YOU SHOULD PROBABLY LEAVE YOUR COPY OF THE KAMA SUTRA AT HOME: The Free Library of Philadelphia is hosting speed-dating sessions where each potential suitor has to bring a representative book as an icebreaker, and we couldn't help but wonder: if you were (or are) on the market, which book would you bring to introduce yourself? And which book, in the hands of the person across the table, would have you wincing and hoping for the next rotation to happen quickly?
The obvious wince book is Atlas Shrugged.
ReplyDeleteAgree with carried - if I saw "Atlas Shrugged" or "The Fountainhead" in someone's hands, I would run away. That being said...I have absolutely no idea what book I'd bring, but I'm intrigued by this idea.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid that the books that I initially would want to bring will totally show up on this list as a wince book. (It is not the books listed above, although I too would wince and possibly run).
ReplyDeleteI'm probably bringing How to Be Good by Nick Hornby, a book that I love that I've recommended umpty-ump times--but only has one person liked it. So it'd be a good cull-from-the-herd book.
ReplyDeleteAs I am married and living in Chicago, you won't see me there, but this makes me want to organize one of these for finding friends.
And agreed with the others, Rand will instantly slam my legs, and my heart, closed.
I'd either bring "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien or "A Fan's Notes" by Frederick Exley; it'd be a game time decision. I honestly don't think there would be a dealbreaker book for me, as long as the person who brought the book really loved it and enjoyed talking about it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Rand was my first thought for a no-go. Wally Lamb would probably give me pause as well. And certainly there's a whole bevy of books that would violate The Rule that would at least make me nervous (though I did marry someone of the opposite political persuasion, so I should refrain from type-casting).
ReplyDeleteI would probably bring Atonement by Ian McEwanbecause itMs probably the best book I've read.
Can we just say, as a generic matter, that there are books which are so discordant with our own political preferences that even though someone might be willing to date across the aisle, there might be much to overcome?
ReplyDeleteI second the notion that I'd have a hard time coming up with a dealbreaker (except for maybe a self-help book).
ReplyDeleteI'd probably have a hard time choosing a book - I read and enjoy non-fiction so much more than fiction. I'd probably go with "American Prometheus" a biography of Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin or "The Informant" by Kurt Eichenwald.
I can't say for certain unless I was actually in the situation, but I'm pretty sure Kerouac or Bukowski would cause an involuntary reaction of my "O rly?" eyebrow. And if he were carrying Gaiman, I'd instantly assume my hair wasn't red or black enough and wonder how long we'd date before the idea of a corset would come up.
ReplyDeleteAs for what I'd take:
Fiction division: A Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker omnibus or A Wrinkle in Time
Nonfiction: A collection of Pauline Kael, one of the Straight Dope books, or Rob Sheffield's Love Is a Mixtape
Who are we kidding? I'd totally forget, leave my carefully chosen book at home, and have to go with what was in my purse. Which would probably be something from Eloisa James with a title like Midnight and the Scoundrel.
I guess Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science of Sex by Mary Roach would be a little on the nose? My go-to "this book is amazing and everyone should read it" pick is The Known World by Edward P. Jones. But the topic - black slave owners in the slavery era - is a little down for dating conversation. Another recent mind-blower, ROOM, by Emma Donoghue, has a similar, worse, problem. Maybe The Remains of the Day? That's a bit of a downer too I guess. Man, everything I love is either depressing or sinister . . . The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay?
ReplyDeleteSee, the problem is that it's not necessarily your favorite book you'd bring, but one where you'd want to meet the person who would be excited that you're holding it. So I wouldn't bring my favorite book, which is a YA classic aimed mostly at girls (The Westing Game) because it's not likely to provoke a reaction in a guy.
ReplyDeleteSo I'd probably bring A Dirty Job or To Say Nothing of the Dog, because any guy who comes up to me because I am holding those books is a guy I want to know. Other options would be Ender's Game, The Sparrow, or The Brothers K, though Hitchhiker's is an excellent choice. Of course, if I'm trying to attract men, I've found all I need to be holding is my baseball scorebook.
Dealbreakers: The DaVinci Code, Twilight, or anything by a self-help guru.
