People Reading

What I'm reading

What I'm reading

From January 2014 to most recent: lots of New Yorker fiction that I caught up on – I especially loved The Christmas Miracle, by Rebecca Curtis; Life of Pi, by Yann Martel; The Help, by Kathryn Stockett; The Heart of a Dog, by Mikhail Bulgakov; Haruki Murakami's 1Q84; Bel Canto and The Magician's Assistant, by Ann Patchett; the choreographer Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit (intermittently); The Remains of the Day and The Unconsoled, by Kazuo Ishiguro; State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett; The Mystic Masseur, by the British/Trinidadian author, V.S. Naipaul; Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro; Sula, by Toni Morrison; two Swedish crime novels I read (in English) while in Sweden: Nephilim, by Åsa Schwarz & Killer's Art, by Mari Jungstedt; The Orphan Master's Son, by Adam Johnson; Swamplandia!, by Karen Russell, which my sister and friend, Colleen, recommended; Run, by Ann Patchett; When We Were Orphans, by Kazuo Ishiguro; The Complete Idiot’s Guide to World History, by Timothy C. Hall; The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell (only half because the ebook I was reading expired- but it was a re-read); The Circle, by Dave Eggers; Our Hotel In Bali: How two young Americans made a dream come true by opening one of the first Balinese tourist hotels on Kuta Beach in the 1930s, by Louise Koke (which I got from the Cannes free library on the beach, Pages à la plage); Jaffrey's World Vegetarian, by Madhur Jaffrey (from cover to cover - I was craving a kitchen, while traveling); Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, by Haruki Murakami; The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt; The Corsican Caper, by Peter Mayle (on audio book); Catch-22, by Joseph Heller (on audio book); The Secret History, by Donna Tartt. (Starting a new year, 2015) Confessions of a Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella; Shaking out the Dead, by K.M. Cholewa; The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery; English teaching text books and New Yorker fiction; Divergent and Insurgent, by Veronica Roth; The Wolf Gift, by Anne Rice; and My Struggle, by Karl Ove Knausgård. --- I've been lazy for a long time about posting the books I've read lately. I'm not going to go back in time, but today (Feb 5, 2017) I just finished listening to Commonwealth, by Ann Patchett. Right before that I was on a Kim Stanley Robinson audio book kick and listened to Aurora and Shaman.

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July 14, 2018, Saturday afternoon -- Reading Q. Hayashida

At Dolores Park

He is reading the first volume from the manga series Dorohedoro, by Q. Hayashida. His friend gave him Prison Pit, by Johnny Ryan, in which there's an ongoing battle, filled with disgustingness, and monsters, fighting in a desolate landscape. He hadn’t read mangas for a while, but really liked it, so went to bookstore and asked for something similar, and they suggested Dorohedoro, also a gritty post-apocalyptic manga.

When he's not reading mangas, what he reads depends. He mostly likes Lovecraftian horror, but gravitates toward no specific authors. He just likes scary books. A good short story he liked was

I Have No mouth and Must Scream, by Harlan Ellison, about a super computer who tortured humans.

July 7, 2018, Saturday evening -- Reading Neil Gaiman

In the Mission District

He is reading Anasi Boys, by Neil Gaiman. American Gods is his favorite Neil Gaiman book. His favorite authors right now are Neil Gaiman, Philip K. Dick, and authors of the classics, like Dostoyevsky. He said he goes through phases. Right now he's reading a lot of Philip K. Dick. He described the writing as cryptic, macabre, and mystical visionary. He also told me how it's no secret that Philip K. Dick did a lot of speed biker meth to improve his productivity to write. Throughout his career he wrote 44 novels, as well as short stories, and struggled for most of his life to make enough money.

June 30, 2018, Saturday afternoon -- Reading Andrew Shaffer

In Truckee, California (where I'm on vacation)
She is taking a break from working at a bookstore

and reading an advance copy of Hope Never Dies, by Andrew Shaffer. It's an old school mystery and the main character is Joe Biden.
I asked her what her favorite books are and she said, Like ever? I said yes and she said East of Eden, by Steinbeck, commented that she has so many, said she'd just been talking about Of Wolves and Men, by Barry Lopez, and also mentioned Flight Behavior, by Barbara Kingsolver.
I asked her if she could recommend any local authors and she said that if you're looking for an interesting, fun mystery that takes place in the area, she recommends Todd Borg. He writes the Tahoe Mystery series, which is about a homicide inspector from San Francisco who moves up to Tahoe to become a private investigator.

