When thinking about how I acquire books and how I hope to be suggested a book, I realized that it is actually quite rare for me to go out with the intent of purchasing a book. My mom is subscribed to a monthly book club thing where they send her a book by mail and she usually will read them and then either recommend them to me, or talk about how bad it was for days. Other reading I come across is usually class assigned; this week I am reading 'The World to Come' by Dara Horn which is an assignment for my Contemporary Jewish Literature class. After reading the back, I was a little put off by what seemed to be a rather bizarre theme, it states "from an orphanage in Soviet Russia where Chagall taught to suburban New Jersey and the Jungles of Vietnam." How did this cover pass the grammar check? I read and reread it until I realized a very vital comma was missing between 'taught' and 'to.' That infuriated me, I started reading it angrily and with some deserved remorse only to find that the story is incredibly touching and well crafted, bringing three or so narratives into one purpose. I highly recommend it and on the topic of covers, it has a pretty nice one.
My other aquisitions, and some of my favorites, are the classic impromptu book swap. Just last week, a girl I work with, who is also an English major, brought a book to work to lend to me because she thought I would like it. What a nice feeling, to have someone read something and think of sharing it with you. We talk about what we are reading often while at work and it was nice to bring a tangible factor to it. Now I have to pick something to share with her, maybe 'The World to Come."
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