(Keep in mind - when my husband and I got married and combined our libraries, we had exactly two books in common - the same edition of Torah commentaries, and The Thorn Birds. So it's possible to love someone with zero overlapping book tastes. Difficult, but possible.)
An ragged underline copy of Mein Kampf would also do the trick.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the book I read every year that draws the most comments from dudes is the Baseball Prospectus annual. Of course, most of those comments have (at least overtones of) sexism built into them, but it is for-sure a conversation starter.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I have been married for going-on eight years, and we've still had just one real fight, which was about how to organize our books. We also had way many books and very little overlap.
Marsha, I almost went with To Say Nothing of the Dog, so much about why I like that book sums up the things I like best about myself, but I wouldn't think most people would know it.
ReplyDeleteIt's making me think: Do you want a book that's a conversation starter (what's that book? why do you love it?) or a signifier (If you're carrying X, you must be Y)?
I'll say that I could more easily get over something that is at least nominally a work of ideas (e.g., Rand, Howard Zinn) far more easily than I could something that is pure political agitprop (Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Michael Moore). Indeed, someone who identified themself with a piece of pure agitprop, regardless of whether I agreed with it or not, would immediately make me uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteAmen. My wife and I have very little overlap. She's still awesome.
ReplyDeleteI think I'd go for conversation starter because I think I'd be more interested in hearing someone talk about why they love a book or why they chose to bring it, rather than trying to analyze or make assumptions about the "if you brought X, then you're Y."
ReplyDeleteI think you'd have to assume that the person across the table from you is bringing a particular book not because of how he/she feels about it, but because of how he/she thinks that YOU'LL feel about it. So anything that seems pretentious or pandering would cause me to wince. On the other hand, anything that makes me laugh would be a winner.
ReplyDeleteSo, yes, the Kama Sutra would be intriguing, as would something like "A Beginner's Guide to Arc Welding." As long as I could be confident that the person was being ironic, and was not in fact a slut or a construction worker.
World War Z was my first thought. It is fun to talk about, kind of horror/ sci-fi but also with a world politics angle. Perhaps some people would find that creepy?
ReplyDeleteYeah, got to agree with Matt above, anything that's pure agitprop (Glenn Beck, Michael Moore, Al Franken) would have me going "hello, good bye" in a heart beat. I can deal with folks who's politics are the opposite of mine, I'm marrying someone who's politics are 100% the opposite of mine, makes life interesting, but when folks are that into it all, well, they tend to demagogue and that's just not attractive IMO.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, love'em or hate'em, writers like Ayn Rand and Howard Zinn are still influencing political dialogue today and anyone who hasn't at least a passing familiarity with Fountainhead or A People's History of the United States, well, I'd find them rather lacking in gravitas when it comes to talking politics or culture.
For me, the books I'd bring, probably something by Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, either author speaks to my particular sense of humor and my tendency to seek the lighter side of life. Also good for me would be one of Kathy Reichs' early Brennan novels - I love them all in general, but the charcter of Tempe Brennan pretty much epitomizes my ideal woman - strong, resilient, independent, smart, attractive, a little neurotic, a lot horny, and just a touch needy when it comes to the man she loves.
Total deal breakers - as mentioned above, any sort of political agitprop, any sort of vampire book (Twilight, VD, you name it), and anything written by someone who's famous for being on Oprah.
I tried reading How to Be Good and I got stuck 150 pages into it. I claim that one day I will pick it back up and finish it, but I haven't done it so far...
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what I would bring with me or what would make me wince, but I really want to go to one of these. It's a great idea and you can immediately break the ice. Things like these make me wish I lived in a bigger city with a significantly larger single population.
ReplyDeleteDealbreaker: anything Twilight
ReplyDeleteAs for what I'd bring, that's a hard one. Possibilities that immediately spring to mind: Kavalier & Clay, Tales of the City, or The Seven Lamps of Architecture.
Even as someone who really likes that book, I'd say there's so much other stuff to read, why bother? (Though, of course, I find it impossible to set stuff aside permanently--but I'm getting better as I get older.)
ReplyDeleteI might also bring my thrashed, had-it-since-I-was-eight copy of The Phantom Toolbooth.
