That librarian who told me my pick was 'derivative' at a book club meetup

3 comments

3 Comments

Just told the book club lady at my local library that I liked her recommendation and asked what she was reading lately. Changed the whole vibe. Sometimes people just want to feel like their opinion matters too.

brooke_taylor443d ago

Oh man, that's such a simple thing but it really works. I did something similar at our local coffee shop with the cashier who always has a book on the counter. Asked her about it one slow morning and she lit up like a Christmas tree, talked my ear off for ten minutes. Now she saves me recommendations behind the counter and I've found some real gems that way that I never would have picked up myself. It's wild how just showing you care about what someone thinks can turn a total stranger into a friendly face. People are starved for that kind of connection, even in little doses. Good on you for doing that.

sammartinez3d ago

Ask her what she thought was derivative about it though. Was it the plot or the writing style or something else? I had a librarian tell me once that my pick was "predictable" and when I pushed back she admitted she just didn't like the author's previous book. People like her sometimes have really random reasons for those dismissive comments.