Current reads

They say — or, at least, a lot of famous writers say — that to become a good writer, you should also read a lot.

This makes sense to me. I try to learn from whatever I’m reading — even if it’s ad copy in a magazine. Even if it’s from bad writing. At least I can learn how not to write an ad, a book, a short story.

No reading is ever wasted if you learn from it.

I read for pleasure but I also read to learn (which can also be pleasurable) and to understand the techniques and mechanics of whatever I’m reading.

I’ve taken this approach since journalism school, when I would scour newspaper stories and magazine articles for insights on how I could become a better reporter and writer. In those days, it mattered because I was planning to make a career out of reporting and writing. If I sucked, I wouldn’t be employed for long.

That habit continued through my PR and marketing career, when I’d read ad copy and press releases to figure out what worked and what didn’t.

These days, as I try to continuously improve as a writer of fiction (mainly), I train my analytical eye on any novel, essay, poem, short story, etc., and try to figure out what makes the plot work, what gives the characters life, how the words and paragraphs pull the story along, and how each metaphor, simile, description, vignette, and other literary trick contributes to the whole.

Last year was a good reading year for me, as I completed over 70 titles. (I include audiobooks in my list.) I plan to keep the momentum going this year. Here are the books I’m currently consuming (all fiction):

• The Bright Sword: A Novel of King Arthur, by Lev Grossman. I’ve never been much for sword-and-sorcery-style fantasy but love jut about anything to do with Arthurian legend. This novel, about the rag-tag remnant of Round Table knights who remain at Camelot after King Arthur’s death and the adventures they undertake, is a fun and well-written story. It also breaks me out of my comfort zone of reading more literary-style novels.
• Hello, Beautiful, by Ann Napolitano. Despite it being an Oprah’s Book Club pick and a New York Times bestseller, I first learned about this novel via a podcast called The Writer Files. After listening to the episode that featured Napolitano, I found that the audio version of this book was available through Libby, the library app, and downloaded it to have a listen. The story of an Italian-American family of four sisters whose lives intersect with a WASP loner man is apparently a modern homage to Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, which I’ve never read so I’ll have to take the reviewers’ word for it. It’s an enjoyable listen, and again, like The Bright Sword, not the usual fare. But the author interview sold me on it.
• A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller Jr. This classic satirical sci-fi novel has been on my to-read list for a while. The story is set in a post-nuclear war wasteland. In the deserts of the American west, a humble monk from the Holy Order of St. Leibowitz stumbles across some artefacts, including a note that appears to have been written by Leibowitz himself. What follows is a journey across the centuries to validate the artefacts as holy relics and the possible beatification of Leibowitz. It’s an interesting blend of sci-fi, theology, and history that raises many interesting questions. I’m not yet sure where it’s headed.

In addition, I’m also trying to read the occasional short story from some of the many online literary magazines out there.

What’s on your reading list?

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