Shana Hyder Kabani

Book: The Zen of Social Media Marketing: An Easier Way to Build Credibility, Generate Buzz, and Increase Revenue by Shana Hyder Kabani
Location: T Train
Notes: Definitely interested in reading this one.

San Francisco Public Library Blog

Last week a friend let us know we were featured on the SF Public Library blog. We see a lot of library books in our travels and SFPL posted about some of the books we spotted from their branch. We love libraries and have a special spot in our heart for our city's beautiful library so it was a real treat to be featured on their blog. If you're in San Francisco and have never found yourself in that beautiful library downtown - get yourself down there and get a library card pronto!

Thanks SFPL!

Tom Batchelder

Book: Barking Up a Dead Horse: Avoiding the Wasted Time and Effort in Business-to-Business Sales by Tom Batchelder
Location: BART
Notes: Took this a while ago so I don't remember specifics but the name of the book definitely caught my attention.

Abraham Verghese

Book: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Location: 24th BART Station
Notes: No filter on this photo! Look at those colors and patterns. Was so excited to get this shot. My Mom read this book and raved about it, so it's on my list for sure.

Stieg Larsson

Book: The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
Location: Luna Park
Notes: The credit for this photo goes to Molly. We were eating dinner outside on a lovely evening a few Sundays ago when I spotted a man reading this book at a table behind us. I tried taking an awkward photo from my seat and Molly, seeing she had a better angle, grabbed my ipod and took this photo for me. While doing so she caught the attention of a woman at the table next to us. Molly told her about my blog, and she was sweet enough to listen. The kind woman then suggested a book app called The Book Lover, which I've just remembered and will be downloading now!

Ernest Hemingway

Book: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Location: BART
Notes: I almost gave up on this photo but I was really excited she was reading this book so I managed to sneak a shot in. I also loved the pattern on her bag.

Marcus Luttrell

Book: Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 by Marcus Luttrell
Location: Plow in Potrero Hill
Notes: Brendan sent in this one. His email was titled 'Sneak Tip'. He also said Plow has a great brunch that shouldn't be missed. Brendan is a fantastic chef, so when he suggests a place I listen.

Bill Bryson

Book: Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States by Bill Bryson
Location: Wikia
Notes: Saw this on someone's desk at work and loved the way it looked. It's like musical chairs at my office so I have no idea who was sitting here at the time. But Bill Bryson is a fun writer to read and I had never heard of this one, may just have to check it out.

Paul Ingrassia

Book: Crash Course: The American Automobile Industry's Road to Bankruptcy and Bailout and Beyond by Paul Ingrassia
Location: 37 Corbett
Notes: Nice quiet bus ride.

Reader Submission

Books: Man in the foreground is reading The Magicians by Lev Grossman and the man in the back is reading The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.
Location: 38 Geary
Notes: Thank you Susan for the great shot! And nice work getting two readers in one photo. I love the thought of more and more people being book spies. When she snapped this photo Susan was reading a Jean Plaidy novel on her iphone.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Book: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Location: T Train
Notes: I love this writer, while I've never read 100 Years of Solitude, Love in the Time of Cholera is one of my favorite novels. And one I've been wanting to revisit for a while now. I was excited about the light in these photos and it's so rare I'm able to catch a book cover. I also noticed she was only on page 6. It made me excited for her. There's something so thrilling about the first few pages of a novel where you're just discovering what world you're entering into for the next 300 or so pages.

Book Porn

At Piper's Shoe Parlor.

Surprise package!

I love mail. And I love unexpected packages. So I was beyond thrilled when I came home to this! No note was included so I'm not certain who it's from but I think I have a pretty good idea. Best surprise ever. On Reading is a book by André Kertész (1894-1985) who according to the interwebs "was one of the most inventive, influential, and prolific photographers in the medium's history". The book was first published in 1971 and contains photos of people reading all over the world, taken between 1920 and 1970. I can't wait to dig into this little gem. I'll confirm the sender as soon as I identify them!
Update: Thank you Molly for the book!! Molly has a fantastic blog you should check out right now!

