Ah, it's a bug. Now I feel less stupid for not figuring ot out :)
I'd love to help but unfortunately there isn't much to report. I started the game, pressed E on the bookshelf and got stuck there, no matter what key I pressed or where I clicked. I could click the textbox above, but for every 10 - 20 keys I pressed, only one got entered.
Judging from the other comments it only seems to happen to me so I'll refrain from voting.
