Recent Book Activity

My name is Andy. I moved to Vermont in May 2007. I live with my partner of over 25 years (now, husband, as we were legally married in September 2009). We moved to Vermont for his job and for a better quality of life. I'm now telecommuting, and my commute went from 54 miles each way to 0. I'm enjoying the change.

I like to knit, cook, bake bread, play on the computer, solve puzzles, take pictures, hike, and bike. I like classical music and opera, country music, celtic music, and chanting/spiritual pop (like Krishna Das, Sheila Chandra, and Rasa). My favorite color is green.

I write, but not much for general consumption yet. I have several first-draft novels, courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.

I'm still in the midst of a long-term project: listening to all of Charles Dickens's novels, in the order in which he wrote them. Since my commute is gone, I find I'm spending no time listening to Audible books. I need to figure out how to finish up, since I only have two to go.

I have always shared my books with friends and family and then tell them to pass them along when they have finished. This site is cool because I can perhaps find out where they go after that.

McSweeney's Quarterly Review rocks! Check it out if you haven't ever.

My favorite authors are Charles Dickens, John Irving, and Margaret Atwood. I thought Atwood's The Blind Assassin was one of the best books I ever read.

My best of the best list would also include (not in any particular order):
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
The Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
Four Letters of Love by Niall Williams
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Beach Music by Pat Conroy
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Time Traveler's Wife by by Audrey Niffenegger
The Night Listener by Armistead Maupin
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

I enjoyed the Harry Potter series and I reread the Tolkien books every few years.