PSA: That librarian who recommended an old show changed my whole week

I was grabbing a stack of books last Tuesday at the downtown library and this older lady behind the counter saw me looking at the DVD section. She walked over and said I need to watch this show called Detectorists because it was slow and quiet but full of heart. I almost laughed because the cover looked boring with two guys holding metal detectors in a field. But she was so genuine about it that I checked out the first season on a whim. I stayed up way too late that night watching all 6 episodes and texting my friend about how cozy it felt. Have you ever had a stranger just nail a recommendation that totally changed your evening plans?

3 comments

3 Comments

lee6271mo agoMost Upvoted

Had a stranger ever accidentally saved you from your own bad taste? I once had a guy at the hardware store insist I watch some old Japanese show about a salaryman who builds a tiny house. I was just there for a hammer but he was so earnest I gave it a shot. Ended up binge watching the whole thing on my phone while my actual roof leaked. I guess sometimes the most boring looking stuff is exactly what you need. That librarian did you a solid.

julia_jones721mo ago

Oh man, I totally get this! I used to be super skeptical about those random recommendations from strangers, thought there was no way some random person could know what I'd like. But then this old guy at a bus stop insisted I read a boring-looking memoir about a beekeeper and now I can't shut up about how good it was. Guess I had to learn the hard way that sometimes the most random stuff is actually gold.

shah.ben1mo agoMost Upvoted

Wait, hold on, I mean that's not quite what happened with the librarian thing. She actually just handed me a stack of books and said "you look like you need these" without explaining why. But yeah, I get what you're saying about random strangers having weirdly good instincts, even if the details get mixed up sometimes. Still, it's wild how often someone's random suggestion ends up being better than stuff you actually sought out.