Musing Mondays 3/16
This week’s Musing Monday asks:
We were all warned as children to ‘never talk to strangers’, but how do you feel about book-talk with random people? When you see people reading, do you ask what it is? Do you talk to people in the book store or the library? Why or why not? What do you do if people talk to you?
Books break the ice. Nobody is a stranger when there is a book involved. In bookstores, on the subway, even at the gym. If someone’s reading, or if I’m reading, I love the conversations that crop up when strangers start talking about books. Recommendations, opinions, the shared stories about a book’s place in our lives. My friendships need to have some bookish element. I want you to read my favorite books. Or, I want to know what your favorites are, and how to find books that speak to both of us.
I joke about the introductory stages of a friendship including “standing in a bookstore for a few hours and flinging books at each other.” Hey, have you read this? What did you think? If I am getting to know you, reading your favorite book will help me get to know you better. (thus far, I’ve only drawn the line at Ayn Rand. Everything else, I’ll try a few pages, at least.)
I also like conversations with strangers in bookstores or about books generally. A few words or opinions about the books, then we resume our separate lives. I’ll never be able to read Neruda without thinking of the older gentleman who saw me reading The Captain’s Verses and told me stories about growing up in Spain. I’ll never see him again, and never know his name, but my reading is better for that conversation.
“If I am getting to know you, reading your favorite book will help me get to know you better.” True, but I think it has to wait a bit into the friendship. I find that friends can differ over what books they like, to a degree, but not about the love of books altogether. At least for me…
I love the story that you told about the older gentleman … it is that kind of sharing that I love about talking to fellow readers!
And I know what you mean about getting to know friends by the books they like! Sometimes it can backfire though. I met a woman and we were friendly and decided to meet at a bookstore to socialize and while talking (for the first time) about books we liked to read, I realized she and I were not reading compatible. I actually kind of thought less of her because of her reading tastes and felt bad about it. Isn’t that awful!????
I don’t think it’s awful to have incompatible reading tastes create a stumbling block for a friendship. Funny, yes, and often true, yes, but not awful.
I’m reluctant to strike up a conversatoin with strangers, but this musing is making me think.
Great post! I love hearing stories from other folks – especially reminiscing about the good times. My post is up here
“standing in a bookstore for a few hours and flinging books at each other.”
Haha, I love that.