The time a retired librarian called out my reading list at a coffee shop in Portland

I was sitting at a coffee shop in Portland last month with my book club's new picks spread out on the table. An older woman walks up and says 'those are all bestsellers from the last three years with no variety in viewpoint.' She then showed me her own bag filled with obscure translated novels from four different countries. It made me wonder if my group is stuck in a rut. Has anyone else had a stranger challenge their book choices like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

evan_cooper7315d ago

Did she also critique your latte art and tell you the beans were ethically questionable? I'd probably just ask the librarian for her Goodreads list and call it a day.

the_sam15d ago

I think asking for a Goodreads list is just being friendly, not something to joke about.

diana_kim6615d ago

Twelve years ago I had a coworker who would ask for my Goodreads list every single time she saw me reading on my lunch break. I finally just printed out a little card with my top five recent reads and handed it to her with a smile. She never asked again after that, so maybe that is the move here. Just treat it like a friendly info swap and keep it moving, it saves you from having to explain your whole taste in books every time.