The bookstore she works at is called Word After Word. On Thursday night I spotted their book bike at Truckee's weekly street fair. Here's a picture.

June 23, 2018, Saturday morning -- Reading Mary Oliver

Having breakfast at the Point Montara Lighthouse Hostel, on the cliffs above the Pacific

He is reading Why I Wake Early, a book of poetry by Mary Oliver. This is the third book he's read by her.

His favorite reading experience is the Once and Future King, by T. H. White. He also enjoyed going through the Father Brown stories by G. K. Chesterton, who he described as a Christian essayist. He described Father Brown as sort of a Sherlock Holmes character and a bumbling Catholic priest. He said the stories are about 20 pages long, witty and they each have a moral take away.

June 17, 2018, Sunday afternoon - Reading Alain Naze

At Dolores Park on a sunny day

He is reading Manifeste contre la normalisation gay, by Alain Naze. In English the French translates into The manifesto against gay normalization. Here's an author interview I found about the book from lundi.am. The article was more philosophical than I'm used to reading, but I think, in summary, Alain Naze says that the de-criminalization of same-sex relations is positive, but that trying to fit into heterosexual norms like marriage is limiting, shows a lack of inventiveness, and should not be an absolute goal.

He mostly reads philosophy. His favorite author is French philosopher, Michel Foucalt.

June 6, 2018, Wednesday afternoon -- Reading Roald Dahl

In the Mission District

She is reading, or re-reading, The Witches, by Roald Dahl. It's summer and she's getting in touch with her inner child again. Her favorite book is Holes, by Louis Sachar, another young adult novel. She read it as a kid and loved how it's darker than expected. Dark kid books, she said, help kids get ready for life.

I have missed posting readers lately. Life has just been busy. I'll start again soon, hopefully next week.
Thanks for checking my blog.
~Sonya

November 11, 2017, Saturday afternoon -- Reading Henry Kimsey-House,‎ Karen Kimsey-House,‎ Phillip Sandahl,‎ and Laura Whitworth

In the Mission District, in a quiet corner during open studios, a yearly art event in which artists open their doors to the public to visit their studios, see their art, and drink their wine.

She is reading Co-Active Coaching: Changing Business, Transforming Lives, by Henry Kimsey-House,‎ Karen Kimsey-House,‎ Phillip Sandahl,‎ and Laura Whitworth. She is in the process of becoming a life coach.

She is a poet, as well, and her favorite author is the poet, Yesika Salgado. She had admired her from afar and now has monthly Facetime wrting-coaching sessions with her. Salgado recently published a book of poetry is called Corazón.

Another favorite book of hers is Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar, selections from an advice column written for the literary website, The Rumpus, by Cheryl Strayed. She likes the honesty in the advice.

October 25, 2017, Wednesday morning -- Reading David Neiwert

Reading while walking down the street in the Mission District

She is reading Of Orcas and Men: What Killer Whales Can Teach Us, by David Neiwert. She is working on a master's degree in anthrozoology -- the study of humanity's relationships with other species.

Other good books she's read for her program are Being a Dog and Inside of a Dog, by Alexandra Horowitz.

October 24, 2017, Tuesday afternoon -- Reading Geoff Emerick and Howard Massey

In Dolores Park

He is reading Here, There, and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles, by Geoff Emerick and Howard Massey. He's a Beatles fan and borrowed it from friends.

Something else good he read recently was Tenth of December, a book of short stories by George Saunders.

October 15, 2017, Sunday evening -- Reading Neil Gaiman

On Potrero Hill

He is reading American Gods, by Neil Gaiman. He got it at the bookstore across the street from where he's sitting. He said it's a change from what he usually reads, which is science related or, lately, philosophy books for school. Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell was the last non-school book he's read.

October 2, 2017, Monday morning -- Reading Luís Alberto Urrea

In the Financial District

She is reading The Hummingbird's Daughter, by Luís Alberto Urrea. She found this book, and most of the books she reads, at thrift stores and pays about 50 cents. So far, she said, it's worked out great.

A couple of her favorite authors are Carlos Castaneda and DH Lawrence.

She told me that I looked like a hippie (maybe it was my new black sunhat) and we started talking about it being the 50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love. She said she was there, in the Haight Ashbury in 1967, listening to Joan Baez.

September 30, 2017, Saturday afternoon -- Reading Eve Babitz

In the Mission District

She is reading Eve's Hollywood, by Eve Babitz. It's a collection of short stories about a single woman in her 20's living in Southern California and New York. The stories written in the 70's, but was published recently.

