30 Times Commuters Saw Others Reading Such Strange Books While On The Subway, They Just Had To Document It
InterviewCommuting to and from work or school is a great opportunity to focus on some of the things we might not find the time for during our busy schedules. Like reading. Since you’re stuck on the subway (aka the metro or the tube depending on where you’re from), you might as well sharpen your mind with some great literature.
However, some of the books that people read on their commute are so interesting and peculiar that others couldn’t help but snap a photo and send them to the Subway Creatures Instagram page. This community has over 2.1 million followers on IG and is dedicated to sharing all the weird things people see on public transit. Scroll on down, upvote your fave New York City subway book covers, and let us know what you like to read on your commute, dear Pandas.
Rick McGuire, the founder of 'Subway Creatures,' told Bored Panda that the subway always has the most interesting and unusual people because commuters are forced into a confined space and have no choice but to deal with each other. "The NYC subway is still one of the most efficient ways of getting around and if you need an audience, this is the perfect place to find one. This can sometimes work out for the best and the worst," he said.
Read on for our full interview with McGuire, as well as for Bored Panda's chat about productivity during commutes with certified career coach Rita Friedman.
More info: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok | Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
Meanwhile there is a Well somewhere reading "How to sleep human"
Load More Replies...Reading Ojo App | Students Factory A unique gaming App developed to inspire the reading habit through a competitive spirit. “OjO” as in Reading OjO refers to the eye which is keen to read. The motive of Reading OjO is to persuade every eye ready to read, read and read. Reading OjO is all about creating a fun habit through the convergence of Technology, Academics, Gamification and General Knowledge.
Apparently Halley Feiffer was a student/patient (but not the main course) of Dr. Hannibal Lecter??
Well they were not going to call it "A Guide to being a Serial Killer" now were they!
Yes, I do consume Facebook this way on the train. Now if only there was some tiny computer that could fit in your pocket we’d save so much paper...
Not everyone has data (internet) on their phones or have small amount of it. I only have 250gb on my cell phone, I don't use it to read Facebook comments, I keep it in case I'm somewhere without wifi and really need to access the internet.
Load More Replies...I've had to do this for my job, given a massive print out of FB bullying that involved my students and get to the end of who did what, could be the same for this woman?
McGuire said that he started the 'Subway Creatures' website in 2011 and then moved on to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook a short while afterward. "I was commuting to work in NYC everyday and seeing the wild, bizarre, and crazy things the city has to offer and noticed there really wasn't a place where it was all being documented." That's why 'Subway Creatures' came into existence.
"NYC has this unspoken rule of 'keep your head down and mind your own business' but I'm a huge people-watcher. There's so much going on around you at all times and it would be a shame to miss some of these typical 'New York moments.' When I'm on the train I always find myself looking for obscurities and checking my surroundings. You never know what you'll see!" McGuire shared his love of people-watching on the subway.
Because 1) Men are more likely to ask for promotions, and 2) Companies like to hire internally, so you end up with managers who started out as something else rather than actually knowing anything about management.
Load More Replies...Why do so many incompetent men become leaders? Perfect question to ask the morbidly obese pathological lying vindictive narcissistic imbecile with the emotional maturity of a toddler (AKA tRump) at the next presidential debate.
It's called the Peter Principle, a concept in management developed by Laurence J. Peter, which observes that people in a hierarchy tend to rise to their "level of incompetence": employees are promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent, as skills in one job do not necessarily translate to another. The concept was elucidated in the book "The Peter Principle" by Dr Peter and Raymond Hull. Peter and Hull intended the book to be satire, but it became popular as it was seen to make a serious point about the shortcomings of how people are promoted within hierarchical organizations. Hull wrote the text, based on Peter's research. The Peter principle has been the subject of much subsequent commentary and research.
Maybe that book will help me understand all my managers, and their managers... although I wouldn't necessarily call them "leaders".
Either he needs glasses, or there's some interesting pictures in that book.
"Anapneo!!" and/or "Petrificus Totalus!!" and/or "Slugulus Eructo" ;-)
Load More Replies...Career coach Friedman told Bored Panda that a lot can be said in favor of not always being productive. "A commute is literally a transitional unit of space and time, and a lot of commuters use it as their break between the responsibilities of home and the responsibilities of work or school, so it's the perfect moment to look at pictures of failed cakes or animals making funny faces. It's just nice to have time where nobody is holding you accountable," Friedman told us that it's alright to cut ourselves a little bit of slack sometimes.
