I have had many unexpected human encounters thanks to books, myself.

Choosing a woman by the book in her hand makes more sense than choosing a woman by the drink in her hand. Still, I don't recall every meeting anyone because of a book he or she was holding. My dog, an incredibly handsome Large Munsterlander, has introduced me to dozens of persons. I'll go out on a limb here and declare that books are for reading. Of course my wife would never have married me if I didn't read, nor would I have married her if she didn't read.

I think I'm a grouch. Well no, I KNOW I'm a grouch. I use books to get away from people and am actually annoyed when strangers ask me what I'm reading. I try to be polite, but I really want to say, "None of your business. Go away."

Of course I don't mind when Nancy asks what I'm reading on "Freebie Friday." But then she has free books to offer.

Lenn Sakata thinks that Kindle provides you an opportunity to live within yourself, without any regard for what the people around you think of you (at least of what you're reading). Is it possible that this piece of modern technology can actually help recover a lost freedom? Return us to a "savage" understanding of our inner selves?

Rousseau: "In reality, the difference is, that the savage lives within himself while social man lives outside himself and can only live in the opinion of others, so that he seems to receive the feeling of his own existence only from the judgement of others concerning him. It is not to my present purpose to insist on the indifference to good and evil which arises from this disposition, in spite of our many fine works on morality, or to show how, everything being reduced to appearances, there is but art and mummery in even honour, friendship, virtue, and often vice itself, of which we at length learn the secret of boasting; to show, in short, how abject we are, and never daring to ask ourselves in the midst of so much philosophy, benevolence, politeness, and of such sublime codes of morality, we have nothing to show for ourselves but a frivolous and deceitful appearance, honour without virtue, reason without wisdom, and pleasure without happiness."

Lenn, I didn't realize that the former O's shortstop was such a philosopher. I'll buy Rousseau's argument -- to a degree. I don't think books should be flaunted simply for appearance sake, like some designer handbag. We should approach them with more intellectual honesty. But if I'm reading a book, I enjoy meeting others -- strangers, even -- who have an opinion about it. Consider it an impromptu, mini-book club.