Hmmm. I think I would just bring one of my favorites, notwithstanding what others say above, on the theory that my love for the book will shine through and be attractive in and of itself. So, it would likely be The Remains of the Day (added bonus: can lead to discussion of Downton Abbey, which I suppose I should watch first), Life of Pi, or Interpreter of Maladies.
ReplyDeleteDeal-breakers: In addition to the politically obnoxious stuff mentioned above, any of the Twilight or Millennium Trilogy books; anything by or about Sylvia Plath (surely brilliant, but I'm not sure I want to get into that); movie novelizations (i.e. where the book followed and was based on the move; books that were made into movies are fine); Eat Pray Love; Xenocide (obscure xkcd reference there).
Books that would most attract me: Interesting literary fiction or non-fiction, quirky sci-fi.
For those who know who Orson Scott Card is but who have not seen the comic giving rise to my Xenocide joke: http://xkcd.com/304/
ReplyDeleteAfter reading everyone's comments, now I feel like I wasn't strategic (cynical?) enough with my choices. I picked books that were meaningful to me that I could easily talk about, so that at the very least I'd be comfortable at this type of event.
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is, I brought up "A Fan's Notes" once years ago when the conversation turned to books and the guy insulted me. He was a pretentious bore, though, so ultimately I doged a bullet. As that experience did not deter me from choosing it again, maybe selecting something you love works as a shield just as well as choosing a book based on how it makes you look works as enticement?
I think I'd have to bring "Carter Beats the Devil." I recommend it to everyone I know (I've mentioned it in posts here several times), it's not well-known (so it's a conversation starter), it's got an eye-catching cover, and I'm so enthusiastic about it that it would bring out the best in me to talk about it.
ReplyDeleteI think that book got overshadowed by Kavalier and Clay, which is too bad--I love it, too.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, bringing Liz Lemon's Dealbreakers is a dealbreaker.
ReplyDeleteSo you're saying I shouldn't bring my copy of <span><span>Seduction Lines Heard 'Round the World and Answers You Can Give: A World Book of Lines</span></span><span><span> </span></span><span><span>complete with post-it flags for easy reference?</span></span><span><span></span></span><span><span></span></span><span></span>
ReplyDelete1.) I think I'd bring a book I really like, but also a conversation starter -- which rules out most of the novels I like. (Maybe Middlesex would be an exception? There's definitely a lot there to talk about.) So I'd probably end up with The Scavenger's Guide to Haute Cuisine by Steven Rinella, about a year-long quest to acquire (through hunting, foraging, etc.) as many ingredients for dishes in Escoffier's Le Guide Culinaire as possible and then to prepare them for a three-day Thanksgiving feast.
ReplyDelete2.) Would be attracted by: pretty much anything showing a geeky interest in something whether I was interested in that something or not -- Baseball Prospectus, On Food and Cooking, Build Your Own Underground Root Cellar, etc. Bonus points for an antiquarian book or something that took serious tracking down. Or a novel/memoir/biography that I had either read and liked, or that seemed especially interesting.
Would be utterly repulsed by: Along with some of the other ones mentioned (Ayn Rand, extreme political books probably even if I agreed with them, Twilight, and Eat Pray Love, which made me guffaw out loud), I'd add Left Behind, religious texts, If I Did It, anything by Chuck Palahniuk because his fans are often scary, and anything alt-medicine/woo-ish like Deepak Chopra.
I actually really love the idea of a favorite kids/YA book because that is something that people will have VERY strong feelings about. And I think you up your chances that they will have read the book in question. The Westing Game is one I loved too when I was a kid -- I'm excited that my Spawn is just about old enough for me to share it with her now.
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking back to High Fidelity, and the concept of who we are being defined by what we like. In a lot of ways, it's definitely true -- but for me it's more important *why* we like something. For example, I read Ayn Rand's books in high school, at that most impressionable age - they were, for me, what Catcher in the Rye was for so many of my classmates. (Remember that classic Lisa Simpson line "You mean there are places where my intelligence is an asset and not a liability?" -- that totally describes me as a teenager, reading Rand.) I reject most of their ideas now, but I think they're still fascinating: not well-written, but for the most part very well-plotted, and I think they're much better viewed as a response to Rand's early years in Russia than as a manifesto for how to live in a free society.
