what are you reading now
I'm halfway through Moonwalking With Einstein, a book about a guy who tries to win the United States Memory Championship. Some fascinating stuff about how our brains retain information--my next project is about that, so it's been a perfect read.
classic you’ve been meaning to read
Never read any Umberto Eco. I feel as if I should?
last book you finished in a single sitting
I read The Year of Magical Thinking each year in one sitting, usually while on a plane (for maximum effect). Reading about death and coping while being crammed into a weirdly sterile space 30,000 feet in the air is an otherworldly experience.
book you borrowed and never returned
I borrowed a copy of Very Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark when I was in middle school. I'm usually pretty good about getting books back to people. At least, I think.
if you could take a cross-country road trip with any literary character
All of the Michael Martones in Michael Martone by Michael Martone.
book you would like to see made into a video game
Jesus, did you ask the right person this question? So many. I mean, The Iliad/The Odyssey/The Aeneid is an obvious choice and I can't believe we haven't done that yet. A very strange action/bend. I think an RPG of Murakami's Hardboiled Wonderland and The End of the World would be spectacular--dual worlds, lots of weird creepy things, sewers, etc. All of Murakami's books would be good RPGs/Shadowgate-esque games. A slow-moving Ico-esque 1984 could be terrifying.
book you’ve planted on a coffee table to impress someone
At my old house my roommate had a book of Banksy that I would pretend to know a great deal about when we had company over.
if you could subscribe to only one literary journal
Just one? I'd have to go with Ninth Letter. Gorgeous design and the writing is always innovative and fun, with a lot of great writers; both established and new.
best thing you’ve read online recently
The Masked Man/aka David Shoemaker has a Dead Wrestler of the Week column on Deadspin. It's some of the best nonfiction writing you'll read.
most anticipated upcoming release
Very much looking forward to Michael J. Lee's Something in My Eye.
recommended reading list:
Books You Should Never Read at the Bar While Your Friends Are Dancing But You Refuse to Dance
- Epileptic by David B.
- The Changeling by Joy Williams
- Shattered Sonnets, Love Cards, and Other Off and Back Handed Importunities by Olena Kalytiak Davis
- My Happy Life by Lydia Millet
- Ray by Barry Hannah
- House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
- Chimera by John Barth