Arthur Golden

Book: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Location: N Train
Notes: Loved her ring. I think I started this book years ago and never finished it.

My first non-Muni photo!

Book: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Location: Blush Wine Bar, Castro
Notes: Saw this book sitting alone with a glass of wine and no owner in site. Got so excited to frame a nice shot not on Muni! Owner came back and gave me a funny look which made me think he saw me hovering over his wine and his book. I smiled at him. He was older and wearing a Hawaiian shirt. I love that he was reading this book which reminds me so much of high school.

Jack Weatherford

Book: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford
Location: 37 Corbett
Notes: She was smiling a lot and really enjoying this book.

Peter F. Hamilton

Book: Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton
Location: Caltrain
Notes: Another reader submission. Thanks for spotting and shooting this one Sena! And good work getting two readers on one ride. Sena says of the second photo: "Can't tell what book she's reading but I often see her with a coffee and hard back, making the most out of a 30 minute train ride."

Steve Dublanica

Book: Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip--Confessions of a Cynical Waiter by Steve Dublanica
Location: BART
Notes: Another library book! I remember hearing about this book a while ago, sounds amusing.

Keith Richards

Book: Life by Keith Richards
Location: J Church (outbound)
Notes: I spotted this woman from across the train and made my way towards her but wasn't able to tell what book she was reading until she was about to get off the train. I tried unsuccessfully to stand over her and make out the title on the page, then sat across from her and tried to see the cover but she was on to me and kept looking up at me. I was sure I wasn't going to get this shot and was thrilled when she closed the book and put it on her lap. Also she looked like a Keith Richards fan and I mean that in a good way. I want to read this book.

Colum McCann

Book: Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Location: 5 Fulton Bus
Notes: My first reader submission! Thanks Kacie for snapping this one. Such a great shot I thought it was staged at first! This is another book I have in my stack of 'to read'.

John Grisham

Book: The Associate by John Grisham
Location: T train (inbound)
Notes: She looked like a John Grisham reader.

What are you reading?

Sometimes there are books that get away. For the life of me I could not sneak around this woman enough to see what book she was reading. I felt like she was intentionally hiding the cover. I sometimes do that when I'm reading something in public I don't want to be judged for, so I can't blame her. It's a long weekend and I'd love to hear what books you're reading. Share in the comments!

Haruki Murakami & best shoes ever

Book: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
Location: BART (inbound)
Notes: This book has been on my night stand for over a year. So many people have told me how much they loved it but for some reason I just haven't been inspired to start it yet. I loved this girls shoes, they were the sparkliest, goldest shoes I've ever seen. There's a lot of leg in this photo but it's really hard to not include so much leg when you're trying to keep a person's head out of a shot.

Tatum O'Neal

Book: Found by Tatum O'Neal
Location: BART (outbound)
Notes: Another library book! This is a new release so you know he had to have his name on a waiting list for this one. I'm starting to feel a little creepy about these photos. This guy sat down next to me, pulled out his book, and all I could think about was the best way to discreetly take a photo of it. Thought about asking if I could take his photo or at least the book cover but I'm not ready for that yet. Soon.

Simon Reynolds

Book: Totally Wired: Post-Punk Interviews & Overviews by Simon Reynolds
Location: K Train (outbound)
Notes: When I first got on the train this guy was reading the newspaper and then he pulled out this book. Also - it was a library book, love that.

Gena Showalter

Book: Something by Gena Showalter (I couldn't make out the title)
Location: BART train (inbound)
Notes: This book was incredibly worn in and well loved. I like to imagine this woman has read it several times already and is revisiting it yet again. This is the first I have ever heard of Gena Showalter who apparently writes "paranormal romances, YA thrillers, and sexy contemporary novels".

Ayn Rand

Book: Fountain Head by Ayn Rand
Location: J Church (outbound)
Notes: She had the most adorable bookmark, a black & white photo strip. Note to self - great craft project idea.