A very funny and insightful essay of the above title is out on the New York Times Web site. I enjoyed it because it poked some fun at some towers of traditional good reads. It’s also got a link to some great Web sites and literary blogs.
But at its core, the essay talks about detecting affinity for love through a reading list. Ever been to a new friend’s house and looked over the bookshelves? Ever browsed a Facebook or MySpace page just to see what’s in the Favorite Books section?
It’s a funny read, but has insights you might already know. For example, that women read more fiction than men. Or that men are far less likely to write off a pretty woman just because she’s ill-read. Then there’s this, from a woman who cast off a devotee of Ayn Rand:
“I just thought Rand was a hilariously bad writer, and past a certain point I couldn’t hide my amusement.” (Members of theatlasphere.com, a dating and fan site for devotees of “Atlas Shrugged” and “The Fountainhead,” might disagree.)
Apr 01, 2008 @ 18:52:00
Hi Ron,Thanks for bringing back memories of Ayn Rand. Not sure if her name is Americanized to Ann. I saw an interview where she pronounced her name Ein, rhymes with stein. Here’s another link.http://who2.com/ask/aynrand.htmlSometimes I’m at my friend’s, trying to read the titles off the spines of her books on her towering shelves and she’s talking to me. Sometimes I wish I could be alone in other people’s houses and peruse their books for hours.P.S.I always enjoy your blog. I appreciate every update. You’re on my blogrolls from both of my blogs.Happy Writing.