“So…what’s your favorite book?” A simple question, but one that could possibly make or break a relationship? Could be, according to Rachel Donadio, whose essay, “It’s Not You, It’s Your Books,” was published in the New York Times Book Review in March.

Naming a favorite book or author can be fraught with peril. Go too low, and you risk looking dumb. Go too high, and you risk looking like a bore — or a phony.

While it’s not always a question of being too literary (or not enough), sometimes it just comes down to personal taste. I’m not sure that my husband’s love of Hemingway would have driven me away in the first week of dating, but I do think if he didn’t enjoy reading at all we might have a more serious conflict.

To hear more of Donadio’s thoughts on the topic, listen to the NPR interview “Books: A Canary in the Relationship Coal Mine?.”

And let us know–what are your deal-breaker books?

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