The Books They Gave Me

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I'm addicted to this tumblr site where people recount intimate stories of books their lovers have given them. Some of these are poignant. Others make me want to shake the writer and say, "Get over it!" However, I do agree with this one post that states the following :

"... it occurred to me that sharing books is an intimate act in a relationship. If sharing music is considered foreplay — which it is to me anyway — then sharing books is definitely going all the way. With music, you merely glimpse your infatuation’s tastes. Still, it’s easy to tune out a song you don’t particularly care for when you would rather listen to him talk or relish the comfort of his arms. But with books, you pay attention. You’re reading words; you’re consuming ideas and themes that move him; you’re connecting intellectually. Maybe even spiritually.

"I could be overthinking this. But I can’t help feel a sense of loss knowing that my book, marked by my handwriting — ideas and phrases that spoke to me, underlined, circled, highlighted — is floating in the world. Just like a man I once loved."

Picking a book for the one you love can be agonizing, especially if it's in the beginning stages of the relationship - it conveys so much meaning that is as yet unsaid. It's a promise and a sign. A symbol. Not only are the contents of the book important but the act of book-giving is a significant message in it of itself: I want you to know I've paid attention. I've thought about what moves you and what inspires you. This is what you mean to me.

In a very entertaining article, Allison Hill writes of how she's been seduced by literary lotharios, which starts with this promising sentence: "I once slept with a man because he gave me a copy of Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle."

What are some of the books you've given or have received that has special significance?


Ever been seduced by a man's literary game?