ReplyDeleteSo, basically, what I'm saying is: there are interesting things in Rand's books. I'm not saying that I'd want to date someone who used them as words to live by, but I wouldn't reject someone for having liked them. Not that I'd take them to a speed date.
But what book would I take? Fiction-wise, I'd lean toward Kavalier and Clay, because I frickin LOVED that book. (Runners up would be The French Lieutenant's Woman and On Chesil Beach: but since they're both, at least in part, about bad sex, I'm not sure that's a signal I'd want to give in this situation.)
What would be a deal-breaker? I'd probably give anyone a chance to defend anything, but I'd be most skeptical of someone who brought one of those middlebrow books that everyone reads and claims to love... something like Life of Pi, which I thought was terrible (sorry, Russ).
Ooh, yeah, The Game. That would either be an utter dealbreaker or hilarious.
ReplyDeleteOr, for that matter, Neil Strauss' T<span>he Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists.</span>
ReplyDeleteAll these comments and not one mention of To Kill a Mockingbird.
ReplyDelete@Victoria: JINX.
ReplyDeleteIf I Did It just made me choke on my water. That is hysterical. But also would be very scary if a dude brought it!
ReplyDeleteRuss, I hadn't seen that. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteFinished it last night, Sue. See? You harangue me long enough and I'll get around to everything...
ReplyDelete<span>Bring: Investing Strategies for High Net Worth Individuals. Ding: Tuesdays with Morrie. </span>
ReplyDeleteTo change the question slightly - and maybe more favorably - assume it is not done on purpose, but you're in a library/cafe/other similar setting - which book would cause you to start a conversation with a person?
ReplyDeleteI tend to start conversations with those carrying legal textbooks, if just to express sympathy or reassurance. I also hired two interns that way, so it's helping me.
Other books that I'd comment on would be anything by Jhumpa Lahiri or Dorothy Parker, The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, anything about Teddy Roosevelt (and maybe Eleanor), The Group and Oscar Wao. There are other books that might tempt me (like a Safran Foer), but since I live in Brooklyn, I would have to be careful. The person could be a hipster.
Too cliche - I'd be afraid that what it would say about me is "I stopped reading when I graduated high school." (Despite the fact that I didn't read it in high school.) Even if I'm wrong about that, it's still probably too universal to serve as something that defines you at an event like this.
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to share the Westing Game with my nephews. And my new niece- born on Valentine's Day!
ReplyDeleteActually, now that I think about this a bit: ding - anything by Jane Austen. I don't particularly have anything against Jane Austen or against people who read Jane Austen. Women who love Jane Austen enough to identify themselves as Jane Austen fans, though, are not looking for anything resembling me. So let's just save ourselves both the time. And the book I'd honestly bring would probably be All the King's Men, whether or not it's the right strategic move.
ReplyDeleteI like Jane Austen, but I think there are two types of Jane Austen fans. Those for whom Jane Austen is the apex of all reading and those for whom Jane Austen is light and fun. I think you'd be okay with the latter. Even I'm not okay with the former.
ReplyDeleteThe dealbreakers all listed above are mine too. Another dealbreaker: The Rules.
ReplyDeleteFiction: I would probably not bring something intensely literary even if I loved it because I'm looking for a date not a book club. I'd aim for something with personality and humor...maybe one of the Robert B. Parker Spenser books because they're fun, smart and Spenser is charming, and they're what got me into crime fiction as a genre. Or Elmore Leonard for similar reasons.
Nonfiction: I'd probably go with something by Sarah Vowell. And would avoid incredibly written, thought-provoking, discussion-worthy books like Columbine or The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down for similar book clubby reasons and they're also very depressing. Not right for a first meeting.
Marsha - first My So-Called Life and now this! You really are having the Year of Sue! So how'd you like Carter?
