{Book Tag #1} NY Times By The Book

I thought I'd start this blog with a glimpse into my bookish mind.

1. What book is on your night stand now?

Waaay too many. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Apollo's Angels, The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery The Lives of the Surrealists by Desmond Morris, Food Explorer, and Becoming by Michelle Obama. Also, my "night stand" only holds my lamp and tea mug, so the books featured here rest mostly on the floor or on the bed. (Yes, I sleep with books.)

2. What was the last truly great book you read?

Utopia for Realists! I finished this a couple of days ago and have been pushing it on everyone's hands. It was personally impactful as it addressed many of my anxieties about society and current affairs, and offered interesting solutions I didn't even know were on the table. Most importantly, it backs everything with data and makes it all breezy to read. Spoiler alert: it argues for universal basic income and open borders.

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3. If you could meet any writer – dead or alive – who would it be? And what would you want to know?

Oscar Wilde, no contest. I mean, there are many others (Ali Smith, Dorothy Parker, Jane Austen, Joan Didion, David Foster Wallace, Gabriel García Márquez, Nelly Bly, Gabriela Mistral), but there's nobody I'd like to hear talk more than my dude Oscar. Mostly, I would want him to know how much of an impact he is going to have on culture worldwide. I think it would please him immensely. Other than that, I feel such a sense of kinship with him (and know so much about him already) that I'd just want the conversation to flow. 

4. What books might we be surprised to find on your shelves?

I was once told at a bookstall check-out counter that they couldn't believe all those books were for me, they were that all over the place. In that sense, I think you should never be surprised by anything on my shelves. Even so, Alex Adventures in Numberland, Lost in Math and the collected works of Nikola Tesla might be unexpected. 

5. How do you organize your personal library.

My library-library, a luxury I share with my dad, is organized by theme, edition and alphabetical order. My home library on the other hand... is just a mess. Some shelves make sense, but otherwise... nah.

6. What book have you always meant to read and haven’t gotten around yet? Anything you feel embarrassed never to have read?

Only clichés: Moby Dick, all I have left by Jane Austen and Fitzgerald, and In Search of Lost Time. I don't feel embarrassment per se, but considering how long I've owned the actual books, I should've gotten to them already. 

7. Disappointing, overrated, just not good: what book did you feel you are supposed to like but didn’t? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. It's a book I haven't quite dnf-ed yet but I'm seriously thinking about it. I hoped for great writing but I found it almost unreadable. The plot is interesting, though, which is the reason I might return to it, but as this is heralded as Waters' best, I would say she's heavily overrated.

8. What kind of stories are you drawn to? Any you stay clear of?

Urban stories with poignant commentary, either on individuals or social circles. I'm not into war stories in general, though there are some exceptions. Things overly romantic or shallowly fluffy are not up my alley, but I'll take joy if it feels earned! 

9. If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be?

Utopia for Realists, probably. This makes more sense if you know what's going on in Chile. Something's gotta give. And soon. 

10. What do you plan to read next?

Because Internet!