I think about books as food a lot. (Please feel free to assume that here I have written – and deleted – several tortured metaphors about literature as nourishment, and so on). Mostly I think it’s the variety that resonates with me: I love a buffet, a smorgasbord, a tapas dinner. But even more importantly, it’s the sharing. I grew up in a food sharing family (“Oooh, what’s that?” “You have to try this!”). In middle school, my friends and I would plan potluck lunches and trade our sandwiches and chips and desserts.  

Working at the library is the perfect marriage of those two loves. All day long, my co-workers and patrons alike are trading tidbits about the books they’ve loved and hated lately:  

“This one was incredible! Just make sure you’re ready to be devastated when it’s done.”  

“I haven’t laughed that hard in forever! Couldn’t put it down.” 

“I thought I would enjoy this, but I hated the main character so much I wanted to throw it across the room.” 

Here of some of the reviews, recommendations, and refusals I’ve heard from friends lately: 

“Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed I have been super into audiobooks lately, but this was the first print book that I wasn’t able to put down in a while. Like, I read it in the waiting room AND the exam room. It is incredibly interesting and made me think about how we look at justice and misuse of social media.”

 

“The Giver by Lois Lowry was just not what I was looking for. I mean, at least the Divergent and Hunger Games novels acknowledge that society is in the business of killing children… The Giver just beats around the bush too much.” 

“I liked I Dream of Dinner… but did we really need an entire section dedicated to beans?” 

“The Bone Orchard was soooo good! An awesome fantasy book about a kingdom in turmoil and a lady of the night with a very unique split personality. You’ll have to read it to find out who killed whom and how and what happens next.” 

“What happens when a grumpy old man’s carefully-crafted world collides with the chaotic energy of new neighbors? Enter Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove, where the true essence of humanity is revealed in unexpected ways.” 

“A Court of Mist and Fury is an excellent sequel. I mean, the one guy was not THE guy but the other guy might be the guy and holy crow he’s hot. It’s a very spicy fantasy novel.” 

Not every food is right for me, and not every book is worth my time. But the sharing and the trying is where I find delight. So – what have you tried lately?