Out of boredom I posted my bookshelf to r/BookshelvesDetective on Reddit.

That’s a sub where you post an image of your (or someone else’s) bookshelf. Then people take guesses at who you are. Many posts are people trying to get insight on the person they are dating. Sometimes the guesses are weirdly specific, and correct.

So I took a few pics of my bookshelf (Claw has her own in her office), and created a burner reddit account with no identifiable information and gave it the post title “Who is he?”

The Comments (I didn’t respond to any of these on Reddit, but will here (italics) in the private darkness of my blog):

• Nerd (kind).
• To quote the poet Donald Gibb, “nerd, nerd, nerd, nerd.”
• He’s a comic book nerd – Charlie Stross & Maus are green flags.

Yes yes, nerdy taste. I obviously enjoy sci-fi, fantasy and comic books. The spirit of these comments seems positive. Ie. He’s a harmless nerd and probably won’t be an abusive asshole if you date him.

• He’s also organized – my kids don’t have their books in any organized fashion – so he’s giving off mild collector vibes – I didn’t see a lot (or any) plastic sleeves – correction – went back, saw sleeves – but they also looked gently used so maybe I’m guessing living life and enjoying art is more important to him than possessing things – if that feeling extends to his romantic interests, another green flag ?

This was one of the more insightful comments. I do collect more for the utility and pleasure of reading. The ability to share my comics and books than any investment angle. I suppose that generally applies to life too. I have mercilessly culled so many Funko pops and other collectible detritus. I think about the paraphrased line, “The things we own, end up owning us”, all the time.

• Blankets is also a green flag in my book
• so is Once & Future
• Bone is a green flag too. Watchmen is a beige flag but in absence of reds we should assume green.
• He’s a total nerd but Blankets indicates a heart beneath

That last one made me feel warm. 🙂

• First thought was “this guy seems cool as hell.” Then I thought “I think this is my ex.”

I highly doubt it.

• I’m willing to bet he has a beard.

Yes.

• Becky Chambers is awesome, so another green flag.
• agreed, thought that was hot
• Cool as hell

Redditors predictably love Becky Chambers. That Wayfarers series is good.

• A comic lover. Though that Terry Goodkind novel is looking pretty sus.
• I’m not familiar with Terry Goodkind, what’s wrong with him?
• Daniel Greene did a really good video explaining why. It’s his argument, but I can’t summarise everything on a single reddit comment.
• I’ll check it out, thanks
• at the very least he only has one (and its the first). If he only could endure (or didnt finish) that one, i’d say that is positive
• Yeah, he should probably ditch that one.
• Both Terry’s on the shelf looking not great, everything else is pretty good though

I wasn’t aware Terry Goodkind was controversial. I read Wizard’s First Rule in high school after my Robert Jordan phase. I just kind of breezed through it, enjoyed it at the time, but didn’t care enough to continue. I remember it was pretty similar to the Wheel of Time, but with some kinky bondage/torture stuff near the end. Claw also makes fun of me for the Terry Brooks books. I only read the first one. Yes, I acknowledge it’s not high quality writing, but I don’t remember it being awful either. She told me that when we were first dating she loved my bookshelf, but Sword of Shannara was the one that made her raise an eyebrow.

• I was going to say a man who should read Fables but no it’s right there.
• You should get him Bone by Jeff Smith of his birthday is coming up.
• It’s on the same shelf as fables

I have such a soft spot for Bone that one of the characters, Roque Ja, is the mascot of this blog, and is the basis for the main image I use for it.

• The lack of Brian K Vaughn is a red flag and you can tell him I said that.

I’ve read some of Y The Last Man on my kindle. Haven’t tackled Dune though.

• Rich (literally some of those comics are old as heck) well diversified nerd
• I could give him a list of comic recs a mile long. Seems chill.
• I’ve never seen comics stored this way. This lad is an innovator.
• Why aren’t his graphics novels organized by volume number?

My collection isn’t worth much, I collected mainly in the early to late nineties. Like sports cards, there were a lot of copies printed of most of my comics. The ones I have showing on the edge are the oldest ones.

• millennial nerdy guy with a dog.

Swing and a miss. Gen X with two cats.

• It really bothers me that his The Walking Dead books are out of order
• I would say overweight, not well groomed, bad clothes, smells weird. Has a beard but not a well kept one. Neck beard is on the table but not guaranteed. Very passionate about trivial things.

Oof! Well, I think my beard is very nicely groomed. I shave my neck, have defined edges. After a shower I put on moisturizer, then soften it up a 50:50 mix of Jojoba oil (which I know to pronounce with a soft J) and Argan oil. Then i finish it off with a high quality beard balm and special scissors to trim any stray hairs. Then I go about my day with a groomed, magnificent looking, salt and pepper beard. I’m in good shape and smell pleasant too. And if I cared so much about trivial things, then why are my Walking Dead Graphic Novels all out of order then? hmmmm? What a meanie.

• Lethem and Vonnegut hanging out together under a couple Chambers novels screams green flag go to me. Nerdy dude. Probably some anxiety issues (why? No idea, just got that vibe.)
• I’m guessing 40-45 white male with a middle to upper middle class job where he works with his brain a bit more than with his hands.

Yes, these were close. Anxiety is probably a little above the mean. Slightly older than that age range, career in Science.

So… yeah that was kind of fun. Kind of hurtful. I do now mostly just read on my kindle, so the bookshelf is a bit of a snapshot of a younger version of me. A little library shrine.