Bertrand Russell
This one gave me a little laugh this morning as I read it and I thought it was worth pondering on.
Despite nearly always reading for pleasure or for interest or for stretching myself, I think I have been guilty of the braggy bit on occasions.
When there is book that everybody is talking about; or perhaps one you have come across that you think has been a sleeper but is so going to take off, or one that is so full and lengthy that just to have completed it is noteworthy, it can be possible to feel smug I think.
As I think about it thought, it rarely happens - I am never in front of the zeitgeist; rather, I have to confess to so many books I have not read (not a single Dickens, no Shakespeare ever, no Russians except Anna Karenina and it was a slog and so on).
Occasionally I do read a wonderful book and talk about it and then it becomes great and I feel very chuffed after the fact. And yes, I mean occasionally! The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood was one such book. I was in awe, gob-smacked, thrilled and chilled by this book but it was quiet. And then it became huge and I can definitely admit to a bout of smugness.
In contrast to Mr Russell however, it's not my motivation to read books. I don't have a bookshelf full of names and it books that make me look smart or intellectual or alternative or interesting (however, I do confess to looking at other people's bookshelves and wondering what they say about them!).
I think you have to take care with the boasting bit though - it can be risky to say you have read a book just so you can show off. What if somebody then wants to start the deep dive conversation about it? How will you hold up?
The safest sort of bookshelf... in a hardware store in Arizona.
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