What I’m Reading

How I read

How I read has changed significantly since I got a Kindle. A majority of my reading used to be experienced via audiobook on my iPod, because I spend a lot of time walking. However, audiobooks take a long time, and I have a long backlog of books to read. I now do most of my reading on my Kindle, generally while walking on my commute to and from work, and on the one-hour lunch walk I try to take most days. I fully expect that I will meet my untimely death this way, either hit by a bus or dropping down an open manhole [oh, sweet irony!] and I do not recommend this practice – though it does allow me to read quite a lot.

You’ll notice I tend to read a lot of books at once, which is not so much by choice as by short attention span.  I don’t recommend it.  Some of those books, especially those of the paper variety, will remain on my “Currently reading” list for several years as I periodically pick them up, only to lose interest or misplace them.

On Supporting Your Local Indy Book Seller

While an e-reader has enormous advantages for me personally, one sad thing about switching is that I am supporting an enormous corporate monster that doesn’t pay its fair share of sales tax, instead of my local independent book stores. Indy book stores are under-appreciated treasures. I try to make a few purchases a year, at least, and I would ask you to do the same. In Philadelphia, I heartily recommend The Book Trader, on second street a half block north of Market, and Giovanni’s  Room at 12th and Pine Streets in the Gayborhood.

Books I’m currently reading:

Neal Stephenson, Reamde

George R. R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Sir James George Frazer, The Golden Bough (Been “reading” for about twenty years, and expect to be for twenty more)

Frank Herbert, Dune (I’m rereading this classic after about 15 years)

Stephen King, Under the Dome

Orson Scott Card, Hart’s Hope

Books I’ve recently finished:

George R. R. Martin, A Feast for Crows

James Curcio, Fallen Nation: Party at the World’s End

George R. R. Martin, A Storm of Swords (This book is so long I swear it makes my Kindle heavier)

David M Haendler, The Shattergrave Knights (a new fantasy novel by a personal friend!)

Neil Gaiman, American Gods

Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, 1942-Present

George R. R. Martin, A Clash of Kings

H.P. Lovecraft, The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath (I admit, I gave up before I got all the way through.)

William Gibson, Neuromancer

Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (finished the whole trilogy, in about three days)

Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel

Stephen King, ‘Salem’s Lot

Stephen King, Danse Macabre

Christopher Ryan and Cathilda Jethá, Sex at Dawn (I HIGHLY recommend)

Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club

Robert Jordan, The Eye of the World

Michael Chabon, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh

Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

Neil Stephenson, Cryptonomicon

Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men

Neil Stephenson, The Diamond Age, A Young Girls’ Illustrated Primer

George R. R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

Stephen King, On Writing (reread)

Richard Morgan, Thirteen

Terry Brooks, The Sword of Shannara

Daniel Abraham, Gardner Dozois and George R. R. Martin, Hunter’s Run

Dan Brown, Angels and Demons

Chuck Palahniuk, Rant

Terry Goodkind, Wizard’s First Rule

Neil Stephenson, Anathem

Cormac McCarthy, The Road