Friedman said that it can be very therapeutic to "disassociate and zone out" during our commute. Especially when we're feeling stressed out. "That might be scrolling through social media or half-listening to a podcast. I'll also say some of my best ideas have come to me when I've been staring out a window or at a wall," the career coach said. "If work is really taxing, you might find that bringing something on your ride lets you focus away from the distractions of the office—it actually might be a lot easier to knock out a report without a chatty coworker hovering nearby."
Couples therapy, working out who is the optimist in the relationship.
Okay, everybody’s going to hate me, but has there ever been a romance book that didn’t end with then together? Can we please have a story where two people are perfect for one another but one leaves or dies first?
Nicholas Sparks specializes in those. They do usually get together, but one almost always dies
Load More Replies...OHHHH MY GOD I was waiting to see if I would see these books. ALL TIME FAV BOOKS AND MOVIES
It's not an entire book devoted to this topic but rather 150 curious questions and intriguing answers.
Load More Replies...These books are fun, they teach about daily science in ridiculous things. I love it.
I’ve read that. I own a copy. It is just full of interesting facts like “How does a gun silencer work” and other things like that. And the answer to that question is no
You really do not want to see someone reading this book on a packed train, bus, airplane well anywhere really.........
Truthfully books like this are pretty hilarious and "interesting" to read. Little tidbits to laugh at. A good bathroom book to read but not one to take on a subway lol let's hope your brother leaves it at home ;)
Load More Replies...i have this book. it's from the great george carlin. he chose this title to get upset as many religions as possible in one sentence. i suggest you to read it, obviously.
I am a devoted Christian, but I love George Carlin! I missed this book,adding it to my list now
Load More Replies...According to Friedman, your commute might also be a great time to catch up on personal communications and manage your calendar and get things in order for the day or the week. This way, when you walk into work, you're ready to dive in.
"You might also find yourself more productive at work if you spend your commute doing something like reading or playing a strategy game that gets your brain warmed up. If you are actively walking / driving / biking, taking a different route can help shake things up and break up the monotony," she added.
"Unless you have a very long commute, it's probably pushing it to try to get into any kind of study or meaningful work that requires a state of flow, but it could be a good time to watch a 5-minute refresher tutorial on a new skill you're working on or to skim through an article your colleagues will also have read."
This book is an amazing oral history of punk rock. Highly recommended!!
let me just check my diary, I have an opening that could work a week on Thursday.........
I have read this book before. Lol. Back in the 90s, it was assigned to us as part of some college class I took. Can't remember which class, but...I still have this book! Just a different cover.
It's an informative book, as I recall. People should know that it's more than just "words make sentences." The authors are Charles Van Doren and Mortimer Adler, two erudite fellas.
Load More Replies...He is obviously a fast learner...... he has moved on to how to read a book on a train......
Given that there are whole BA programmes basically dedicated to teaching critical reading skills, this one's not as ridiculous as the title suggests. The subtitle helps, too.
He might be dyslexic, stop staring at him. You're making him nervous!
Obviously, reading, people-watching, and browsing Bored Panda are all fun ways to spend your time stuck on public transportation. But there are other activities that you could do to make you feel just as productive, energized, or relaxed, depending on what your goals are.
Teri Hockett, chief executive of What’s for Work?, says that your commute can be the perfect time to check in on your goals, reflect about your life, and make any adjustments that you feel to be necessary.
Meanwhile, career expert Connie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio explains that you should use your morning commute to work to get tasks done while you’re fully awake and raring to go.
I’m going to take a stab in the dark and guess that she’s not a Punjabi widow...
It's a great book! it has other interesting medical questions in it, like why does asparagus make your pee smell :) It's a whole series now. This is the first book, one of the authors is a medical doctor and the other is, well a writer :)
Load More Replies...Every foetus in the womb starts off as female. The Y chromosome doesn't kick in for about up to eight days. And one of the first body features to form are the nipples, as every mother needs them to breastfeed, but when the foetus changes sex, the nipples have already formed, so they stay. And that is why men have nipples.
I think they are just easing you in with this book, I am sure there are plenty of far more redundant parts of men's anatomy we can question..........
Checking voicemails, replying to emails, drafting up to-do lists, and checking in on your family and friends are just some of the things that you could do instead of mindlessly scrolling through your social media feeds and wishing you were anywhere but on the subway.
However, your commute back should be spent relaxing and reenergizing. One way to do this would be to get some much-needed sleep. Just make sure to keep your belongings close to you as you nap. And don’t miss your stop!
