The clarion call has sounded. So, what goes through your mind when choosing reading material, gang?

El Bicho:

What will I read next? It’s much like deciding on what to eat. Although I am not studied in the field of cognitive neuroscience, it seems to be nothing more than random firings of the synapses shaped by past experiences and reflective moments because I don’t know why I choose what I choose. Why do I like salami and mustard on rye better than baloney and mayonnaise on white bread? Of course, the thought of the latter makes me nauseous, but that’s purely subjective. They don’t taste bad categorically as many people’s lunch sacks can attest to.

Like most of my decisions, the impulse of what sounds good at the moment is the main factor. A throw of the dice hoping an author will entertain me. I don’t always go in completely blind, though. My decisions are partially shaped by opinions of friends and reviewers I respect, discussions on chat shows, and write-ups on the dust jackets.

By “entertain,” I don’t mean solely appealing to base pleasures. I am more than happy to read a book that teaches me a thing or two or makes me think differently about a subject. I read history books and non-fiction, criticisms of art and artists, but in the
end the most important thing a book has to accomplish is it needs to make me want to see what’s on the next page. That can range from something as simple as an old Spider-Man comic to being as complex as a look at the changes America has gone through as a Fast Food Nation and includes worldviews from the likes of Miles Davis and Ignatius J. Reilly.

After all, what made you the reader choose this?

Mat Brewster:

It is a familiar scene around Chez Brewster - the book having been just completed is closed and placed in its proper place on the bookshelf, then there is long gazing at same shelf for something new. What, exactly, is it that I want to read next?

Maybe something breezy like a Tom Clancy or a Dean Koontz, or maybe I need something more heady, something thick and difficult yet so much more stimulating. Dare I try my hand at some Joyce or Faulkner again? That copy of Ulysses has been laughing at me for years. I can always fall back on some James M. Cain, or perhaps a Raymond Chandler short story collection.

And on and on it goes. Seriously I'll sit there staring at my bookshelves for an hour or more trying to figure out just exactly what it is I should read next.