Beach reading, Cambridge-style

When: Saturday 4/25/09, around 4:30
Where: near the John W. Weeks footbridge, Cambridge side of the river (see above)
Who: Male, early 20s
What: A History of the English-Speaking Peoples by Winston Churchill

The weather was so nice this weekend, and everyone was on the damp, patchy banks of the Charles, some of them doing semester-end reading (I'm guessing).

So postmodern!!

When: Saturday 4/25/09, 12:45 PM
Where: MBTA Red Line, Harvard station, Alewife-bound platform
Who: Female, early 20s
What: Murphy by Samuel Beckett

I haven't had the courage/time to tackle a Beckett novel yet, although a Cal State - Long Beach professor calls it his most accessible in an article here.

I'm sure this book will show up again.

When: Tuesday 4/21/09, around 11:45 AM
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Alewife, while leaving Park St.
Who: Female, early 30s
What: A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Apparently this book is really popular. It's the first in a trilogy and was made into a movie. My knowledge of Barbara Taylor Bradford's books is limited to one I checked out of the library when I was about fourteen (I don't know which one) and was repelled by the ridiculous descriptions of, and dialogue during, sex scenes.

Self-help

When: Tuesday 4/21/09, 8:00 AM
Where: MBTA Green Line (D Line), between Park St. and Hynes Convention Center
Who: female, late 30s
What: Naturally Thin: Unleash your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself From a Lifetime of Dieting by Bethenny Frankel

Ugh. I dislike everything about this observation, from the excessively long subtitle to the non-overweight state of the woman reading it.

In translation

When: Tuesday 4/21/09, 8:00 AM
Where: MBTA Green Line (D Line), between Park St. and Hynes Convention Center
Who: Male, 60s
What: The Lady in Blue by Javier Sierra

A little research reveals that Sierra is a mostly nonfiction writer, though this book is a novel. It also appears to be one of only a couple of his books that have been translated from Spanish to English.

Double feature Friday, part two

When: Friday 4/17/09, about 5:30 PM
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Braintree, between Harvard and Park St.
Who: Male, early 40s
What: A History of God by Karen Armstrong.

Another book I want to read. This guy had two more books in his hand, and I'm willing to bet more were in his bag as well.

Double feature Friday, part one

When: Friday 4/17/09, 4:45 PM
Where: Appian Way, outside the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge
Who: male, early 20s
What: Not June Cleaver: Women and Gender in Postwar America, 1945-1960 by Joanne Meyerowitz

All I saw of the title was "Not June Cleaver," which was enough to remember it. This was another person reading while walking - though I assume this one was for class and not for pleasure.

2.0, 2.0

When: Thursday, 4/16/09, around 10:30 PM
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Alewife, between Park St. and Harvard
Who: Female, 30s
What: Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff

All I could see of this one was "Groundswell" - when I looked it up in WorldCat I discovered its subjects and subtitle. It seems to be one of those buzzwordy-type books. Then I realized I'm using a social technology to write about it, which is sort of funny. (To me.)

Lone hipster

When: Wednesday, 4/15/09, between 5:00 and 5:30
Where: On the shuttle I ride to and from work
Who: Male, late teens to early 20s
What: Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk

Most of the students at the institution where I work are clean-cut and preppy; this one was a bit more of a hipster. I've never read anything by Palahniuk; I think he's one of those love-him-or-hate-him authors.

Red cover on the Red Line

When: 4/12/09, mid-afternoon.
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Alewife, between Park St. and Harvard.
Who: Female, early 20s.
What: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera.

It took me a while to figure out what book this was, since it had a new red cover that said "Limited Edition" on the back. She was halfway through, and smiling a lot. This is one of my favorite books; this one made me happy.

DFW at the Charles Hotel

When: 4/6/09, about 8:30 a.m.
Where: Corner of Mt. Auburn St. and Brattle St. in Cambridge.
Who: Male in late 20s.
What: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.

This guy was reading as he walked, which I used to do in middle school, but is pretty impressive during pedestrian-rush-hour on uneven brick sidewalks. He was very into the book.

Inaugural post.

Hi all, welcome to my little log of what I see people reading. It is totally dependent on my own observance, and probably on how often I ride public transportation. I'm hoping it will yield some interesting patterns over time.

I realize that I live in Cambridge, and that's probably going to skew the kinds of books I see people reading.

I hope there's at least one other person out there who finds this interesting. I've always liked watching other people read - watching the wheels turn, seeing them react, etc. Maybe that's weird. Maybe that's why I'm a librarian. Anyway, I'm going to make some posts now.