It probably happened to you, when getting in a place where you have this uncomfortable feeling you don't belong to, all things are not common to your life and people have the easiness which seemed cultivated to you. Joining a group or conversation and, poof (as my daughter says) someone is bludgeoning you with a question which splits the audience in two:
- Have you read ... (and put here the title of a book in the top of the lists from a prestigious newspaper)?
The polite answer would be to tell the truth, listen to a glorious summary of the book, or to bend the truth and play noob. Many times, although, when I have the feeling that people are just flashing their "cultivated" image, I want to pull them in a "social bloody" embarrassment by luring them in the waters they might not comfortable with. My strategy is to pick on the display of the ideas in the book and then pull together references from other books and authors. If the person is indeed well read she should enjoy the journey, if it is only a "flash-in-the-pan" party braggart, she will realize it was not a good idea to bring up the subject.
The most outrageous question which could follow is "Are you interested in a specific subject (books)?", which subtly means "Are you reading anything of interest?".
Usually, I do not flash my readings in front of everyone for many reasons - there are subjects which are not important for my acquaintances - politics, photography, social economics, etc.. and therefore there is no point to exchange any ideas.
I usually write about some books or movies only if they moved a marble in my internal structure. But for some reasons, just to put things in perspective, I decided to move all my reading list online, from the last three years.
Keep in mind, that I do not own all the books which are enumerated in my list, I heavily borrow from local library, not that much from friends. In fact the links on the list it will drive you to my library website - Richmond Hill, Ontario public library.
It happens that sometimes I watch memorable movies, documentaries or short films. I will try to put them in my blog if I consider someone else might would be interested.
I also write posts about books, movies, cultural event that reverberate with me. Here are just a few links, from this blog:
Stay posted !
- Have you read ... (and put here the title of a book in the top of the lists from a prestigious newspaper)?
The polite answer would be to tell the truth, listen to a glorious summary of the book, or to bend the truth and play noob. Many times, although, when I have the feeling that people are just flashing their "cultivated" image, I want to pull them in a "social bloody" embarrassment by luring them in the waters they might not comfortable with. My strategy is to pick on the display of the ideas in the book and then pull together references from other books and authors. If the person is indeed well read she should enjoy the journey, if it is only a "flash-in-the-pan" party braggart, she will realize it was not a good idea to bring up the subject.
The most outrageous question which could follow is "Are you interested in a specific subject (books)?", which subtly means "Are you reading anything of interest?".
Usually, I do not flash my readings in front of everyone for many reasons - there are subjects which are not important for my acquaintances - politics, photography, social economics, etc.. and therefore there is no point to exchange any ideas.
I usually write about some books or movies only if they moved a marble in my internal structure. But for some reasons, just to put things in perspective, I decided to move all my reading list online, from the last three years.
Keep in mind, that I do not own all the books which are enumerated in my list, I heavily borrow from local library, not that much from friends. In fact the links on the list it will drive you to my library website - Richmond Hill, Ontario public library.
It happens that sometimes I watch memorable movies, documentaries or short films. I will try to put them in my blog if I consider someone else might would be interested.
I also write posts about books, movies, cultural event that reverberate with me. Here are just a few links, from this blog:
Stay posted !
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