No More Books, Please

Despite always being on the lookout for the next book to immerse oneself in, one must confess that one's reaction to having a book thrust upon one by a friend or acquaintance is one of alarm. Is one actually supposed to read the thing, putting aside others, and discuss it at the next meeting? Writing in The New York Times, Joe Queenan admits that he feels the same way:

"Because I live in a small town where I cross paths with promiscuous book lenders all the time, I have lately taken to hiding in subterranean caverns, wearing clever disguises while concealed in tenebrous alcoves and feigning rare tropical illnesses to avoid being saddled with any new reading material."