Every weekday morning, I commute from Brooklyn to midtown Manhattan in subway cars so packed that any movement could mean accidentally getting to second base with a stranger. Standing so uncomfortably close to other New Yorkers gives your eyes few places to look beyond your phone screen. Sitting commuters, the enviable few, have options: They can join the standing multitude and bury their faces in the blue glow of their phones, which most do. Or they can read.
I try to avoid burying my face in my phone at 8 a.m. So I've instead developed a very bad staring habit, one that would be more acceptable outside of slightly misanthropic New York City. It's the reading passengers that fascinate me the most. Discerning their book choices can be a real challenge; the covers always face the floor, forcing me to adjust my line of vision with every subtle movement to catch a glimpse of what they're holding. The task isn't too difficult, though, outside of my initial fear that I'll be caught staring.
My habit is possible because of effective marketing. Today's book covers are like billboard ads — the title is usually in large, noticeable letters, and most of today's books will also prominently feature their most notable achievements, such as “New York Times Bestseller.” Sometimes, books will have the author's face on the cover, sparing me the eye strain of searching for a name.
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