ReplyDeleteI'd probably bring something by David Sedaris -- maybe Holidays on Ice. Mostly because I think he's hilarious and someone who isn't at least open to that type of humor probably isn't going to like me all that much.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Marsha on The Da Vinci Code as a dealbreaker. I've had conversations with people who claim they LOVE to read but then cite that as their favorite book. Liar. You do not love to read. If you did, you probably would have read enough books to understand why The Da Vinci Code stinks.
I would love to go to a party where this was the premis, though I'm not sure what book I would bring. My initial thought was I could just lug along my Norton Shakespeare because that would be funny and also sums up my life right now. Something by Douglas Adams, Philip Roth, or Oscar Wilde might just as easily make the cut. If I was going to bring a children's book, I would probably choose The House at Pooh Corner or The Little Engine that Could. After reading through the tread, the book that I love that might be the best conversation starter is Simmons's The Book of Basketball, which was the first non-lit/dissertation focused thing that I read when I finished my orals.
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean that one of the events at ALOTT5MAcon is a cocktail party where we all bring a book? Please?
All the King's Men is one of my favorite books of all time. Can't believe I forgot it earlier.
ReplyDelete1. My Name Is Asher Lev, for both the art and the religion. Also, it's awesome.
ReplyDelete2. Atlas Shrugged or anything by Dinesh D'Souza
I liked Kavalier a lot, but Yiddish Policeman's Union seemed to me to be a cut above.
ReplyDeleteI might bring TKAM, because it is honestly and sincerely my favorite book of all time. But I fear what Marsha said, so ... hmmm.
ReplyDeleteKR: I have had very interesting conversations started by strangers over my reading of Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, and A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again -- so either one of those might be my pick.
ReplyDeleteHST tends to get people talking, and someone who appreciates his style would be an instant connection for me. DFW could go either way; there'd be some Intellectual Superiorists who think I'm One of Them if I'm reading DFW, but it would be worse if the title were Infinite Jest -- Supposedly Fun Thing might attract people who honestly enjoy the writing instead of boasting about how they REALLY GOT IT, you know?
I am a married lady, though, so I'm not looking for a date. ;-) This might be the greatest way to meet new friends in the history of ever -- all cities should do this for new arrivals!
I would take three of my "bedside books": Wonder Boys, The Razor's Edge and Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott. I would be curious to see who the books would draw.
ReplyDeleteDealbreakers - any Twilight, Harry Potter, Palin or Michael Moore. Just not interested.
Oh, another for the short-list of bring-along books: Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood, which is not my favorite of hers (today, that's The Robber Bride), but it is popular enough, I think, to start conversations, and great enough for those conversations to be good.
ReplyDeleteThe Secret also comes to mind as a dealbreaker.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but how funny would that be (or how much of a good story would it be) if someone rolled in with The Rules or He's Just Not Into You or The Millionaire Matchmaker?
ReplyDeleteGreat minds &c.
ReplyDeleteThe book I've read in public that's drawn the most interest from random folks, by some margin, was Patrick Humphries's Nick Drake biography.
ReplyDeleteThat's ok. The Booker Prize committee and I can commiserate together.
ReplyDeleteTraveling Mercies is GREAT.
ReplyDeleteI think I would bring The Princess Bride, to weed out readers from movie watchers to those who scoff (thereby separating people into 3 tiers from "best to worst"). I love the movie and would talk about it endlessly, but I would like someone who knew the book existed first. Plus, on a 2 minute date, I don't want something heavy or political or religious or whatever. It seems like a good icebreaker.
ReplyDeleteAlong with the overtly political and Twlight as mentioned above, I would add any Nicholas Sparks book as an automatic no.
Which reminds me: The Sense of an Ending, maybe. Although it may be too dark.
ReplyDeleteI took two flights this past week, and had two conversations with attractive women next to me relating to books (one was engaged; one was married). The first was a lawyer-turned-Vegan-cookbook-writer, and we talked about her cookbooks ("The Happy Herbivore," a sequel, and another forthcoming sequel). The second was reading "A Dance With Dragons." I hadn't read it, but saw the first season of Game of Thrones, so we talked about that for a bit. But I'll almost always talk to someone about a book they are reading, unless it's one of the ones I mentioned above.
ReplyDeleteI loved The Robber Bride; I'm thinking of foisting it on my book club this year so I have an excuse to reread it.
