Once when I was sitting at a lunch counter reading The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann a woman walked up and said, “Oh my God that’s my favorite book!” I mentioned that this was my fifth time reading it, and that it was also my favorite book. We discussed it briefly.

I’m also reminded of an early date with my wife when we were courting. She’d invited me to her house to share a meal she’d cooked. When we sat down to eat it she pulled out a magazine and started reading*. I said to myself, “I think I’m in love!”

*This was the late 80s when people still read magazines.