Comments on: Can’t not know.

By: Hillsy

Hillsy — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:39:49 +0000

I read almost exclusively on the commute. However, being English the proper decorum for public transport is to never engage a stranger in eye contact, let alone start a conversation with one! I’ve occasionally glanced down on the tube to find the person beneath my armpit is reading a book I’ve read in the last 12 months. Of course like a polite Englishman I just nod knowingly to myself.

*Picks up Judas Unchained: Peter F Hamilton. (Don’t need to flash the cover. The books 1250 pages long – you can see that damn thing from space!)

By: Lisa Borja

Lisa Borja — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 19:54:31 +0000

Eugene, Ore., has a community reading month that helps spark conversations between strangers based on the reading material they’re carrying around. “Readin’ in the Rain” usually happens in chilly rainy February when bonding with new people is likely to stave off some serious blues. The committee picks one book by a Pacific Northwest author and promotes it and its themes. It is sanctioned book-gawking at its finest. I loved being a part of it.

Oh, that thinnish paperback next to my kombucha? THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE by Phillip Pullman.

By: christi

christi — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 04:17:35 +0000

I never noticed I do this, but I’m terribly guilty of it. I wander around at work and stop in cubicles and chat just because a book has caught my eye, and I want to know if it’s any good. Which is weird, considering the person’s taste might be very different from my own.

*Flashes cover of American Gods as she walks out the door*

By: Stephanie Scott

Stephanie Scott — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:13:11 +0000

You can find out a lot about a person to see what they’re reading! If it’s someone you know, you find out even more when you ask how they like the book. What’s kind of sad is people at work see me with different book at lunch and remark, “I can’t believe how much you read! How do you find the time?” If you like to read, you read. You open a book instead of turning on The Bachelor Pad (which I did NOT do the other day and regretted having to see Jake & whoevers “drama”).

I love talking books with people. Even if they read a totally different genre, I find out more about them as a person.

By: Donn

Donn — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:08:49 +0000

I think it’s partly self-validation, and partly I-just-can’t-help-reading-any-and-all-visible-text-placed-within-view syndrome.

It’s a common affliction, please consult your doctor if you think you may have been affected.

By: Cora Zane

Cora Zane — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:23:20 +0000

I don’t know why I crane to see what someone’s reading. I’ve never really thought about it. Curiosity? To see if I’d be interested in reading that book too? Either or both. I don’t think I’ve ever stopped to ask someone about a book. One glance at the cover and I’m usually satisfied, even if I can’t quite make out the title. Hmm. Next time I spot a book out in the wild, I’ll have to analyze my craning habit.

On my way out the door: holds up a copy of Skin by Kathe Koja.

By: Kathleen Taylor

Kathleen Taylor — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:08:55 +0000

One of the drawbacks to eReaders is that you can’t see what anyone else is reading. Airports and airplanes are a lot less interesting now (though I have a Kindle myself, and I love carrying 50 books around in a tiny little bundle).

I used to fantasize about stumbling into someone reading one of my books, but alas, it has never happened.