Her favorite book is the Grapes of Wrath, by Steinbeck.

September 27, 2017, Wednesday evening -- Reading Rachel Cusk

While working at a bookstore on Potrero Hill

She is reading Outline, by Rachel Cusk. She wasn't actually reading it when I walked into the shop, but I saw a book sitting next to her and asked if she would be reading it when I left, and she explained that the book I'd pointed at, The Dinner, by Herman Koch, she was just previewing for her mother, to see if it would be good for her to read on vacation (still undecided), and that the book she was really reading was the one next to it, this one, Outline, by Rachel Cusk, which is about a woman teaching writing in Greece.

Her favorite book is Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. She's read it 4 times. She likes that it's situated between different genres. It was one of the first Science Fiction books, and is also a bildungsroman and a gothic ghost story. She also likes the story behind how it was written and that it was written by an 18 year old woman.

September 19, 2017, Tuesday morning -- Reading Ian Morris

Waiting for the train

She is reading Foragers, Farmers, and Fossil Fuels: How Human Values Evolve, by Ian Morris. It's for a class she's taking. I wish I had written down how she described the book. Of all the readers I've ever interviewed for this blog, she gave me one of the clearest, most thoughtful summaries.

Her favorite book is The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. She loves the story and how anyone can relate to it. Another one of her favorite books is The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle, because it makes her want to live every day to the fullest.

July 21, 2017, Friday afternoon -- Reading author unknown

At the Legion of Honor
In a painting by Robert Feke (1707-1752), done in 1748, Mrs. Charles Apthorp (Grizzell Eastwick Apthorp) reads a book by an unknown author.

If your eyes are better than mine, comment or email me if you can make out the writing on the page.

*****A reader wrote me to say that it appears she is reading Paradise Lost. Thank you!

September 7, 2017 Thursday afternoon -- Reading Will Eisner

In the Financial District on a balmy morning (70 degrees after a light rain), the kind of weather that makes me feel like you're on vacation even when I'm not.

She is reading The Name of the Game, a graphic novel by Will Eisner. She finds graphic novels easier to re-enter and continue the story than traditional novels. She also loves superheroes and recently read a graphic novel about Batman.

August 27, 2017, Sunday evening -- Reading Al Franken

At a coffee shop in the Mission District

He is reading Al Franken, Giant of the Senate, by Al Franken. Earlier this month he saw Al Franken speak at the Nourse Theater, as part of City Arts and Lectures and got the book.

His favorite author is the ancient Greek poet, Sappho.

Something good he read recently was Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body, by Roxane Gay.

August 14, 2017, Monday evening -- Reading Christopher Moore

Next to a mural by Jon Weiss and Precita Eyes muralists

He is reading The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, by Christopher Moore. He got it for his birthday.

His favorite book is Geek Love, by Katherine Dunn. Whenever he sees it at a thrift store he buys it, reads it, and gives it to a friend. Another favorite author of his is Mark Z. Danielewski, who wrote House of Leaves.

August 6, 2017, Sunday morning -- Reading Victor E. Frankl

Walking down a quiet street in the Mission District

He is reading Man's Search for Meaning, by Victor E. Frankl. The author describes his time in four different Nazi concentration camps, what it takes to survive, cope, and find meaning.

He enjoys reading books about psychology and plans on getting a Ph.D. in the subject. His favorite book is Discourses, which is the recorded teachings of the Greek philosopher, Epictetus, who was born around 50 A.D.

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I started this blog in 2006 as an exploration of literary San Francisco and daily affirmation that people still read. I was working on a novel and needed encouragement.

After interviewing over 1,200 readers, I've discovered the beauty and rarity of a given book being read at a given time, instead of, say, packed away in a box somewhere. I've also discovered that I've not only been chronicling the popularity of books, but also the diversity of individuals. What goes on inside our minds is evidenced by and influenced by what we are reading, have read, and the inner dialogs we have with authors.

In 2007, I took a Greyhound bus trip to all the lower-48 states and took photos of readers in each of them: DogEaredUSA. Following that, about a year later, I spent 48-hours in Oahu photographing readers. I found about 46: Readers in Oahu.

The pictures to your left are taken in San Francisco, unless I say otherwise.

I get rejected about 20% of the time and I respect the privacy of people who do not want to be on this site.

I invite you to search the blog (see upper left corner) for your favorite books so you can see who else likes to read what you do. It always makes me happy when I interview completely different looking people who have the same favorite books.

Please let me know if I've made a mistake or if you have something to add. You can also email me directly at sonya.worthy@gmail.com.