Rob’s Intro: I’m sure the Book Gods must shine on me rather favourably because I’ve been able to feature some really special readers on my Reader of the Week feature, and this week is no exception. In the booklight for the next seven days is Rob Redman, the guy behind The Fiction Desk, and I’m so pleased to be featuring him.
I’ve only known Rob for a short time but already I’ve built up a ton of respect for him. His passion for books may border on the obsessive, but one can tell, from only speaking with Rob for a few minutes, that reading has shaped him into quite a remarkable character. He’s colourful, articulate and hugely passionate about the written word, and I can think of no better reader to put under the warming glow of the Reader of the Week booklight. The ‘stage’ is all yours Rob:
I live in Italy, and write novel critiques for a living. Being abroad makes it a little harder to keep up with what’s being published, so about a year ago I started reviewing new books on The Fiction Desk. I also tinker with Websites as a hobby, and am getting more and more interested in the way publishers use the Internet—I think there are a lot of missed opportunities there. I spend the rest of the time looking for good places to eat in Rome.
1. Favourite Genre? Oh dear. It varies. Can I say that? I suppose it’s usually “literary fiction”, but then there will be times when I like to relax with a bit of crime fiction—”the genre it’s okay to like”—or a good ghost story. And then there will be a month when I’ll read nothing but Umberto Eco. Actually, I’ve been playing around a little more in genre fiction lately, partly because I think that’s where some of the more interesting publishing is going on. I recently discovered PS Publishing—I reviewed their website, and then found myself subscribing to their magazine. I can’t help thinking that their model might look a lot like the future of paper-and-ink publishing. The new HarperCollins imprint Angry Robot seem to be making good use of their site as well, although I wish they’d add direct selling… sorry, what was the question again? Literary fiction, please, with a ghost story for pudding. And maybe a caffè corretto with a dash of Nero Wolfe.
2. Favourite Book? The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell. Much maligned, generally by people who haven’t read it all. It isn’t without its flaws, but it’s still wonderful. I believe it’s also Iain Duncan Smith’s desert island book, although perhaps that’s neither here nor there. Otherwise, Foucault’s Pendulum is up there too.
3. Why do you love reading so much? That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? And I don’t see no million dollars on the table.
4. Favourite reading place? Bed. No, wait. Sofa. No, bed. Or under a tree. Certainly not in the bath. Water damage, man! When I was a boy, I used to take my bedroom window out of its runners, and sit on the ledge with my back against the frame. That was a great place to read, but now I live in a fourth floor apartment, and my balance probably isn’t what it used to be.
5. How BIG is your reading addiction? It’s really rather big. Last week I actually calculated the average monthly growth of my library, in centimetres. I was going to Tweet it (which says a lot about Twitter), but in the end I couldn’t. It felt weirdly personal.
6. How do you normally add books to your collection? Spending a lot of time abroad makes it tricky: thanks to the exchange rate, English-language bookshops in Europe are now full of paperbacks that cost about £15 each. I scour the lower reaches of Amazon Marketplace, order new titles from the usual suspects, and try to stock up when I’m in the UK.
7. How do you decide what to read? These days I find that I pay a lot of attention to blogs. The Asylum is probably my first port of call (some say such a place will also be my last… heh heh), but I’m finding new ones all the time, like KevinfromCanada’s new blog, and your own fine site. But you have to build up the reading of a blog over time: you have to get to know the context before you know how to take their reviews. For reviewing purposes, I confine myself to books published in the last few months. For work, I’ll try to read background novels that relate to whatever I’m working on (I’ve found, or rediscovered, some great writers that way), and in my own time I try to read whatever looks like it might be fun.
8. Ebooks – love them or hate them? People always seem to talk in terms of all or nothing, but I think ebooks will take over reference and academic books—anything that you refer to quickly. But for fiction, for extended periods of recreational reading, the traditional book will carry on. The comparison with CDs and digital is a bit false, because the form of a CD isn’t instrumental to listening pleasure, the way the form of a book is to reading. Once you’ve started an album playing, the format doesn’t make any difference, but the texture and feel of a book are with you all the way through. Interestingly, I’ve noticed that on the few times I’ve tried reading an eBook, I’ve given up and bought a paperback instead. I think that happens to a lot of people.
The lack of ownership bugs me: if I can’t sell something on, I don’t own it now. The “one-off cost” that people keep citing for ebooks is rubbish too: who’s only ever owned one walkman? One mobile phone? Hell, by now, even one iPod?
So: utility reading benefits from the eBook format, but I suspect that recreational and extended reading will keep a firm foot in the paper mills.
9. Has reading inspired you to do any serious writing yourself? Yes, but it’s been a while now. When you’re looking at new novels and manuscripts everyday, you start to think “God, what a noise! Do I really want to add to all this racket?” There are so many people exercising their voices although they have nothing to say. Maybe in the future, if I have something worth putting down on paper. Or just feel sufficiently self-indulgent.
10. What single piece of advice (or tip) would you give to fellow readers? Stretch yourself, don’t neglect the classics, and at least dabble in the genres to see what they have to offer. There are a lot of surprises out there.
Rob you’re star. Thank you so much for giving up some of your valuable time in order to speak to us.
So that was Rob Redman. Quite a guy eh? And remember you can always catch up with him over at his own splendid lit blog – The Fiction Desk, and on Twitter. Just make sure you don’t say anything about his scaly skin.
For next week’s Reader of the Week I’ve got spend a bit of time dusting off the best dinner service and rolling out the red carpet. That’s because I’m featuring lit blogging royalty in the shape of Lizzy Siddal of Lizzy’s Literary Life. So if you’re going to be popping by next week make sure you wear your Sunday Best, K?
About Rob