Is It Okay to Check Out a Stranger’s Book?
Dear Literary Lady,
I’m always dying to know what someone else is reading, including total strangers. What are your best tips for skulking around and checking out what books strangers are reading?
–B.R., Washington D.C.
Dear B.R.,
I’m right there with you. If I’m anywhere near another human being with a book, I have a rabid desire to know exactly what they’re reading. Of course, any book nerd with this habit knows it’s equally important that strangers don’t know we’re looking at their reading material. To be caught doing so would result in mortification.
Not sure why that is. We live in a world where we post stuff for strangers to see all the time, and we look at stuff that strangers post all the time. And yet, in real life and in the vicinity of someone with a book, we’re reduced to furtive yet fascinated glances.
I’ve perfected a few covert techniques for all those times you want to do a little reading material recon but don’t want to blow your “disinterested stranger” cover. Now you can go out there and find out what the world is reading!
1. Slouch in your seat until you can see the cover of the book.
2.Drop something. As you retrieve your item, glance quickly at the book cover.
3. Tie your shoe. Look at the book cover.
4. Pretend you’re on your phone, trying to get reception or a wifi signal. Use this as an excuse to move around until you can see the book.
5. If you’re in an airplane, make many casual trips up and down the aisle. See what people are reading.
6. Wear sunglasses everywhere, so no one can see your eyes while you scrutinize their books.
7. Pretend you’re scratching something on your arm/elbow/sleeve. It gives you a legitimate reason to look directly to your left or right, at whatever the person next to you is reading.
8. Pretend to look at the window. Glance at their book intermittently while enjoying the scenery.
9. Sigh loudly and roll your eyes in response to something on your phone or laptop. While rolling your eyes, take a look at what people around you are reading.
10. Stare at the cover of someone’s book as if you’re thinking about something. Look distant, close your eyes in frustration. Rub your face with your hands. Resume gazing into the distance in disappointment.
11. Sneeze. Loudly. Everyone will look up from their books in surprise and jerk their books up. You can now see many book titles at once.
12. Take a selfie! Now you can see what the person behind you is reading! (I jest, I jest. Don’t actually do this.)
13. If it’s dark outside and light inside, look in the windows for reflections of people’s book covers. Suss out the title by reading backward.
14. Whenever there’s an announcement, people always look up or in the direction of the noise. That’s the perfect opportunity for you to do a quick survey of the reading scene!
Of course, the cardinal rule of book spying is the same as the cardinal rule of everything: don’t be weird or rude about it. Yes, you’re dying to know what novel your fellow commuter is perusing, but as a book nerd, you also know just how precious and fleeting uninterrupted reading time can be. Don’t disturb that time for someone—that’s bad reader karma. For good reader karma? Be sure to hold your own book up once in a while so any undercover book nerds nearby can take note!
Love and paperbacks,
Literary Lady