Here on the blog the other Matchmakers and I share what we are reading, watching, or listening to quite frequently, but we don’t often hear from our other staff members all over the library system. Now, we will be sharing interviews from other staff members so that you the reader can see what we’re reading/watching/listening to all over the Heights Library system!

This interview comes from Youth Services Associate Colin!

Read

What book are you reading at the moment? What are your thoughts on it?

For leisure, I’m currently reading The Hike, a novel by journalist and Chopped champion Drew Magary. It’s about a guy that gets lost on a hike and ends up in this strange, sort of horrifying dream world. I’m about halfway through and it’s been a fun, quick read. I definitely identify with the main character in being a thoroughly modern man with delusions that he could survive unprotected for more than a day in the wild without central air and Wi-Fi. There’s also a foul-mouthed crab, which is always a plus.

What kind of books do you typically read?

I’m a graduate student in history so I should constantly be reading books for school. Instead it’s usually Sci-Fi or Fantasy, especially stories that mess around with the genre’s tropes. Anything by China Miéville is really good for that. His book, Kraken, has the best ending to a story I’ve ever read, and in my reading experience endings are hard to get right.

Have you ever pretended to have read a book? If so, which one and why?

Pretty much every book I was assigned in high school English.

Watch

Which do you prefer: movies or television?

I have to go with TV. I was a big movie guy for a long time, but for some reason nothing coming out grabs my interest anymore, and I’m beyond burned out on superhero flicks. Meanwhile it seems like every TV show is “amazing” and “must watch.” I don’t have the time to watch everything I want to, but recently I thought the first season of Preacher was really well done, and I’m still enjoying Mr. Robot, I think.

Have you ever binge-watched a show? If so, what was it?

I’ve binge-watched most shows I’ve seen. All this great stuff came out when I was in high school and college that I missed because I had a social life at the time. Just off the top of my head I’ve devoted an embarrassing amount of consecutive hours to watching all of Breaking Bad, The Wire, The Sopranos, Battlestar Galactica, Deadwood, and my favorite show ever; Justified. Boyd Crowder is the greatest literary creation of the twenty-first century. I’ve often said that.

Listen

What kind of music do you enjoy?

I got really into Hip Hop as a teenager, mostly early 90’s and 00’s underground stuff – yes I was (am) a snob about it. P.O.S out of Minneapolis is probably the only contemporary rapper I actively check for new music from though. Lately I’ve been on an Irish music kick, whether it’s the punk-rock stylings of The Pogues or more traditional folk tunes from guys like The Dubliners. Its perfect music to sing along loudly and terribly with while you’re driving with all the windows rolled up.

Have you found any new or new-to-you artists/bands lately?

Honestly, I haven’t gotten into any new music in like five years. What I actually listen to all the time is The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, which is one of ESPN’s flagship radio shows, but because this is 2016 I usually listen to the podcast version on my phone at my convenience.  Most sports-talk is a wasteland of “hot takes” and thinly-veiled racism, but Le Batard and his crew provide very intellectual, insightful, and usually riotously funny commentary on sports and other happenings in the world. The show is based out of Miami Florida and I actually discovered it because I wanted to taste Miami’s tears when Lebron James came back to the Cavaliers. To my dismay, I realized that it was better than anything on in Cleveland, so I guess the joke was on me in the end.

Do you listen to different music based on the seasons?

Not exclusively, but something like Liquid Swords by GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan was made for cold winter nights, while The Pogues’ Rum, Sodomy & The Lash is the soundtrack to a summer bacchanalia.

Thanks Colin!