Reviewer Spotlight

Branch: North County Regional

Ian is our reviewer of the month for December. He is a voracious reader and prolific reviewer of fiction and graphic novels for both adults and young adults. Here are his thoughts on reading and writing reviews:

I've always said that I read like most people breathe. If I had to go more than a day or so without a book, I'd probably go crazy. Reading is basically my primary leisure activity, and if I had my way about it my primary activity full stop. You could leave me just about anywhere for just about any length of time, and as long as I had something to sit on and a book to read, I'd be just fine. My BA was in English Literature, and for me that course didn't really count as work, because I was basically being given college credit for reading books I wanted to read anyway.

I read anything that interests me, not really conforming to genre much, but the genres I read most in are probably science fiction and fantasy. I think it's because in these genres the writers can let their imaginations loose without as many constraints. I love speculation about the future, taking ideas to their extremes, building a whole world out of an idea. I think I enjoy the fantastic because I'm a writer, and I enjoy the idea that I can make anything at all happen in a story I write, and expect anything at all in a story I read.

I'm also, as my reviews will attest, a huge fan of comics. I actually think that the comic medium can be just as artistic and just as literary as any other. Certainly, the most popular comics are still the superhero kind, and I still love my Spiderman, Batman and Justice League comics, but even within the "superhero" genre, there are still works that rank up there with any other form of literature. Watchmen by Alan Moore remains probably the best book I have ever read. Neil Gaiman's Sandman graphic novels are still the most incredible continuing series I have encountered.

Fundamentally, though, I will read anything. I've recently rediscovered my love of historical fiction, especially as written by Bernard Cornwell, Michael Shaara, and Umberto Eco. I'm partway through about a dozen books, ranging from Susanna Clarke to Greg Iles, and when I finish them, you can certainly expect more reviews.

Thanks Ian!