The Loaded Bookshelf

No no, I don't mean books with special abilities, but rather those received as gifts. 

I don't like them.

Which is a tough thing, because when you love books, and everybody knows you love books, a book seems like it should be an ideal gift, right?  I don't know about y'all, but I DREAD receiving books as gifts unless they were specifically requested.  This was especially true when I was a child and had particularly picky taste, but even to this day I just don't like it.  Receiving a gifted book feels like an obligation to move that book up in my reading pile, despite the fact that I have hundreds (not a hypberbole) of unread books lying around my home and office.  And I'd feel terrible if I didn't like a gifted book!

There is an exception to every rule, though.  My Dear Fiance, a former Navy submariner, got me Blind Man's Bluff by Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drewearly into our dating relationship.  He was a little worried about the gift, wondering if it's bad form to buy a book for someone who works in book publishing.  Despite my normal attitude toward book gifts, I was touched by this one because 1) I liked the guy and 2) it was on a topic I knew nothing about but which was something of an area of expertise for him, and he wanted to share it with me.  I delved right into it and wasn't disappointed.  The book is a totally fascinating account of submarine espionage during the Cold War -- think The Hunt for Red October but, you know, real.  For anybody who is a history buff, or just likes narrative history with strong storytelling, I'd highly recommend this account.  And I had a great time discussing it with the DF.

How do you feel about books as gifts?