Nest Book Club
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Receiving books as gifts from non-readers.
Does it make you nervous to receive books as a gift from people you know are non-readers or don't know your taste in reading material? For me it does a little because then I feel obligated to read whatever it is, even if it is not something I would typically read or if it's a book on a topic in which I have zero interest (right wing politics, Duck Dynasty, etc). My mom reads things like Amish fiction and I fear she may have given me one for my birthday. Ick.

It kind of reminds me of how people who don't eat sushi love to give sushi kits to their friends that do because they just don't realize the cost and labor that goes into homemade sushi makes it wildly impractical. Thoughts (not about sushi, about books)?
And on a semi-related note, have you seen the LL Bean commercial where the gift being given is wrapped so that you know exactly what it is (bicycle, skis, etc.)? Books are like that. You always know a book by feel through the wrapping paper. Hence the above discussion.
Re: Receiving books as gifts from non-readers.
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to."
"I don't much care where –"
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
I don't think anyone have ever given me a book as a gift, except for Mom and my husband. DH bought me the Harry Potter series for our 1st anniversary, but we were so young and poor that I made him take it back so we could pay the electric bill. He has also bought me the hardback boxed set of Calvin & Hobbes books, which I adore and don't let anyone touch.
My mom has only ever gotten me Judy Blume books when I was young, like Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret, which was how she "taught" me about periods and such. Nice, huh?
I much prefer B&N GCs to someone actually attempting to buy me a book, unless they specifically heard me say that I want that particular book.
Books read in 2011: 111
Books read in 2012: 100
my read shelf:
Izzy and Baby A ~ Adorable Punks
I'm on the opposite side though as far as giving, a lot of my friends/family ask me to pick them books out for Christmas that they'll like. I have about a 75% success ratio too which is good considering I get anxiety all the time as to whether they'll like them.