ReplyDeleteI'm bringing "High Fidelity" with me, both because it's my favorite book by my favorite author and because it can spark a conversation on top fives.
ReplyDeleteCliched though it might be, "Twilight" is a dealbreaker. You can admit to having read it, but to use it as a self-identifier? No thanks.
With apologies to my mother (whom I wasn't going to date anyway): Anything by James Patterson. Ding!
ReplyDeleteI'd probably bring a Bill Bryson book, maybe "A Walk Through The Woods" or "The Lost Continent". Bryson makes me smile and other like-minded readers seem to have the same reaction.
ReplyDeleteMy ding? Anything by Joel Osteen or Dr. Phil. Ick.
You're probably right, KR, but remember, we're talking about the kind of people who would bring Jane Austen, either as a badge or as a lure. Those people are looking for Mr. Darcy, and I ain't him.
ReplyDeleteBack when everybody was reading this, I picked up a copy and started reading it. I believe that the first three words were something like "the famous professor ...," upon which I put it down and never picked it up again.
ReplyDeleteThis Dave Barry column where he writes a blockbuster after being ispired by the success of the Da Vinci Code is awesome.
ReplyDeleteAfter much thought, I've decided it would be <span>Jhumpa Lahiri. Anyone who knows and loves her is someone I want to know; anyone who doesn't should want me to tell them why they should.
ReplyDelete</span>
Do it! There is SO much to talk about in that book that it would be perfect for a book club.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! Thanks, Maret. Dave Barry FTW!
ReplyDeleteConnie Willis is one of my favorite authors and her short story Fire Watch has the power to make me cry every time I re-read it. To Say Nothing of the Dog would be on my short list, along with Marsha's previously mentioned The Sparrow, and Bel Canto by Ann Patchett.
ReplyDeleteWe're 76 comments in and nobody on this blog has mentioned "Good in Bed" by ALOTT5MA fave Jennifer Weiner? I loved that book and might be tempted to bring it to an event like this just for the title.
ReplyDeleteLahiri time a million.
ReplyDeleteIn fairness, Midnight and the Scoundrel was an awesome book.
ReplyDeleteI loved Blackout/All Clear, and wept at the end. But they would be unwieldy to carry around :)
ReplyDeleteI might bring A Wrinkle In Time.
ReplyDeleteBut what if your date recognizes it as "That poster at Red Robin"? Huh? What do you do then?
ReplyDelete--bd
Entirely possibly that this is generally true. However, I usually say Austen when asked my favorite author (if I have to name one), and I never ever wanted Mr. Darcy. Nor do I think Austen is the be-all and end-all of all reading, but I do think her writing is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWhat would I bring, then? Nick Hornby and Pablo Neruda seem too on the nose (in opposite ways), Laurie Colwin and Helene Hanff probably won't be recognized, Steve Kluger might be good unless it's misunderstood. Christopher Buckley or Garry Trudeau might do it. If I brought my right-this-minute favorite that I'm reading, it would be The Art of Fielding (novel by Chad Harbach).
I think the only overlap of my husband's favorite books and mine is Madeleine L'Engle.
Asher Lev would be a great choice.
ReplyDeleteHave to agree with Joseph. I thought Kavalier was a snooze, but really liked Yiddish Polceman's Union. I thought that would make a great movie.
ReplyDeletewait, you're saying that someone might be willing to date acrosss the aisle but would still be scared by that person reading a particular book? I guess someone could be that reactionary and shallow.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading all the responses, I guess there are lots of someones that reactionary and shallow. I don't understand being scared of someone reading a book. First of all, you don't know they're reading that book. Maybe they're philosophically just like you, but less bigoted.
Books I'd consider bringing because I like them though I have no idea what they say about me: Box Socials, W.P. Kinsella, Memoirs of Antproof Case, Mark Helprin, On Food and Cooking, Harold McGee. Or possibly Lev Grossman's The Magicians, which I hated. So that could be a fun discussion.
ReplyDeleteNo wincing and no dealbreakers -- there's probably a very interesting person reading that book I have no interest in reading. Though a vegan cookbook might slow me down. I'll eat vegatables, but my frig is full of dead animal parts and I probably smell of bacon...so that would be more of a her problem.