Listening to music and audiobooks or just plain letting your imagination roam free can also help you relax and feel more inspired. Of course, they might not be a substitute for grabbing a strange book and smiling to yourself as others take photos to share with their friends.
Step 1; Do not read these kind of books in public while looking for a female.
The "tactical" guide! Lmao i just think that's hilarious!!! :)
As I scrolled down, it ended up showing just the top half of the other thing he is holding and it looked like a condom.
Is this a series? That would be interesting. White... but which whites? Americans are mentally leagues different than western, southern and eastern europeans. And then he could do Asian, blacks, south americans too. Interesting read that would be.
There is a black man on the cover. Maybe it is telling us something...
A bit of PMV will sort it right out.........(Positive Mental Visualisation)
everything is f**ked, everything is cool when your part of the team
I love seeing a masculine gender expressed person so publically respecting the wants and needs of women
Maybe he read the "Tactical guide to women" first, and this is one of the tactics
Load More Replies...This should be required reading in all high schools
Load More Replies...Looks like a guy reading about how to please a woman. Wtf is this argument about? It's clearly a man. A woman already knows
If this is a book about pleasing a woman sexually, I can't think of a more clever title.
Would be great book for conservatives but they most likely wouldn't read that
On top off her still-to-read list: 'Ranch Dressing and Lobotomy', 'Tartar Sauce and Hysterectomy' and 'Eggs Benedict and Esophagogastroduodenoscopy'.
Don't tell the military but it seems someone has weaponised Hummus, stay away from my taramasalata!
My mom reads those kinda books. They have the BEST titles, like; Assaulted Caramel, Batter Off Dead, Live And Let Pie, Freezer I'll Shoot... etc 😅
Update: She just got a new one titled "Nothing Bundt Trouble"
Load More Replies...A book for the game? Yes, there is a Dream Daddy game in which you play a gay man who is a single dad looking for love.
Oh my gods, is that the strategy guide for this game? A+ game, btw, very entertaining if you figure out a certain easter egg
It looks like it might be a comic book, not a strategy guide.
Load More Replies...A comic to accompany a game called "Dream Daddy", where a single windowed dad is trying to find love again.
Oh, that's a dating simulator where you are presented with different single dads ! You can get it in the Apple App store lmao
Many of those positions are hard to do if you are not either super strong, a gymnast, or have a partner that weighs over 100lbs.
Just imagine there is a floor under man's back.
Load More Replies...Even though I'm a woman, since reading Broken Bananah, a position like the one on the cover would rack my nerves.
I went whole foods plant based 8 weeks ago, so this book is on my Christmas List.
step one, dont die. step 2 dont die. step 3 dont die * repeats on every page*step 395, do not die. THE ENDDD
My grandma has this book...It's (dissapointingly) about how to eat healthy
I read this and now Im the head russian mafia boss. 10;/10 would recommend if I didn't use my drug money the buy all the books
This book is pretty interesting if you're a low key bio nerd 10/10 recommended. And great book to have in the guest bathroom. That way people are not stuck reading the ingredients of the hand soap
I suppose it's about color and such... I don't get people making fun of that. It can tell you something about your health.
Load More Replies...and then, bidet! i wonder HOW most of the ppl around the world dont wash their but with water and soap
Load More Replies...Oh gods I made a chart when I was 4 to classify all my poops
This book is great!!! Nonfiction about the adventures of an expat. So good!!!
Cannibalism fixes two problems, world hunger and over-population. Maybe we should consider?
Spell check took over and did it's own thing on my comment.
Load More Replies...Actually, when under stress the body releases hormones and chemicals to help deal. When the stress is prolonged or especially intense, those hormones and chemicals can cause a lot of damage
Load More Replies...I've read this book! It's fantastic. It's based on the field work a neuroscientist did on baboons. He talks about stress chemicals and their long/short term affects on us (and other animals as comparison). He's an absolutely wonderful scientists with some very interesting research.
No, they are eaten by Lions, I imagine that is moderately stressful :-)
The Acclaimed Guide to Stress. stress Related Disease, and Coping -- now revised and updated (try using google.com)
Load More Replies...My grandmother worked part time at a convenience store until she was nearly 80. Back then, they sold porn mags that were kept behind the counter. The men would have to tell her which one they wanted. Sometimes I'd visit her and it was hard to control my laughter when some guy would tell my little white haired granny that he wanted a copy of Mature M**f or Juggs.
Reading Ojo App | Students Factory A unique gaming App developed to inspire the reading habit through a competitive spirit. “OjO” as in Reading OjO refers to the eye which is keen to read. The motive of Reading OjO is to persuade every eye ready to read, read and read. Reading OjO is all about creating a fun habit through the convergence of Technology, Academics, Gamification and General Knowledge.
