Dear Anne:

Bren and Sterling are the type of engaged couple who will invite you in to read Architectural Digest with them on a Friday night. They are the type of people to whom you bequeath your beloved Tupperware that you bought yourself for your 19th birthday because you won't have room for it in your New York apartment. And in turn, they are the type of people who would loan you their* copy of Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris.

I first picked up Ex Libris during Bren and Sterling's engagement party because Nate is the type of person who will let you peruse his books when you are too tired to socialize. Nate is the type of person who would marry Anne Fadiman if she weren't already married with two children. He is the type of person who would have Anne Fadiman sign a copy of Ex Libris for his sister.

I am the type of self-proclaimed literary snob who will not read a bestseller unless it comes highly recommended by people I trust or I have never heard of it despite its bestseller status. Anne Fadiman came highly recommended and I had never heard of her until March.

Anne Fadiman is the type of person who would walk around town proofreading advertisements with Lynne Truss. She is the type of person who grew up building with her father's books instead of blocks. She is the type of person who knows words like sesquipedalian and uses them. Ms. Fadiman is the type of person who writes in a voice I rarely have the courage to use.

On Saturday, I was discussing moving with my parents, and my dad asked, "Why are you keeping your books? Can't you just give them away?" I was shocked. Get rid of my books? I knew my status as a member of my family was questioned for years when I insisted I did not like guacamole, but my dad's words confirmed what my mom has been telling me for years: "Megan, you are the odd one."**

So on Sunday, I spent some quality time with Anne Fadiman, and I felt kinship. If I am odd, I am not alone. And I am inspired. Inspired to visit secondhand bookstores and purchase a real*** bookcase.


*The book actually currently belongs to Sterling, but Bren and Sterling are the type of engaged couple for whom it is completely appropriate to apply plural possessive pronouns even before they are officially married.

**My mother does love me. So much so that she spent 40 hours in labor when I was born. But apparently not everyone plans their entire life while in high school.

***A real bookcase is made out of real wood. You don't assemble it yourself at home. You buy it in one piece and it lasts your lifetime, the same way it has lasted through the lifetimes of several other people.