Lynsey at Dressed to Chill stole this from someone and tagged me, so I’m stealing it from her.
RULES
1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of your favorite book cover.
3. Answer the questions below.
4. Tag a few people to pass the Q&A on to.
My favorite book cover:
The cover of No Logo by Naomi Klein is minimalistic and perfect for the subject matter.
What are you reading right now?
Divergent by Veronica Roth. Young adult dystopia in the Hunger Games mold.
Do you have any idea what you’ll ready when you’re done with that?
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. Been wanting to tackle more science fiction works from the likes of Stephenson, Philip K. Dick, Isaac Asimov, William Gibson, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, Edgard Rice Burroughs, etc.
What 5 books have you always wanted to read but haven’t got around to?
1. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
2. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
3. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
4. Neuromancer by William Gibson
5. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
What magazines do you have in your bathroom/lounge right now?
None at the moment, but whenever a new issue of The Big Takeover comes out, I always make a point of tracking it down. Best music magazine on the planet, hands down.
What’s the worst book you’ve ever read?
In Other Words by Anthony DeCurtis. Just boring.
What book seems really popular but you actually hated?
I haven’t read enough popular books to qualify a choice for this one.
What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?
The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists by Neil Strauss. Well, okay, maybe not everyone, but I have recommended this book on multiple occasions simply because it’s such a fun and fascinating read.
What are your 3 favorite poems?
Oh, dear lord. I don’t read much poetry, so these are probably going to be lame.
1. “If” by Rudyard Kipling
2. “Maud Miller” by John Greenleaf Whittier
3. “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
Where do you usually get your books?
Library.
Where do you usually read your books?
In bed, before going to sleep. Try to get a good half-hour to forty-five minutes of reading in every night, although I have taken books on certain vacations, but I usually end up reading less than anticipated.
When you were little, did you have any particular reading habits?
I had zero reading habits as a child. I struggled throught most reading assignments in elementary and high school. It wasn’t until college I started picking up books on my own, and after college when I started reading for pure enjoyment, entertainment and self-education.
What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?
Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge by Mark Yarm. Partly because I was cramming to interview the author for my podcast, and partly because the stories were so damn interesting.
Have you ever “faked” reading a book?
How do you think I got through grade school?
Have you ever bought a book just because you liked the cover?
I can’t say I’m that sort of shopper. Nor have I ever bought an album because of the cover artwork.
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
I honestly don’t recall having one.
What book changed your life?
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser. Since I read this book in 2005, I haven’t consumed a McDonald’s or Burger King hamburger since. It literally changed the way I eat.
What is your favorite passage from a book?
From the poetry book Coke Machine Glow by Gordon Downie, lead singer of The Tragically Hip
We’re not hobbyists
or dabblers any more
we’re hardcore
hardcore
we’re hardcore
Who are your top five favorite authors?
1. Thomas Frank
2. Chuck Klosterman
3. Noam Chomsky
4. Dan Savage
5. Philip K. Dick (I have, in fact, read very litte of his printed work. However, I am a huge fan of the movies made from his works, that’s why I’m including him).
What book has no one heard about but should read?
Hitless Wonder: A Life in Minor League Rock and Roll by Joe Oestreich. Here’s why…
What are your favorite books by a first-time author?
This is a tough one because I feel like choosing an autobiography is cheating. I’m going with my top author choice, The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism by Thomas Frank.
What 3 books are you an “evangelist” for?
1. Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion Of Freedom by Conrad Black. The most comprehensive and detailed history of the most important world leader of the 20th century.
2. A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn. History is told by the victors, whether it be war, economics, whatever. This book looks at American history from the “bottom-up.”
3. Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation by Jeff Chang
What is your favorite classic book?
Really, for classic books it’s a toss-up between two books by the same author. Instead of Nineteen Eighty-Four, I’m going with Animal Farm by George Orwell.