Conversations: #03

"Do you know that any time I talk to my friends about books, we more-or-less cut contact with each other shortly afterward."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I've never been able to figure it out. We start talking about the books we're reading, or I suggest a book that I think they might like – or the other way around, and then, poof, they're gone."

"That's it? You just talk about books?"

"Yeah. Sometimes we plan to read the same book so we could talk about it later, but other times we just talk about the genres we like. And, that seems to be enough."

"So what does that mean now?" She gestured towards the book we were discussing.

"Who knows…"

⁂

"Do you know why it happens?"

"I have no idea… Books are quite a personal thing, don't you think?"

"Hmm?"

"One of the people I used to work with created a personal website a few weeks ago – on it, they had a page listing all the books they'd read and want to read. When I saw it, it almost felt like they were a completely different person to who I thought they were."

"I can see that."

"Maybe that's why this weird book thing happens."

"What? Like people see you differently after you talk to them about books?"

"Mmm – or the other way around…"