Books tell a lot about people

What does your bedside table books say about you?  

I know the saying goes "Never judge a book by its cover", but can you judge a person by the books they read??

I always wondered if librarians and booksellers wonder the same when they sign out and ring through the till books taken by their borrowers and customers. 

Along my life I've learnt many things. People are not always what they seem.  I remember once I was walking by a building site near the urban sprawl that is Docklands where I used to live.  I saw a very tall, muscly builder sitting on the pavement of a roadside with his yellow hard work hat strategically propped on a red traffic cone.  On one hand holding a ploughman's sandwich and on his other hand judging by the title, front cover and expression on his face a book of the romantic genre.   He was so engrossed in his reading that he hadn't noticed the tomato in his sandwich had fallen out onto his trousers.  

He was lost in the book in his own world away from the midst of the concrete jungle surrounding him and I don't blame him.  The constant sounds of concrete drilling and trucks loading and unloading must drive him insane.  Despite his outer rugged appearance; I thought to myself such a giant softy, a hopeless romantic at heart. I smiled and walked away. 

On another instance I saw a girl in the library reading one of the trilogies of the Twilight. She was probably fifteen or sixteen dressed in black and ironically very pale like the character, Wednesday in the Addams Family. (Now I'm showing my age!).  She kept frantically flicking pages back and forth and was not really reading at all.  

I later gathered from my teenage nieces that it was all the rage at the time. The Twilight Saga, Vampires and Werewolves! Ah, I thought to myself now the pale face and dark clothes makes sense -  the girl was imitating the characters in the book. I thought perhaps the peer pressure of friends made her pick this book up and read it so that she can belong and relate to the conversations within her circle of friends.  Perhaps she doesn't even enjoy reading but wants to follow the Twilight madness; trying to be something she's not.  I thought, yes she is at the age of uncertainly and has  many years of her life to live. Perhaps she will even cringe when older at her teenage photos of her looking like the shadow of death! She sure did freak me out sitting in that quiet corner of the library!

Recently on the trains I observed a young man reading a crime thriller AND carrying a 'Call of Duty' Bag. I thought surely there is too much violence and crime in this young lads sphere.   What's wrong with the Mario Brothers who saves Princess Peach from the evil Bowser!?! Surely there's more to life than guns, crime and rampages. Call me old-fashioned; maybe its me. Too much crime and war in the worls as it is. We don't need to pollute our youngsters mind even more. Whats so attractive about violence and anarchy? I mean what's with the youth of these days? Something that every adult says when they reach post 30 adulthood and forget not so long ago they too was that rebellious teenager wearing outrageous clothing, unkempt hair, jacket falling off shoulder and talking loudly with no respect for the adult of the species! I guess you have to just let them be as its a passing phase of growing up. 

Anyways I think I'm going off at a tangent here! Clearly books say a lot about ones character, hobbies and interests, but it is not fair to make the assumption based on one book alone. Books portray the composition of the self in a self-explanatory form. No adjectives are needed to describe the reader.

My bedside books.

Take a look at my little hoard of books near my bedside that I've either bought, been passed down, been given as a gift or recently borrowed from the library. 

Each book title portrays a little glimpse of my identity:
The Qur'an = portrays my identity as a Muslim and the interest in the Qur'an's teachings.  The second book called Moan About Men - is about the womanly woes and disgruntle at the male of the species. The emerging genre of books called 'chick literature or chick lit' keeping women sane in a crazy world. No matter how equal women may want to be as men in the work and political sense - there's are times I am grateful that I am a woman on so many levels but at the same time I can't pass an opportunity at poking fun at the opposite sex. 

The book about Shoes is because of my interests in clothes, shoes and fashion in general and I'm sure most women share the same interests. Women wear clothes for necessity of course but also for pleasure. A woman can never have too many clothes and shoes! Men on the other hand wear clothes for survival! I mean, they just don't shop the way us woman do. In the coming winter months my husband would be repeating: "must buy winter jumper" in the most ice-age monstrous voice you have ever heard like his preparing for some apocalypse! Meanwhile there's me pondering how I can be all svelte by the summer months post winter-binge and whether I'd really be able to fit into that trouser I bought last summer during the sales. Also I'd wonder whether that snood I bought on impulse this winter is destined for the charity box as it makes my head look like a rhinoserausrs' head!

Another lovely read is all the classic novels which are embedded in you during the school years and you pretty much can't get away from it either later in life.  The struggles and picturesque setting of Jane Eyre and Tess of d'urbervilles does not leave you. As a person and more so as a woman we are constantly in struggles of our own but its the journey you take to overcome life's trials that matters whilst keeping grounded and headstrong like the character, Jane Eyre. 

Othello by Shakespeare on the other hand is a series long episode of modern day Eastenders! Sometimes I think we are all in a book of Shakepear's one time or another in our life. 

My small collection of home design, home redecoration and arts and crafts books portrays my love for interior design. Truth is that I love it as a hobby but refuse to do it as a job. I'm more of an Kristie Allsop than a Kelly Hoppen.  I like redecorating, creating mood boards, revamping old furniture and making personal home accessories for myself, family and friends. Home design and crafts books are my favourite 'lazy' reads; it does not require your full attention and you can simply flick pages and photos or skim read whilst watching telly. 

Recently as part of my studies my course required me to buy creative writing books. Although I love writing and I am quiet a confidant writer; I do need taming! What I love about these books is that it constantly asks the writer to self-reflect and self-critique however if you're a sticker like me sometimes you may end up doing so many edits of writing that you won't even get much writing finished. 

In order to be good at writing you need to do a lot of reading and I mean A LOT!   I used to be a casual reader; only read for necessity not pleasure but ever since leaving full-time work, entering motherhood full gear and going back to university; I appreciate books more. The knowledge you gain is eye-opening and fruitful and the fiction story lines are intriguing. Aside that nothing beats the simplicity of reading from a book and smelling the pages of a new book.  I think books are here to stay despite their electronic ebook competitors! The pros of reading from a book is that there is no need for a battery, no charger is needed and no sunlight glare; just an imagination and OK perhaps just a bookmark!