Is there a chapter where Moses holds up his "staff" causing the "sea" to part? Sorry couldn't resist this 🙈
Load More Replies...This is again a mostly medical book to cover things people are too embarrassed to ask but should know
I firmly believe, and taught my daughter, that you should as much about every part of your body as you are able to. You should also try to as aware as possible about the other genders' biology as well. You never know who you may have take care of or speak for.
Load More Replies...They do a version of this that's just an empty notebook. As far as I know, there isn't an actual printed version of this book - sadly.
Kudos to this guy for wanting to understand the female body and ejaculation. I bet he's a great lover ;-)
Mansplaining effing sucks. My male cousins would always mansplain to me. Now, I girlsplain to them.
Can't count the secondary wrecks I've seen while on the job. I understand your curiosity, but there are many accidents where I won't ever get the images out of my head. You're curiosity is my reality.
Is this another "tell all" book about the morbidly obese pathological lying vindictive narcissistic imbecile with the emotional maturity of a toddler (AKA tRump) and his administration?
Ugh. Didn't you make the exact same comment before? We get it. I don't like him either, but you don't have to bring it up in a totally unrelated place.
Load More Replies...It's not boredpanda that censored it, it's the OP of each image.
Load More Replies...Could be a swedish book. Slut means "the end" or "nothing left" here 😀. Oftens cause confusion for foreigners, esp as many shops advertise "Slut rea" and such.
Hey I wonder what that says? Too bad its blurred ;( guess I'll never know...
If only the title was also on the spine...then I would be able to tell...but titles don't go on the spines of books, so there's no reason it would be blurred, right?
Load More Replies...God, I hope it comes out before you finish the book. Or do you keep eating Lego until you 'build' up a tolerance???
I guess it'll take less time than getting rid of a light bulb... no?
This one was on the NYT Best Sellers list. It being read in public really shouldn't surprise anyone.
I have a Thought Experiment. What if there were two identical towns, everything, the people, their personalities, literally everything was identical, except for one thing; Race. Which town would you live in? Your Race or the other?
Hmm.... if everything else is identical, in a perfect world it wouldn't matter
Load More Replies...This has gotta be the first time you’ve earned an upvote from me. Keep up the good work.
Load More Replies...As an atheist I have to admit it's sometimes hard to keep all your different foods apart
Yes, I agree. But, his physicality makes it difficult for him to keep his legs together.
Load More Replies...Given all the sticky notes it may be something for a university class. There are plenty of courses on things like critical race theory, whiteness and race relations
Or a memoir of dating a whole lot of Mr. Rights, depending on where your preference lies.
Why wear gloves and then touch all your belongings, including your phone?? That always irritated me while seeing people shop. You're doing it wrong!!
Probably there is a subtitle. Huge Penis: How to be a d**k
Load More Replies...90% is talking about how cold it is but how it really isn't that cold to how cold it has been at other times.
Naah...90% of Minnesota's discussions are about why the Vikings are "better" than the Packers (they're not) and how the Twins are doing... They also discuss "tater tot hot dish" quite a bit. LOL I'm close to the MN border (WI).
Load More Replies...You betcha Dennis and Jonathan both pass the final examination.
I tried to read this, out of curiosity. It was a bunch of racist, misogynistic nonsensical garbage.
I have read that one, out of curiosity...nothing shoking in there.
This is not a viewpoint that everyone agrees with, as many bi / pan people feel that this invalidates their sexuality. While, as a whole, people are on a sexuality spectrum, many people feel that they are firmly on the "gay" or "straight" or whatever part of it. You're certainly right as far as a person being cpaable of helping someone to realise what their sexuality is, but the jury's out on whether the spectrum is interpersonal or intrapersonal.
Load More Replies...I've looked for that book but it can be hard to find. A lot of retailers will tell you it doesn't actually exist.
The Galactic Council's artsy fartsy book covers are getting a bit stupid.
It's not that big of a deal... fuggedaboutit! ;-)
Load More Replies...Ah yes! AML. The most boring CE there is...until you have to investigate it.
Now at #70 : We were on the verge of greatness. We were this close.
Load More Replies...The obvious question ... what is that patch of fur next to their hand?
Sssshhhh, you weren't supposed to see that they're hiding their werewolf features!
Load More Replies...Almost missed the bottom part "lessons learned being married to a porn star"
I would have had it not been for your comment.
