I seriously felt like the biggest asshole and most judgmental person on the planet. I didn't know how to respond, and in an instant, I felt my bookish confidence go down the drain. My entire world was basically thrown off-kilter and I was immediately thrown off-balance. I felt like I was on the geek version of Ashton Kutcher's Punk'd. I knew my jaw had probably dropped involuntarily, and I could feel the blood rushing to my face. It took me only a split-second to realize that he was being serious. The next day, I went to the bookstore and purchased Post Office, then returned to the grocery store to share my finding with grocery-store man.Īt what I considered was a very proud moment for me, I presented Post Office to grocery-store man - who barely glanced at it, but didn't skip a beat when he casually responded saying he already owned Post Office.

It's a never-ending cliche.Īlthough I initially felt skeptical about his answer, it turns out he wasn't actually a jackass, but that the actual jackass was ME.Īt my new 'bookish' friend's request, I made a list of authors I thought he might enjoy, given he 'only reads literature published between 19.' Having a hunch that grocery-store man would love the beat genre (though still a bit skeptical), I put Charles Bukowski on the list. Nine times out of ten, that's what everyone who isn't bookish likes to say because it makes them look smart even though they don't even know what they're talking about. When someone tells me they like to read, I automatically tense up and go on the defense, ready to throw punches if they ask me if I've ever read the Twilight series, or Harry Potter, or Dean Koontz, or books by that Mary Higgins Clark person who 'really writes good mystery stories.'Īnyway, when I asked grocery-store man about the types of books he liked to read, he said, verbatim, 'I enjoy reading contemporary classics.' I immediately thought, Of COURSE you do. There's a man at the grocery store I really enjoy talking to, and on a recent visit, we began talking about books.įor those of you who are well-read, talking about books with someone new can EASILY make or break your overall impression of that person. I ended up with Post Office by accident and on purpose all at the same time. Despite my negative feelings about Post Office, I have an amazing story associated with this novel that could be better than the review.

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