Why doesn’t Becky make book recommendations? Whose biography influenced her views about leadership and activism?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Based in Pennsylvania, Becky is an editor on Shortform’s writing team. We interviewed her recently to learn a bit about her relationship with books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Becky has incredibly diverse reading tastes, but there’s one genre she avoids. Here’s what she had to say about the books in her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I read anything and everything, but I don’t typically re-read, so I can’t say I have any specific favorites. A few recent books that have stood out for their beautiful writing and resonance are Composing a Life<\/em> by Mary Catherine Bateson, West With the Night<\/em> by Beryl Markham, The Shipping News<\/em> by Annie Proulx, This House of Sky<\/em> by Ivan Doig, News of the World<\/em> by Paulette Jiles, and Flight Behavior<\/em> by Barbara Kingsolver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some other books on interesting topics include The Unsettlers<\/em> and The Man Who Quit Money<\/em> by Mark Sundeen; The World-Ending Fire<\/em> by Wendell Berry; Undaunted Courage<\/em> by Stephen Ambrose; The Invention of Nature<\/em> by Andrea Wulf; and Eleanor Roosevelt, Volumes 1 and 2<\/em>, by Blanche Wiesen Cook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During my career years, I focused on books about politics, media, social trends, business, and current events. So, more recently, I’ve focused on reading purely for entertainment and escape\u2014or to explore topics that interest me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I just finished The Joy and Light Bus Company<\/em> by Alexander McCall Smith. Now I’m reading A Divided Loyalty<\/em> by Charles Todd. Next, I plan to read State of Terror<\/em> by Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton and The 1619 Project<\/em> by Nikole Hannah-Jones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’d be interested in talking with Wendell Berry about his ideas on how to live a sustainable, technology-free, non-consumption-driven life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I enjoy nature and natural history, as well as self-reliance and simplicity, as an antidote to our always connected, extreme-productivity culture. Also, I’m riveted by books\u2014old and new\u2014about epic treks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I prefer to avoid anything violent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I purchase and read mostly on a Kindle, due to a lack of storage space for more books in my house. My Kindle is the black-and-white type to avoid digital distractions<\/a>, and I read for several hours before bed\u2014starting with the day’s New York Times<\/em> and then moving to a book or books. Usually, I have several books in progress simultaneously, and I switch between them depending on my interest or energy level at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reading is such a personal choice and depends on so many factors in an individual’s life that I wouldn’t want to advise anyone else about what to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I read widely, and my favorite authors tend to be those whose work resonates with my state of mind at the moment or with where I am in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ve become more interested in biography and history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No specific book. Loving reading and having a range of reading interests is probably a result of my spending many hours during childhood\u2014pre-internet by decades\u2014wandering around the community library and looking at whatever caught my attention, usually in the adult section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I like the mystery series by Spencer Quinn in which the narrator is a talking dog. The next one I plan to read is Heart of Barkness<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The favorite non-alcoholic drink in Scotland is Irn-Bru, a carbonated soft drink with a seemingly indescribable taste. I learned this from Val McDermid\u2019s crime series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reading the biography of Eleanor Roosevelt influenced my views about leadership and activism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I am convinced, both by faith and experience, that to maintain one’s self on this earth is not a hardship but a pastime, if we will live simply<\/a> and wisely.” (Walden<\/em> by Henry David Thoreau)<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stay away from most adaptations because they\u2019re usually disappointing, although I do like PBS adaptations of some books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, people’s preferences, especially mine, are so idiosyncratic that I don’t recommend books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I approach books with curiosity, as I did when I wandered the library as a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can’t say I ended up loving any in particular, but I was surprised to find The Book of Five Rings<\/a><\/em>\u2014written by a Japanese samurai in the 1600s\u2014fascinating. This is a guide I just finished editing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of the books I’ve summarized, I’ve enjoyed the really old ones most. These include Amusing Ourselves to Death<\/a><\/em>, The Millionaire Next Door<\/a><\/em>, and Think and Grow Rich<\/a><\/em>. Of the guides I’ve edited, I enjoyed A Promised Land<\/em><\/a> and Becoming<\/em><\/a>\u2014the memoirs by Barack and Michelle Obama.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat are you reading these days?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
If you could have a dinner party with any author\u2014dead or alive\u2014who would it be and why?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
What’s your favorite genre? Why does it intrigue you?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Are there any book genres or tropes that you dislike or refuse to read?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
What’s your favorite way to read a book?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
What book do you think everyone should read in their lifetime?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Who are your favorite authors?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
How have your reading tastes changed over the years?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Was there a specific book that sparked your love of reading?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Do you have any guilty-pleasure books?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
What’s an interesting fact that you learned from a book recently?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Have any books you\u2019ve read caused you to make any life changes or to develop any habits?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s your favorite quote from a book or an author?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
What are your favorite book adaptations and why?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Are there any lesser-known books that you\u2019ve read that you want others to know exist?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
At Shortform, how do you go about working on a book that has viewpoints you don\u2019t agree with?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Are there any books you had to read for Shortform that you thought you wouldn\u2019t like and ended up loving?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
What are your favorite books in the Shortform library and why?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Becky’s Favorite Books<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
About the Series<\/h2>\n\n\n\n