This paper analyzes the selection procedure for bedside books by readers, be they male or female. Gendered practices can be observed in relation to these most cherished books, first when they are chosen, but also when they provide emotions, a fact that can be assumed or denied. The identification process of the readers with the main character of the book frequently concerns that which is of the same gender as the reader. Still, more occasionally the selection process can take the form of a gender transgression, but this concerns women rather than men, thus revealing the gendered processes.