Newsletter – Bookshelf Adventures January 12, 2024

I have become a bookshelf person. If there’s a bookshelf in a room, I find myself making my way toward it so I can take a peek. We all know we’re not supposed to judge books by their covers, but can we judge people by their bookshelves? What could people learn about you when examining your bookshelf?

I had never considered myself one who “judges” folks by their books, and yet I do believe I’ve made some inferences.

We do that, don’t we? While on a cruise, we notice a neighboring sunbather and lean over just . . . a . . . bit . . . more so we can check out the title of the book they’re reading. At the dentist office, we notice which magazine our fellow patient has chosen to quell her anxiety. When visiting the bookstore, we feel a sort of kinship with those who are in “our section.” At the gym, we must battle the urge to learn what our fellow treadmill walker is reading—because we know what can happen to people who lose their step on those things.

I may not be judging the person, per se, but I am judging whether that person and I have something in common—whether we might be long lost friends or something.

If I see you at Costco and you’re holding a book to your heart (which I’ve done), I’m looking at the title to see if I love that book too. If you’re reading a (dare I say) steamy book at the pool, I might give you a knowing wink. If you’re reading about how to be a good parent to adult kids, I’m whispering a prayer for you because I know how hard that can be. In other words, if you’re reading on the train, you can count on me to be rubber neckin’. I want to see how we’re connected—if we’re book friends.

And yet, those who judge are also judged.

I was judged (wrongly!) by a book club who, as a group, vehemently hated a book I’d recommended. In my defense, I had explicitly stated that the book – The Midnight Library – was just okay. I had shared, however, that the conversation the book inspires made the book worthy of the read. The group did not agree.

If you’ve read The Midnight Library, you’re probably judging the book club or you’re judging me. We do that. Someone’s right (because they’re like us) or someone’s wrong. Not really, but . . .

At our first Book Bums location, we had a customer (who became a dear friend) come into the store, peruse the main bookshelf, and proclaim, “You need some Buddha books.” He was “judging” us and telling us so! I think that’s what we liked so much about him.

Long ago, when my aunt and uncle came to my house, I noticed they were hanging out by our bookshelves. (This was before I fully understood bookshelf judging.) They had their backs to the people in the room and were quietly scrutinizing the books our family had purchased, read, and placed on display. That’s what bookshelves are, right? Displays. Had I placed the books there to reflect who we are, what we believe in, and where our sights were set? What were my aunt and uncle gleaning about my family from our book collection?

When I visited the Morgan Library and Museum in NYC (highly recommend), I was first captivated by the beauty and vast expanse of tangible history. Then, I began judging the books the curator had chosen.