my first reading memory
I loved the book The Berenstein Bears by Stan and Jan Berenstein. There was a book that detailed how the young bears built their treehouses. I read it over and over again.
My favorite book growing up
I've always loved nonfiction, especially manuals, as much as fiction. There was a book I don't remember what it was called, but it was about rescuing injured animals and nursing them back to health, and I borrowed it from the library once a week for several years. I prayed that I would find and save my injured forest animal. I've never done it, but that's no different.
The book that changed me as a teenager
When I was about 12 years old, I read a book called “The Lies My Teacher Told Me'' by James Loewen and it shocked me. This was my first time learning about the colonization of the Americas, and there were many scary things that happened.
Authors who changed my mind
I didn't know how to write a story until I read Robert McKee's “Story'' and Blake Snyder's “Save the Cat!'' And the story behind Dara Marks. Stories are ideas about how to live. That's why we've always told stories. I used to think they were just a distraction.
The book that made me want to become a writer
Definitely a Roald Dahl, Lemony Snicket, pen name Bosch, Astrid Lindgren book. These are all things I loved as a child and have returned to for inspiration as an adult. All of these writers have very strong voices and are doing things with words that I never thought possible. They made me think, “Oh, I wish I could write like that too.”
Returned book or author
I was supposed to read Shakespeare's King Lear in college, but I don't think I've finished it yet. I recently picked up this film again after watching Succession. I didn't expect it to be this interesting.
a book I reread
The Wise Child by Monica Furlong is a children's novel about a young girl orphaned in medieval Scotland who is adopted by a town witch who practices herbal medicine. I read this book when I'm feeling stressed because I like to imagine drying herbs in medieval Scotland. I first read this book when I was a student, before cell phones existed, and now I see it as an antidote to technology. It's nice to remember when my mind was clear, my alertness was great, and the world was slow and delicious.
A book I could never read again
“The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” by Kate DiCamillo. This is a middle grade book about a mentally immature stuffed rabbit who loses everything but gains his soul. I cried so much that I almost threw up while reading it. This is the most beautiful book I have ever read and I would like to read it again, but I don't have the energy to feel it again.
A book I discovered later in life
I had never heard of Muriel Spark's The Prime of Miss Jean Brody until my friend, writer and performer Jen Spira, recommended it to me when I was in my mid-twenties.
the book i'm reading now
Tatiana Schlossberg on “inconspicuous consumption” and raising awareness of carbon dioxide. I found it in the laundry room of the building I live in. All sorts of books were left there for people to take with them. The day I discovered Schlossberg's book, I discovered many publications on environmental protection. It was a jackpot day.
my comfortable reading
I find Yuval Noah Harari's books strangely comforting. The Drunkard's Walk by Leonard Mlodinow is also a great book about how randomness rules our lives. Perfect for when it's too late. I read that and thought, “Well, it's all random anyway.” I'm doing my best and that's all I can do. ”
