Saturday, September 5, 2026
My five Ws of reading
WHO – An author you would love to have a ‘one to one’ with?
The author who comes to mind is Corey Doctorow. I mostly like his science fiction and I resonate with his essays on modern technology. My main fear is that I would not be able to hold my own, and he would soon be bored. The only well-known author I have spoken to was Timothy Findley, and I do believe he was bored though too polite to say so. I once exchanged emails with Andy Weir, who somehow seemed like just a regular guy.
WHAT – What genre do you most gravitate to?
If you go by sheer volume, the answer would have to be science fiction. But it’s the realm of speculative fiction that has the most power to pull me in. I’m fascinated by books like Piranesi, The Memory Police and The Other Valley. They take me to an impossible place and make me believe it’s real.
WHERE – Where do you prefer to read?
I mostly like to lounge on the couch and it needs to be quiet.
WHEN – What time of day do you prefer to read?
It seems to happen more in the afternoon and evening. It’s almost like I have to work my way up to reading because it feels like a commitment.
WHY – Why is your favourite book your favourite book?
I appreciate the way The Lord of the Rings takes me into another world complete with its own history, languages and peoples. It’s an epic where good wins but at a cost. That would be the one book I would take to a desert island because I would never tire of reading it.
BONUS — How do you go about selecting what you will read next?
I follow a lot of RSS feeds about books or where books are likely to be mentioned. If one of them catches my interest, I see if it’s in Libby and go from there. I’ve been gravitating toward Canadian writers because I like the feeling of stories in familiar places involving familiar people. Here are a bunch I have read in recent years.
Other posts on this theme
More posts in the Books category
