknown stuff from the internet with typos and broken grammar. And vice versa.

Sorry, I didn't know you were being ironic.

I'll add to your point that 'stars and badges' (from a source I trust) on something I don't like can be a signal that there is something more there, outside my understanding, and that's often the most fruitful thing to read.