Whenever I go to someone’s house the first thing I have to stare at is their books. I’m sure a lot of people are like me. Even sometimes when I see someone interviewed on TV and they are sitting in front of a book case I can’t pay attention because I need to try to recognize the books behind them.
Have you ever seen a movie or an interview on TV where you could either see books in the background or see a character reading or even holding a book that told you a lot about the character or that made you think the person in charge of props was an insensitive bastard with no sense of what books the character should have?
I do that. I like when I can recognize books, and can say, “I have that book! I’ve read that book!”
When I go to someone’s house, yes, I will look at their books, but not stare. I’m a book person. I like to see what books other people have. I will judge them by what books (if any) they have on their shelves. Gorgeous floor-to-ceiling built-ins, covered with nothing but knickknacks? Not a book in sight? I doubt we’ll be friends.
Nothing but paperback romances and Reader’s Digest Condensed novels? Well, at least they read. :rolleyes:
Lots and lots of books, the same authors that I like, or similar genres, stacked neatly and with care? Yep, we could be friends, and could swap books.
I rarely see TV characters reading books. (Mostly, you see them rapidly flicking through magazines, if any reading material is needed.) Even “smart” characters generally only use books for reference. You rarely see them reading for fun.
I don’t watch as much TV as I used to, but when I did, it seemed a general trend that if you saw a character reading, it indicated that they were lonely and stand-offish, and needed a wise-cracking friend to pry their noses out of those stuffy books and show them what was “really” important.
On the topic of interviews, yes, I always try to determine what books are behind them, and I tend to squeal with glee when I recognize one of the titles I own on the shelf of a famous historian or scientist. Some of the times, I nod with approval because it’s obvious that the scientist or historian has as ecclectic tastes as I have. I imagine most of the audience, if they noticed the book, would wonder “Why is he reading that?”
I do the same thing with commercials. I remember one for a personal injury law firm which had the lawyer (or actor portraying one) in front of a case of books. It was painfully obvious they were not legal tomes. I just imagine the producer saying, “Fuck it. It’s a bunch of books. Books always make you look smart. I don’t think anyone will notice they’re mainly fiction.”
I don’t know if this is what the OP is looking for, but one area where I’m obsessed with other people’s books is on the subway. I like to see what everyone is reading, if they are titles I’ve read, or been meaning to pick up. I also think it’s interesting to see if I would have matched the book with the person (based just on their appearance, so yeah, this is very much judging a book by its cover, so to speak, but it’s fun).
One time, I was sitting across from a person reading the same book I was! I thought this was a neat subway moment, and tried to catch the person’s eye. I thought we could have one of those little smile and nod things – hey, you’re reading this book, I’m reading this book, hey! But as these things are wont to go, he mostly thought I was a weird freaky person staring at him on the subway.
Maybe I am a werid freaky person, because the more I think about it, the more I’m realizing what strange book things I do on the subway. If a person is reading a book I’ve already read, I sometimes try to get a peak at where in the story they are. A few times, I have pulled some bizarre contortions trying to see the title of a book if the jacket looks familiar but I just can’t place it.