Load More Replies...1: Donald Trump. 2: Andrew Wakefield. 3: Ingrid Newkirk. 4: Andrew Wilson.
Fun fact about Alabama, there is no reverse cowgirl because you don't turn your back on family.
That's actually an interesting book. It talks about jobs that are fundamentally useless to society, but exist because with the model of society we have, everybody must have a job, rather than a use.
Or jobs that are essential, but disgusting and/or humiliating to perform.
Load More Replies...No not really, but a potter's wheel and loads of clay might come in handy...
Load More Replies...What is it called and how does one get it? Asking for a friend.
What about Greek Gods? Norse Gods? Egyptian Gods?
Load More Replies...If you lived in my area you would understand. And please don't think in that previous sentence I was being snarky. Sometimes the written word doesn't come across the right way. They butcher the English language. The schools don't correct them because, "That's how their parents want them to talk."
Load More Replies...I feel like they stole this quote from me. I say this to my kids (with the bad word changed to crap) at least every 15 minutes.
Depends on your definition of "dead". There was a case in 2011 a Danish group of students drowned in an icy body of water. Their hearts were stopped for several hours. All seven of them revived. There are stories like this all over, where people we think are dead/should be dead, get up and resume their lives.
Interesting. I've heard of doctors lowering body temps to prolong a person's life during recovery.
Load More Replies...There was a dog that roamed my neighborhood years ago. He didn't belong to anyone. He liked laying in the middle of the road and would get up when you got near him. One morning on my way to work, the dog didn't get up. He did not move at all. I thought he was dead and was kind of sad. I called the county to come and get the dead dog off the road. When I got home from work, there he was, walking across the road. He was "Lazarus" from that day on. I miss that dog. If you didn't give him pets when you were near him, he'd bite your butt until you did. Good ole, Lazarus. He finally crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
Load More Replies...... let me tell you about Jesus our lord and savior. The Jehovah witness guide to knocking on the doors of strangers
And still needs to know how to have safe sex with his wife. Poor guy.
Load More Replies...oh, you clever clogs :) I see what you did there
Load More Replies...Not with the anti-white sentiments in the black community at the moment. Its a good way to become a racial target and/or scapegoat. its not THEIR precious baby that's doing wrong. You're just a racist white (lady) who hates blackness! Que the hue and cry. Bad and enabling parents are insufferable at the best of times, being white is just giving them an easy target to avoid blaming their own children and so besmirch their parenting job.
Load More Replies...Excerpts Chapter 3: how to flip the chair around backwards and 'rap' honestly with your students. Chapter 9: the complete guide to Coolio. Chapter 14: why you still can't say the n-word even when all your students are.
I don't wanna lose it for the next decade or so.;
Load More Replies...And it should be in the oval office. Maybe That Tango T%$# might read it.
Load More Replies...Sounds like a reference to the song "Say it Ain't So"
Load More Replies...This is what every alien slave owner says before his alien slave girls escape and kill him.
You can buy outrageous book covers to cover the real cover. People would rather think you are reading the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Clitoris than reading the new Twilight book. Others that are real are just there to generate interest like "Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs". Same thing happens with some academic essays I have seen. Just the shock value.
Load More Replies...There seems to be all sorts of books to every taste, and it's awesome! Though some of them can indeed raise a few eyebrows :)
There are places you can buy those silly book covers and put them on your own just to make people laugh. I love the idea.
They are just books with fun names, nothing to judge the humans reading them, I mean most books in here are fun science books, others are self help crap, then books about FEMINITY, and RACE should be read and spoken about but here we are trying to make fun of them.
When sitting at a laundromat, I have a true crime book titled SPOUSE KILLERS in big red metallic letters I would hold in front of my face. Nobody EVER bothers me . . .
You can buy outrageous book covers to cover the real cover. People would rather think you are reading the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Clitoris than reading the new Twilight book. Others that are real are just there to generate interest like "Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs". Same thing happens with some academic essays I have seen. Just the shock value.
Load More Replies...There seems to be all sorts of books to every taste, and it's awesome! Though some of them can indeed raise a few eyebrows :)
There are places you can buy those silly book covers and put them on your own just to make people laugh. I love the idea.
They are just books with fun names, nothing to judge the humans reading them, I mean most books in here are fun science books, others are self help crap, then books about FEMINITY, and RACE should be read and spoken about but here we are trying to make fun of them.
When sitting at a laundromat, I have a true crime book titled SPOUSE KILLERS in big red metallic letters I would hold in front of my face. Nobody EVER bothers me . . .
