The Books We Read Blog is conducting a series of interviews with contributors and friends of the blog to get a snapshot of our reading habits: the things we like to read, the circumstances in which we read, and more.
Jamey Silverstein, Library Assistant, is the Collection Manager for the Recreational Reading Collection, the first person to have any new book that arrives at the Carr Library’s collection in hand.
What kinds of books do you like to read?
I love fantasy and science fiction. I do like to read for pleasure specifically, so I enjoy reading books that take me out of the day-to-day and transport me to new worlds. Sometimes, that new world could be based directly on our own but has some stark differences (like in postapocalyptic fiction), but other times that new world could be a fantasy or science fiction series with magic and technology that we can barely even envision.
Do you have format preferences (print, ebook, audiobook, abridged, original language/translated, etc.)?
I greatly prefer print, and rarely read ebooks or listen to audiobooks.
How do you find new books to read?
Recommendations from friends are always useful. Sometimes the New Book section of libraries has some cool things. But when all else fails, Goodreads generally provides some solid recommendations based on what I have previously read.
Where and when do you read? Outdoors or indoors? At home or out and about? Mornings, evenings, or just before bed?
Most often, I read indoors in the afternoon. When I’m on my lunch break at work, that proves to be an opportune time to get in some reading. Weather depending, that might be outside, but it’s often in my car. I often get in a little bit more reading at home in the evenings, before bed.
Do you use any libraries or library resources for non-required reading?
I rarely buy books. Most of the books I read come from either our Rutgers RecRead collection (at Carr Library) or from my local public library.
What do you get out of your non-required reading?
I get a great deal of joy out of my reading. The books that I read are often the greatest source of excitement that my day has to offer. Many science fiction and fantasy books also provide me with moral, philosophical and technological insights that I hadn’t thought about before.
What are you currently reading, or what have you read and enjoyed most recently?
I’m currently reading Oathbringer, which is the third book in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series. This series has quickly become one of my favorites of all time.
Recommend a book in one sentence that you think everyone should read:
I think that everyone, whether fans of fantasy or not, should read J.R.R.Tolkein’s classic, groundbreaking Lord of the Rings trilogy, starting with The Fellowship of the Ring.