The only person I've known who owned a copy of Mein Kampf was Jewish and very religious. The person who loaned me her copy of Atlas Shrugged was a big L, big D Democract and it was her favorite book. Skewing more small l libertarianish she thought I would enjoy it; instead I thought it was poorly written crap. Inexplicably, we remained friends.
Maybe the rise in electronic reading devices can be explained by people not wanting to be judged by what theyre reading.
When I interviewed for my old job, we wound up discussing books. My (then prospective) boss asked if I was currently reading anything or what was the last book I'd read, and I said: "I just finished reading 'Good in Bed' ... it's not like, a self-help book or anything."
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's sort of amazing he hired me after that.
Someone reading a book is different than the scenario here, where people are asked to bring a "representative book" as an icebreaker. I'd certainly be less likely to walk up and strike a conversation with someone carrying a political book I disagreed with, but it's by no means a dealbreaker.
ReplyDeleteAnalysis of sales data have shown that bodice-ripper type books do VERY well electronically, though it's hard to say how much of that is due to their readers moving to electronic versions and how much is due to people choosing to read electronically to avoid the embarassment issue.
ReplyDeleteAnother vote for Traveling Mercies
ReplyDelete...and here I was thinking I'd bring a Kindle with a variety of titles loaded to best complement the titles across the table...
ReplyDeleteYou'd get a date with me with The Things They Carried, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking Atwood too, both because I love her and because it might help weed out... uh... men who probably wouldn't like me so much once they got to know me. Let's go with that.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading My Name Is Asher Lev for a class later this semester. Glad to hear it's awesome.
ReplyDeleteI'm the first person to say The Power Broker?
ReplyDeleteI'd hope Isaac would bring The Founders' Constitution (vols. 1-4).
ReplyDeleteVictoria, your bullet point #1 made me want to recommed Farm City by Novella Carpenter, which, come to think of it would be a pretty good choce to bring to that type of gathering. Child of former hippies creates her own urban farm near downtown Oakland, including chickens, bees, and pigs to be raised for the table. I found it fascinating and could not put it down or stop talking about it to friends. The Intertia Husband still shudders at my initial comment after finishing the book, "I want chickens and bees!"
ReplyDeleteBear with me here because this is a long set-up. I'm on a listserv for Readers Advisory Librarians (Fiction-L) and there was a great rant from a librarian named Kathleen Stipek, about a "25 Page Rule" that went thusly:
ReplyDeleteAs the one who brought up the page-25 rule, I am perfectly happy to be thought incredibly irresponsible. I have been told often enough that I ought not to be so INTENSE about things. I review reference books now and again, and if they're short--500 pages or so--I slog through them, and believe me the quality of the writing gets slated if it's bad. I do representative samples of longer works, and slate those as well. Bad writing is generally evidence of sloppy thinking which does not deserve the honor of anyone's attention. If I reviewed fiction, I would probably grit my teeth and slog through, and you'd better bet the
quality of the writing would be addressed. Professionally, I have no intention of reading everything my patrons might read. I tackle representative samples and for the rest rely upon the same RA tools we
all use. In my personal life, I do not honor bad writers with more than 25 pages' worth of my valuable time, especially bad fiction. I regret the disappearance of the school of literary criticism where the lord of the manor drew his trusty broadsword and bisected incompetent bards or the mob in the marketplace threw rocks at them until they fled the city. Those who have the time and resilience to slog through entire novels of bad writing have my unqualified admiration and respect, but I have neither and must read in my own way.
Additionally, I had a professor in library school who had the following rule of thumb for when you could give up on a book: Read as many pages as 100 - [your age]. His rationale was that the older you are the less time you have left to read all the books you want so you get to give up on the ho-hum ones earlier.
Added to my wish list -- thanks!
ReplyDeleteI don't think there are really any books that I would see as a deal-breaker; it's really all about how the person relates to the book. (For example, she could bring a Hannity book and say that she misunderstood the instructions: "I thought I was supposed to bring the book that least described me!")
