I love to read. I’m addicted to buying books. So naturally I will pick up a new title for a flight. I’d much rather read than watch a movie while flying. I buy books relatively often so I have stacks of books lined up for me to read. When I fly I just pick one off the nearest pile. I never really put much thought in to it. Yet I recently noticed a pattern. I seem to pick out titles that are going to raise more than a few eyebrows.
A few years ago, I had picked up Emergency Sex and other Desperate Measures. It is about the UN and is a great read, but not as racy as the title lets on. I didn’t think any thing about the title until a few members of a Christian church tour group started to give me the evil eye and a few old ladies tisked at me while shaking their heads during a layover in DC.
More recently I had picked up God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. I actually bought it as a gift for a friend of mine and decided to read it on my way back to Holland after a short break at home. I had a surprising reaction for this book too. The most stereotypical looking red neck sat own in front of me on a flight. He had already done his fair share of hemming and hawing about the big city transplant types who just think they are so important and a little later said an off color remark to me after I bumped his chair while trying to put away my lap top. When I was returning to my seat after going to the restroom, He got up out of his chair and turned to me as I sat down. I was not really sure what he was going to say, but I definitely wasn’t ready for the conversation which followed. He wanted to know where I bought the book. He’d been trying to buy it for a while but it was not being sold at the stores he goes to in Alabama. I told him I got it at Target.
This last trip overseas I was reading Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex. I didn’t get any odd looks for this one, but this may be because it is hard to see the couple making out on the microscope stage.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
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OMG! that is too funny. I bet you did get a few weird looks for the emergency sex one! craziness..
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I look at other people's book titles when traveling, but I try not to judge. Most of the time, they're not reading anything interesting. I'd love to come across someone reading about "emergency sex." Haha
ReplyDeleteP.S. I'm also a fiend about bringing books when traveling. I always have at least five books with me even if it's just for an overnight trip. You never know when you might need a biography of George Washington or the handbook of Middle English! ;-)