Tough Questions with Irresponsible Reader
After years of trying not to be too weird during interviews, I’ve given up and decided to go ahead and embrace my oddness. In a series of offbeat interviews, I’m attempting to ask the tough questions (of course, my definition of “tough” might differ from yours).
Joining me is my latest vict- I mean, guest, Irresponsible Reader . Irresponsible Reader’s excellent blog is responsible in large part for the utter lack of progress on my to be read pile. Give him a follow!
WS: “If you ate cheese on the moon, what type of cheese would it be and what book would you read while there?”
IR: “You wasted this question on me—I’m going to give the least interesting answer. I had a roommate in college who frequently quoted the old Chesteron line, ““Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.” You know who else is silent on it? Me. I’m just not a cheese guy. I’m not anti-cheese or anything, it’s just not a thing I enjoy in an of itself. If I talk about the cheese in some dish I’m eating it will only be to say that there’s too much of it. Mostly, I don’t even think about it.
But, if I had to be snacking on a fermented curd whilst on Earth’s satellite, it’d be cheddar. (at least it’s slightly more interesting than American, right?).
What would I be reading? It’d have to be Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac (translated by Anthony Burgess). Reading Act III while actually on the moon would be fun.
Also, I just really need to make time to re-read that play. Been too long.”
WS: “What is something that you’re proud of but never have a chance to brag about?”
IR: “I honestly hope I don’t brag all that much. (and I’ll pause here for people to fill up the comments with examples of me doing so).
I can’t even come up with a joke answer to this one. So let’s move on to the next, shall we?
WS: “If you had to change your blog name to incorporate your favorite food somehow, what would your new blog name be?”
IR: “It was hard enough coming up with the name I did! Another name?
Um…some options.
Pizza and Prose? (actually, not bad, but that seems too easy)
Books and Burgers? eh…not crazy about that.
Whisky and Wri(ting)—not actually a food, but…
Fiction Vindaloo—I could actually see this working
Read Lines—if I could find a licoricy-looking font/logo”
*WS’s favorite is Fiction Vindaloo
WS: “If you chose a book character with whom to shout a “barbaric yawp”, which character would you choose?”
IR: “Washington Poe (from M.W. Craven’s series) and Rohan (from J.C.M. Berne’s Hybrid Helix) could probably yawp with the best of them. Bubba Rugowski (from Dennis Lehane’s Kenzie/Gennaro books) definitely could handle the barbaric bit. Dorn, the Barbarian (from Ewington’s The Hero Interviews ) would be fun to try with, but that seems a tad on the nose. Deet, the [EXPLETIVE] droid from Joe Zieja’s Epic Failure series would be a hoot. (if you haven’t read these, the suggestions won’t work).
At the end of the day, however, I’m going to have to go with Harry Dresden’s Mouse, Atticus O’Sullivan’s Oberon, or Bernie Little’s Chet. Who better than a dog to go sounding a yawp with? Chet would be a lot of fun because I know he’d really get into it—then he’d forget he was yawping/howling and get distracted by the sound—or would try to compete. Either way, I’d end up laughing too much to be all that barbaric.”
WS: “Imagine you’ve just written a memoir (congratulations)! What is the title?”
IR: “As if anyone would be that desperate for something to read…even people like us have to draw the line somewhere… My daughter insists that I’ve already used the good name for me in The Irresponsible Reader . Don’t Worry about Me, I Brought a Book or That Reminds Me of Something I Read come to mind (but you’re supposed to throw out the first five ideas you have, so scratch all of those). It doesn’t have to be book/reading-centric you say? Yeah, that doesn’t help at all, what else would I talk about? Oh, here’s the fifth to throw out, Like Words Through an Hour-Glass: These are the Books of My Life . (worthy of being thrown out no matter how many ideas I came up with).
I think I’d have to go with (for posthumous publication): So Long, and Thanks for All the Books .”
WS: “Let’s talk about your blog! What are your favorite genres to read?”
IR: “I think this would’ve been a one paragraph answer if I’d responded to these questions in a timely fashion. But, I’ve been doing some naval gazing lately.
It almost depends on the day—or whatever I’m reading. The numbers say Mystery/Detective/Thriller is my favorite, with SF/Fantasy/Urban Fantasy battling it out for second place.
I think it’s likely that my favorite to read fall under the umbrella of “General Fiction” with a comedic bent—authors like Jonathan Tropper, Abbi Waxman, Nick Hornby, Rainbow Rowell, Matthew Hanover, Fredrik Backman, Jennifer Weiner, Ian Shane, Wesley Parker, and so on. When I was reading Waxman’s latest recently, I felt another layer of contentment and pleasure than I normally do—and after thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that those are my favorite to read (although the ones I listed above might be more satisfying as novels). I’d get burnt out if I read a steady diet of them—I get finicky about those and can’t read too many near each other or I get super critical.
So that’s what gets me to Mystery/Detective/Thriller and Urban Fantasy (so much of which is really just Detective novels with magic and monsters).”
WS: “What immediately draws you to a book?”
IR: “The author’s voice. I will read the dumbest plots with the worst character’s if I get into the voice. Humbert Humbert, not someone I typically align myself with, noted that, “You can always count on a murderer for a fancy prose style.” But sadly, I’d probably get suckered by a murderer’s style.
I’ve tried to write up a full-length post (or a really long one—or even a series of them) along these lines, but I haven’t pulled it off yet. But I will forgive— instantly —the worst clichés, the most overused tropes, the dumbest plots, and the least appealing characters if the author will wow me with their voice.
Another thing I’ll forgive because of a voice is the longest gap between books in a series, I note waving in a vaguely Rothfussian, Lychian, Butcherish direction.”
WS: “What is your favorite kind of blog content to write?”
IR: “Long-winded? Yeah, that’s safe to say.
A post about a book that I’m 1. Excited about and 2. Have a lot to say about. Nothing is worse than being excited about a book and then floundering for days/weeks to talk about it.
Posts where I can talk about several books at once—either in a list or just talking about a genre, theme, etc. really are a blast to write. Although I usually get paralyzed by a perfectionistic impulse and never finish the draft/or post them. I think I’d like to be Crime Fiction’s answer Peat Long—I love his think pieces.”
WS: “What is a recently discovered book or author that you love?”
IR: “I haven’t found the time to talk about Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed. It’s an Egyptian Urban Fantasy graphic novel, originally published in Arabic. The worldbuilding is fantastic, the magic system (and its depiction in the art) is even better, and the story is a knock-out. I’m cutting myself off now, because I could easily turn this answer into 1,500 words without much effort.”
WS: “What book are you excited to read this year?”
IR: “M.W. Craven’s The Mercy Chair probably leads the pack. Craven knocks me for a loop every time I read him, and the way he’s been talking about this book for the last couple of years has me more eager than usual.
I’m probably most looking forward to the book that I’m going to come across in the next 6 months and chance that I don’t know is going to blow me away. I probably don’t even know right now that it even exists (or will be published soon).”
