DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am always looking to meet new people and make new friends. But for the last five years or so, I have noticed that people only want to talk about themselves -- their travels, home renovations, work, etc.

I understand that the favorite topic of conversation for most people is themselves, but what happened to a two-way conversation?

My own family, friends I haven’t seen in ages, and acquaintances alike only talk about themselves -- often in a pretentious manner. They never ask about me: what I’ve been doing, what my life is like, my opinion, etc. My partner has noticed the same thing, and even asked me why it keeps happening.

Even at one of my book clubs, the host spends most of the time talking about herself, not the book. At the last meeting, after I asked a question

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