You read a wide variety of stuff (manga, history, middle grade mysteries, Wilkie Collins!). How do you decide what to read next from your TBR pile?
I tend to flip back and forth between fiction and non-fiction, while continuously reading comics, so I tend to decide by staring at the books on my bookcases until something strikes me. I feel like it’s often less of a rational decision than an internal urge for a certain genre or author, but I’m often circling my bookcases for a while before I commit. I also have to carry the books everywhere (I have a long commute and no car) so weight often factors in as well.
What’s most important to your enjoyment of a book: characters, plot, writing, other?
I think for fiction the most important thing for me is feeling transported and that the world and characters are fully realized. For non-fiction I like a lot of examples and for it to read more like a narrative (it’s for this reason that I read almost no military history, I find it too dry. I also have no real interest in science/natural history). My main thrust in my reading is probably my interest in people, so anything that gets the human experience across really clearly to me is something I’m probably going to enjoy. Also, I have a strong visual imagination so I need to be able to picture what I’m reading, and if the narrative isn’t conducive to that or looks too boring in my mind I won’t read it.
What fictional character would you most like to hang out with?
Chrestomanci!!! My enormous life-long crush on Chrestomanci can be seen from space haha — I’d like to hang out with him if I was married to him. He would be too intimidating to hang out with randomly. As a friend probably Momiji from Fruits Basket, he seems like he’d be a nice person to have in your life. I’m shy so his outgoing nature would be a good counterbalance.
What’s your favorite fair food?
Probably cotton candy or a straight forward hotdog and lemonade. I’m allergic to dairy so a lot of good fair food is off limits for me, sadly. If they have sorbet I do love that but most fairs are just going to have ice cream.
Now that you’ve learned all about GentleRain, head over and see what he’s been reading lately. Or meet other Cannonballers we’ve interviewed recently.
