On the other hand...
While I’m being nasty about Gordon Brown, I will also add one thing I hears about him (God knows where) that substantially raised him in my esteem. His small-talk introduction (when he’s having a conversation rather than just a meet-and-greet) is not the usual ‘where are you from’ ‘what do you do’ type question – which are basically pretty closed questions anyway – it is the much more interesting ‘what are you reading at the moment?’
Although there is the potential for this to be a bit of a bust (‘…um, nothing actually’) it shows an interest in the other person and has the potential to move straight in to an interesting conversation. So, full marks for that one.
posted by Tim J at
1:26 pm
2 Comments:
I'm reading Timothy W. Ryback's book about Adolf Hitler's library. No idea what sort of conversation that would spark.
Mind you, I've only got as far as the introduction & I am just flicking through now, to prepare for a full-length reading on Saturday, so I can't talk knowledgeably about it until Saturday afternoon. So if Brown were to come round tonight & ask me about my reading I'd probably talk about "Akenfield" or something.
But you're right, it does beat asking whether they drink Guinness out of cans, listen to Jedward, hate vegetarians, or whatever the would-be slebs of all parties want to discuss. At least he isn't trying to insult people's intelligence.
Yourself, what's on your reading list?
I have a terrible habit of multiple book reading - largely because of having to fit a commute book into my overcoat pocket. So I'm currently re-reading Matthew Parris Chance Witness on the tube and John Lewis Gaddis Cold War in bed.
Oh, and the Just So stories to my daughter...
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