Happy weekend, Kossacks.
I love books. I love to read. I love to hear what people have read lately, how it made them feel, how it inspired them and if it lead to any other reading.
One thing that identifies us as progressives is that we are open minded. Does openmindedness lead to reading, or does reading lead to openmindedness? Chicken or egg?
So, what have you read lately?
(continued...)
I'm on a Stephen King kick just now. I've already read all of his books, but occasionally, I pull out a few to re-read. I don't do that with every author. King, Terry Pratchett, Umberto Eco, Salman Rushdie, Douglas Adams, Stephen Baxter, Steinbeck. Yeah, pretty eclectic.
Do you have authors or books that you will reread? Or is once over enough for you?
I love to read. I read anywhere from three to six books a week. It's an expensive habit, and a dirty one. I've got stacks of books everywhere. Once a year, I sort them out for a book sale that benefits a scholarship fund, and of course, I bring almost as many home from the same sale as the number I donated.
How much do you read? Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction?
The best book I've read lately is "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" by Michael Chabon. It won a pulitzer, and it deserved it most richly. If you haven't read it, you should do so. It's poignant, thought provoking, and delicious.
What books would you recommend to others?
I also love Bill Bryson's travel books. I recently finished "A Walk in the Woods", after becoming enamoured of Bryson reading "In a Sunburned Country", his book on Australia. The guy is witty, snarky, funny, and smart as hell.
What's your favorite kind of non-fiction?
I'm a science fiction junkie. Hard sci-fi, not fantasy. The only fantasy I like is Terry Pratchett, because it's so damn funny. I love his books. I do like Neil Gaiman's books too, even though they verge on fantasy sometimes. American Gods was an incredible book, one of my top ten of all time. I fell in love with Heinlein at an early age, have always loved Bradbury, and devoured Clarke, Asimov, Niven, and Baxter ravenously. If it has bad science, I'm quickly disillusioned. I don't always notice the bad science, though, because I'm not a scientist, so if its halfway plausible, I'm ok with it.
What's your favorite fiction genre?