In my recent (and first and only so far) interview I was asked what am I reading right now. The question threw me at first. As an editor I’m in a constant state of reading. Then there’s the reading (research) I do for my writing. The number of books that fall in that category are dozens at any one time. But what about reading for pleasure? In many ways the submissions and research are very pleasurable, albeit with a purpose. The more I thought about the question the more I realized I don’t do a lot of reading just for pure enjoyment. Much of that has been supplanted by my writing. I think it’s a fair trade, and I do still find a way to fit in my favorite authors. I’ve been debating about trying Kindle or some other form of e-reader, but thus far I’ve resisted the urge. I don’t think this is a technological issue. For that matter, I’m not sure it’s an issue at all, but the question did get me thinking.
What are you reading?
May 06, 2008
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This is something I struggle with all the time. It’s not that I don’t read, but that most of the fiction I read these days is in the form of manuscripts as a beta reader for my friends. Before I left the evil day job I made a point of bringing a book to read at lunch everyday, but those books were things I could easily put down and pick up again. Airplane books is how I think of them.
I read research books and material online. I read lots and lots of science magazines, both online and paper copies. But I don’t remember the last time I spent a day on the couch lost in a novel. The choice became spend that time on writing or spend it on reading. So I write.