In a similar vein to the question posted earlier today, I wanted to know what book reco would you see as a huge green flag when dating, and why?
My answer: Lonesome Dove
Why: It delves into themes of friendship, loyalty, and the complexities of human relationships. If they like the book it tells me they have an understanding of the nuanced dynamics that make human connections meaningful.
Getting nostalgic about any children’s book. People talk differently about books they loved as children than they do about books that are written for adults.
My husband and I were friends for years before we started dating, but when we got serious, I bought him Matilda and Harriet the Spy, so that he could get to know what I’d been like as a kid. (Though tbf I was only 13 when we met, so it wasn’t like he didn’t already have an inkling!)
I love that!!
Idk how generally that applies. I def have a much stronger relationship with the books I’ve loved as an adult. I still like Harry Potter, Eragon, Dragonriders of Pern, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and so on…but most of it tends to feel shallow, significantly flawed, or both, as of my last readings.
Cradle by Will Wight and The Wandering Inn inspire more childlike joy and fascination for me. Robin Hobb hits the emotional notes in a way no one else can. Malazan, The Exapanse, The Witcher, Grossman, GRRM, even Tolstoy and Dumas, all feel more impactful and I could wax on about them much more comfortably than I could my childhood faves. Maybe the overlap would be like Tolkien, Twain, Pullman, and a few of OSC’s books (Ender’s Game, Ender’s Shadow, and Speaker for the Dead as a set), things I enjoyed as a kid but which I understood very differently as I grew and reread.