I was looking at the receipt for the books I borrowed from my public library, and I was struck with a thought. That thought was taken out of context, and having not seen the cover of the book, or knowing its genre, a title can really mislead you. Don’t you think?
I had no idea which book Other Ways to Leave the Room was. Is it a dry and formal book on methods of how to leave a room in pages of bulleted lists? Or is Other Ways to Leave the Room a witty satire on inventive, and madcap ways you can leave a room; like exiting from the window instead, or blowing a hole into the wall, for example.
As it turned out, after a lengthy hunt through various reading piles, I found the book and that Other Ways to Leave the Room is a collection of collected poetry by the poets Kathleen Jamie, Don Paterson, and Nick Laird. I remembered I didn’t choose to borrow the book because of its title. The selection of poetry books in my public library is so poor anytime I see anything new I grab it and take out. Perhaps that’s why I wondered what on earth the book was on seeing the title on my receipt.
Poetic Insights 