When: Saturday 7/3/10, 11:00 AM
Where: Post office in Porter Square, Cambridge
Who: Female, 30s
What: Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace
It always makes me happy to see people reading DFW. I loved reading this book anywhere I could, too.
Showing posts with label Nonfiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nonfiction. Show all posts
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Celebrity books
When: Thursday 5/27/10, 5:00 PM
Where: MBTA Green Line (B Line), outbound, between Park St. and Kenmore
Who: Male, 40s
What: American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot by Craig Ferguson
I'm sure Mr. Ferguson's book is a lovely exception, but it sort of grinds my gears that any celebrity or pseudo-celebrity can write or ghostwrite a book and sell it well.
Where: MBTA Green Line (B Line), outbound, between Park St. and Kenmore
Who: Male, 40s
What: American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot by Craig Ferguson
I'm sure Mr. Ferguson's book is a lovely exception, but it sort of grinds my gears that any celebrity or pseudo-celebrity can write or ghostwrite a book and sell it well.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Blast from the academic past
When: Sunday 5/16/10, 12:30 PM
Where: MBTA Red Line, going toward Ashmont , between Harvard and Park St.
Who: Male, early 30s
What: The Bisexual Option by Fred Klein
I wrote a paper on this book in college! I went looking for a "primary source" on bisexuality and this was really all I could find in my college library. It was first published in 1978, and you can tell.
Where: MBTA Red Line, going toward Ashmont , between Harvard and Park St.
Who: Male, early 30s
What: The Bisexual Option by Fred Klein
I wrote a paper on this book in college! I went looking for a "primary source" on bisexuality and this was really all I could find in my college library. It was first published in 1978, and you can tell.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The Black Book on the Red Line
When: Saturday 4/3/10, 1:30 PM
Where: MBTA Red Line, going toward Braintree, between Harvard and Park St.
Who: Male, 60s
What: The Black Book by M.A. Harris
WorldCat's synopsis: "Copiously illustrated scrap-book on folk culture of black people from early days of slavery through the present." Interesting.
Where: MBTA Red Line, going toward Braintree, between Harvard and Park St.
Who: Male, 60s
What: The Black Book by M.A. Harris
WorldCat's synopsis: "Copiously illustrated scrap-book on folk culture of black people from early days of slavery through the present." Interesting.
Not that kind of better
When: Thursday 3/25/10, 5:45 PM
Where: MBTA Green Line (C Line), outbound, between Park St. and Kenmore
Who: Male,20s
What: Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance by Atul Gawande
I had assumed this book was about health care, but I guess it's more of a self-help book, which is sort of disappointing.
Where: MBTA Green Line (C Line), outbound, between Park St. and Kenmore
Who: Male,20s
What: Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance by Atul Gawande
I had assumed this book was about health care, but I guess it's more of a self-help book, which is sort of disappointing.
Naked on the T
When: Thursday 3/25/10, 5:45 PM
Where: MBTA Green Line (C Line), outbound, between Park St. and Kenmore
Who: Male, early 30s
What: Naked by David Sedaris
Surprised it took Sedaris this long to make a second appearance. This might be my favorite book of his.
Where: MBTA Green Line (C Line), outbound, between Park St. and Kenmore
Who: Male, early 30s
What: Naked by David Sedaris
Surprised it took Sedaris this long to make a second appearance. This might be my favorite book of his.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
A couple of Steves
When: Wednesday 3/24/10, 6:00 PM
Where: MBTA Green Line (D Line), outbound, between Park St. and Newton Centre
Who: Male, 30s
What: Superfreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
This is one of those hyper-current books that also, I think, has a window in which one can read them - and then the circulation statistics fall off.
Where: MBTA Green Line (D Line), outbound, between Park St. and Newton Centre
Who: Male, 30s
What: Superfreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
This is one of those hyper-current books that also, I think, has a window in which one can read them - and then the circulation statistics fall off.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Repeat sighting
When: Wednesday 3/10/10, 5:00 PM
Where: MBTA 554 bus, inbound to Waverley Square
Who: Female, early 30s
What: The Harvard Psychedelic Club: How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil Killed the Fifties and Ushered in a New Age for America by Don Lattin
A repeat reader! (The same one who was reading Monsieur Pain.) This particular reader always has a new book, so she either reads very fast, gives up on books before they're over, or is reading a large number of books at once.
Where: MBTA 554 bus, inbound to Waverley Square
Who: Female, early 30s
What: The Harvard Psychedelic Club: How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil Killed the Fifties and Ushered in a New Age for America by Don Lattin
A repeat reader! (The same one who was reading Monsieur Pain.) This particular reader always has a new book, so she either reads very fast, gives up on books before they're over, or is reading a large number of books at once.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Subtitles galore!
I have some serious catching up to do. GO!
When: Tuesday 3/9/10, 5:30 PM
Where: MBTA 73 bus, inbound to Harvard Square
Who: Female, 60s
What: Why we love dogs, eat pigs, and wear cows: An introduction to carnism: The belief system that enables us to eat some animals and not others by Melanie Joy
An interesting title, for sure. The Boston Vegetarian Society has an ad along similar lines that I've been seeing lately in the T.
