What Your Bookshelf Says About You

We've all done it: Gone to someone's place for the first time and spotted a bookshelf, and then walked over to see what they are reading or have read. And after seeing what books they own, our opinion of the person changes, sometimes for the better ("I would never have guessed that s/he's into J.D. Salinger. Maybe I can borrow Franny and Zooey."), other times for the worse ("Ayn Rand? Really?!").

"Hmm, another one by Dan Brown..."
Image from http://www.lib.ku.edu

Just like a record collection, your bookshelf conveys who you are to whoever comes by to visit. Have you ever stopped to wonder what your bookshelf says about you? If you possess titles by David Foster Wallace, Nick Hornby, and Salinger, you're likely to be "a touch neurotic," says Kevin Armento in his Date Report article for the San Francisco Gate. If you enjoy reading Lord of Rings and/or the Chronicles of Narnia, you also enjoy "afternoons drifting off to other worlds" and "you have bouts of social awkwardness. You're a total freak in bed," by the way. And if you're a fan of David Sedaris, David Rakoff, and Sarah Vowell, "you're probably witty, you definitely lean left, and you're likely to own a few tote bags."

To read Armento's article, "What Your Bookshelf Says About You," go HERE.