What I Read for Fun

In a list of the people who know you the best, of course you'd include the typical round-up of family and friends. But you should also include those people who receive regular glimpses into your personal world like your barber/hairdresser and the barista at your favorite coffee/tea shop. Your unique interaction with them gives those people an interesting perspective.

Another person who should make that list is the proprietor of your local bookstore.

I know. Your list didn't include that person, but think about it. I'm not talking about the check-out person at Books-O-Zillion who only took the job for some extra pocket money and hasn't actually read a book since sophomore English. I'm talking about the person who runs that small independent bookstore down the street -- the one who made the dream of owning a bookstore come true 20+ years ago and has struggled through thick and thin to keep it going. I'm generalizing, but you get the idea.

Sandmeyer's Bookstore, located in Chicago's Printer's Row, is one of my favorite bookshops. Getting to know the shop's owners has reaped significant literary rewards, because they know the types of books I've written, the types of books that I edit, and the books that I read just for me. (When they first asked what kind of books I read for fun, I wasn't sure how to answer. I'm always reading with writing in mind, so I hesitated.)

They caught on to my tastes quickly as I placed orders for science fiction titles from the Del Rey Star Wars line, the latest from Terry Brooks, five copies of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book (stunning -- you should read it immediately and give copies to all of your friends, I did), and Terry Pratchett's brilliant Nation. On a recommendation from my students, I read Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga, and the Sandmeyers made an interesting note: this is one of the only series of books where they have watched interest spread from kids to adults.

Then there were the detective stories. I'm up to "J" is for Judgement in Sue Grafton's mystery series. The Sandmeyers quickly recommended Michael Harvey's The Chicago Way and when its follow-up The Fifth Floor debuted, my copy was waiting for me the same day. I could have kicked myself last Friday when I realized that Sara Paretsky's newest V.I. Warshawski novel, Hardball, came out Tuesday and I'd been distracted because I was pouring through Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. I'd heard about Hardball months ago and made a mental note to pick it up but dropped the ball on the release date. The shop had plenty of copies, however, and I cracked it open yesterday.

Make friends with the proprietor(s) of your local independent bookstore -- I didn't miss out on a book I'd been looking forward to all year because they know what I read for fun.

What are you reading for fun right now? Click "comments" below and share.