When: Tuesday 3/9/10, 5:30 PM
Where: MBTA 73 bus, inbound to Harvard Square
Who: Female, 60s
What: Why we love dogs, eat pigs, and wear cows: An introduction to carnism: The belief system that enables us to eat some animals and not others by Melanie Joy
An interesting title, for sure. The Boston Vegetarian Society has an ad along similar lines that I've been seeing lately in the T.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Written by a former mujahideen leader
When: Monday, 1/25/10, 10:15 AM
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Alewife, between Park St. and Harvard
Who: Female, late 20s
What: Confessions of a Mullah Warrior by Massod Farivar
Male readers were catching up for a minute there, but females have pulled far ahead. Maybe men are more secretive about their reading, or maybe I'm less likely to notice them.
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Alewife, between Park St. and Harvard
Who: Female, late 20s
What: Confessions of a Mullah Warrior by Massod Farivar
Male readers were catching up for a minute there, but females have pulled far ahead. Maybe men are more secretive about their reading, or maybe I'm less likely to notice them.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Omnivores!
When: Wednesday, 1/20/10, 6:00 PM
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Alewife, between Park St. and Harvard
Who: Female, early 40s
What: The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
This book is both omnivorous and omnipresent. I'm surprised I haven't recorded a sighting of it before.
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Alewife, between Park St. and Harvard
Who: Female, early 40s
What: The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
This book is both omnivorous and omnipresent. I'm surprised I haven't recorded a sighting of it before.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Guerrilla in training
When: Friday, 1/8/10, 10:00 AM
Where: MBTA Green Line, inbound, between Kenmore and Park St.
Who: Male, late teens
What: Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson
This was clearly a business student; the Billy Corgan lookalike seated next to him kept looking at the book askance.
Where: MBTA Green Line, inbound, between Kenmore and Park St.
Who: Male, late teens
What: Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson
This was clearly a business student; the Billy Corgan lookalike seated next to him kept looking at the book askance.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
New year, new psycholinguistics
When: Wednesday, 1/6/10, 7:40 AM
Where: MBTA Harvard Station, lower busway
Who: Female, 20s
What: Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things: What Categories Reveal About the Mind by George Lakoff
So want to read this book!
Where: MBTA Harvard Station, lower busway
Who: Female, 20s
What: Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things: What Categories Reveal About the Mind by George Lakoff
So want to read this book!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
French history
When: Wednesday, 11/25/09, 3:00 PM
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Ashmont, between Davis and Harvard
Who: Female, 30s
What: The Discovery of France by Graham Robb
On my way back from Dave's Fresh Pasta, getting herbs for Thanksgiving.
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Ashmont, between Davis and Harvard
Who: Female, 30s
What: The Discovery of France by Graham Robb
On my way back from Dave's Fresh Pasta, getting herbs for Thanksgiving.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
It's looking like a nonfiction week
When: Friday 11/19/09, 10:30 AM
Where: MBTA Green Line, inbound, between Fenway and Park St.
Who: Male, 60s
What: The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman
I have to say, I usually find these kinds of books pretty boring. But this guy seemed very into it.
Where: MBTA Green Line, inbound, between Fenway and Park St.
Who: Male, 60s
What: The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman
I have to say, I usually find these kinds of books pretty boring. But this guy seemed very into it.
The atheist and the church
When: Wednesday 11/18/09, about 10:30 PM
Where: Church St. & Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge
Who: Male, late 20s
What: The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins
Amusing to see someone standing outside a church (though, granted, a Unitarian church) reading a book by one of the most diehard and famous atheists out there. For maximum effect, it should have been The God Delusion.
Where: Church St. & Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge
Who: Male, late 20s
What: The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins
Amusing to see someone standing outside a church (though, granted, a Unitarian church) reading a book by one of the most diehard and famous atheists out there. For maximum effect, it should have been The God Delusion.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Consumer behavior
When: Monday 11/2/09, time not recorded
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Alewife, between Harvard and Alewife
Who: Male, early 70s
What: Think Like Your Customer: A Winning Strategy to Maximize Sales by Understanding How and Why Your Customers Buy by Bill Stinnett
Surprisingly not in the library catalog of the business-focused university where I work.
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Alewife, between Harvard and Alewife
Who: Male, early 70s
What: Think Like Your Customer: A Winning Strategy to Maximize Sales by Understanding How and Why Your Customers Buy by Bill Stinnett
Surprisingly not in the library catalog of the business-focused university where I work.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
I now want to see a male reading this
When: Monday 9/21/09, time not recorded
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Alewife, between Park St. and Harvard
Who: Female, late 20s
What: You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation by Deborah Tannen
I should probably read this, even if it will probably only make me irritated.
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Alewife, between Park St. and Harvard
Who: Female, late 20s
What: You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation by Deborah Tannen
I should probably read this, even if it will probably only make me irritated.
Catching up on more old sightings
When: Sunday 8/30/09, time not recorded
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Ashmont, between Harvard and Park St.
Who: Female, late 20s
What: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
This may be one of the last people to read this book. Even I've read it!
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Ashmont, between Harvard and Park St.
Who: Female, late 20s
What: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
This may be one of the last people to read this book. Even I've read it!
Capote makes his ISYR debut
When: Friday 8/28/09, time not recorded
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Ashmont, between Harvard and Park St.
Who: Male, 20s
What: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
One of the most well-written books I've ever read. I remember reading it while waiting to get my sister's car fixed and shivering.
Where: MBTA Red Line, going towards Ashmont, between Harvard and Park St.
Who: Male, 20s
What: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
One of the most well-written books I've ever read. I remember reading it while waiting to get my sister's car fixed and shivering.
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