ReplyDeleteAs for what book to bring myself, the answer is clearly a shrink-wrapped copy of Finnegans Wake.
I'd bring either "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" or something by Vonnegut, either "Sirens of Titan" or "Timequake." A theme in my life is "displacement & adaptation" and these books always struck a chord with me without me thinking them autobiographical. They're tangentially related.
ReplyDeleteI think the books I might have the most trouble with are ones intimately associated with past relationships of mine. Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, Atlas Shrugged (although I liked the book when I read it in high school, before the boyfriend)...Other than that I'm pretty lenient although certainly I would prefer a non-political book.
Same with Catcher in the Rye.
ReplyDeleteFot The Princess Bride, would you bring Goldman's adaptation, or the S. Morgenstern original?
ReplyDeleteYep, I've heard the 100-minus-age rule. Me, I give books three chapters (unless the chapters are weirdly short), in the main. But if it's something recent that's been particularly well-reviewed, I read the whole thing even if I'm hating it, so that I have an informed dislike. (Last book for me that was like this? The Marriage Plot. Doubly sad because I expected to love it.)
ReplyDeleteBring: "The Last Gentleman" by Walker Percy.
ReplyDeleteDing: "The Bell Jar." Run away.
Linda Holmes said the same thing. I currently have it out from the library but have to return it tomorrow, as yet unread (because I'm working on finishing The Art of Fielding, which I like very much). Was planning to go back on the waitlist for it, but will have to give the first couple chapters a quick skim to see if I dislike it on sight, since two of you now who expected to like it are not liking it.
ReplyDeleteI read it as a preteen, and seriously wrote away to Goldman for the missing pages that his editor wouldn't let him include, and I totally bought all the S. Morgenstern stuff on my first read.
ReplyDeleteGenevieve, I don't think it was bad. I just know I hated it. But I really liked The Art of Fielding. That book is sticking with me.
ReplyDeleteOh, God yes. I remember being puzzled that I hadn't heard of Guilder or Florin, but assuming they were no longer extant, or that they were small and I didn't know about them. Bought every bit of it, without question.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, it's four books, so it's cheating. Second, you're the one who told me it's all online now.
ReplyDeleteWhich is not just a demonstration of taste in books, but also of fitness!
ReplyDeleteI thought about a Lee Child Reacher book because I love that series but after talking to me for 5 minutes about it any man would realize I am more in love with Jack Reacher then I ever could be with him!
ReplyDeleteIntertiaGirl, you and I are very simpatico - Bel Canto is also on my you-must-read-this list. I disqualified it here bcause it's just so, so sad. I'm a little to optimistic for it to "represent" me.
ReplyDeleteLiked Carter a lot. I completely understand Bristlesage's comment - the book feels a little derivative to me, I suspect because it does feel so much like K&C. I also recently read The Prestige and The MAgician's Assistant, so it's a bit much. But I understand why you love it.
ReplyDeleteFunny - K&C is one of my all time favorite books, and I HATED Yiddish Policeman's. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere around page 20 of DaVinci Code is the sentence: "The exact time was approximately 4:20." (I am not kidding.) I really should have just thrown the book out the window immediately.
ReplyDeleteGenevieve, that is so ridiculously charming. (You too, T&C.)
ReplyDeleteIs this like "How to Conceal Your Super-Large (But not PAINFULLY Large) Penis"?
ReplyDeleteActually, I was waiting for Isaac to say he was bringing The Antitrust Paradox or one of Coase's collections.
ReplyDeleteEither you or I have the wrongest notion of me, though it's about 50-50 which.
ReplyDeleteWow.
ReplyDeleteWell, I was joking. I mean, they're books you've said you like, but I also suspect you're far too savvy to bring them to an event like this.
ReplyDeleteMarsha and T&C, he wrote back! The letter is here:
ReplyDeletehttp://splitsider.com/2012/01/the-princess-bride-letters
I, um, might have done the same thing, but being a little bit older when I read it, I went to the library (this was before wikipedia/the web) and looked for Florin and Guilder in the atlases and encyclopedias and the more I couldn't find anything the more realization dawned...
ReplyDeleteNow I have it: The Elements of Style. Done.
ReplyDelete