I need something to read

Most of my life I wasn’t a reader. In high school, the assigned reading never seemed all that interesting to me and reading it just never caught on. In college, as an engineering student I didn’t feel like putting my free time towards anything resembling a book. It was very much bike before books. Then, several years ago, while we were still living in Austin, my wife’s aunt sent around an email survey asking about the books we’d read in the past year. “Hmmm,” I thought, “perhaps I’ll just put down what I wish I’d read?”

So, out of guilt and shame, I started reading. It’s a good thing I did. As the years went by, I really appreciated how fun it was to fill my mind with a good book as a way to escape the stress of the day. Now I’m hooked.

Of course, there is a problem. Since I haven’t always been much of a reader, I’m terrible at knowing where to find my next book. I find an author I enjoy, and then read too many of their books until uncovering the formula of their genius starts to diminish the enjoyment. Examples: see Carl Hiaasen and Tony Hillerman. Great fun, but I know what’s going to happen- more or less (Although, Hiaasen did break some of his own formulae in Nature Girl).

Right now, I am on a self imposed ban on books written by authors named “Neil.” In the past year or so, I’ve read 2 books by Neil Stephenson (Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash) and 3 books by Neil Gaiman (American Gods, Anasi Boys*, and Stardust). I need something different. There are a couple of books by both of those authors that are on my list to read, but I don’t want to do to them what I‘ve done to Hiaasen and Hillerman (and the “Neil” tie-in makes a great conversation starter at parties).

So, if anyone is out there, please give me some suggestions on books to read. I’m open to almost anything. I’ve recently enjoyed books as disparate in genre as Lonesome Dove, Odd Thomas, Something Rising, The Time Machine, Harry Potter VII - Whatever, Hounds of the Baskervilles, Kitchen Confidential, and You Suck. I even waded through a book that had me constantly complaining about how poorly it was written: Subterranean by James Rollins, just because it was there on my phone. Yes, on my phone. In addition to the more conventional books on paper, I really enjoy listening to books on my iPod and learned to read from my phone to avoid carrying a 1200+ page paperback on a trip to Europe. So, any media will be accepted, even comics if someone can make the slightest case I’ll enjoy it.

If I can avoid all works by authors named Neil, I only need a few books to get me through to January. On January 8th, I will be reading the long awaited Firefly Rain, by Richard Dansky. This will be the first time I’ll be able to read a book by someone I actually know. I can’t wait to buy him a beer in exchange for signing my copy.

Friends have been the best source of reading lists, and I look forward to more.

It’s delurking week, so say something. Thanks.

*If you haven’t read Anasi Boys, or even if you have, get the unabridged audio book read by Lenny Henry. I really can’t begin to say how much he added to the book.