Bookin' It with Grehhawk's Rev Taylor

Greyhawk

We are checking back in with Seattle, Washington's Greyhawk.

They're a power metal band like you read about.

If you didn't drink a beer with them last time, here's the perfect time to catch up on their latest record, Ride Out.

Now, open up a book and let's read on!

1. I try to read at least two books per month, and mostly fail, what's your goal and reality?

Lately my goal has just been to read at least a little bit every day. When free time arises, it's so easy to automatically reach for a device and receive flashy stimulation, but I find there's a sense of groundedness and relaxing that can only come from reading a physical book. 

So I've been trying to remind myself to reach for a book instead of my phone when I find myself with time on my hands. Results have been mixed. I have been reading more lately, but I've also been following a facebook page which only posts pictures of raccoons.

2. Encyclopedia Brown and Choose Your Own Adventure books were a big part of my childhood. What did you read back in Elementary School?

I certainly enjoyed both of those things as well! I was always excited when I found one of the old Choose Your Own Adventure books with the the bizarre 1970s sci-fi cover art. 

I also loved the Cricket in Times Square books by George Selden, about the cat and mouse that live in the drainpipe in a New York subway station. I think most of the books are out of print, but I still see the first one at bookstores from time to time. 

I was passionate about the Redwall books, too. Those valiant little hedgehogs and rabbits taught me a lot about the brutality of medieval warfare!

3. It's no secret that I think Harry Potter is an amazing saga, but it wasn't until after the movie for Chamber of Secrets was released that I began reading the books. What was the big thing you were late on?

I had the opposite experience with Harry Potter. I read the books religiously when I was a kid, but I absolutely refused to watch the movies. 

It wasn't until the Deathly Hallows movies came out that I watched all the films and was forced to admit that they were actually pretty cool. Along the same lines, my wife has been reading me the Series of Unfortunate Events books, which I missed out on when they first came out. 

Those books are bizarre, but they really seem to be getting under my skin. The villainous Count Olaf keeps cropping up in my dreams!

4. My local library is amazing and I'm there pretty frequently. What do you like about your library?

I honestly don't go to the library here in Seattle super often, although there is quite a good system here. The new downtown library is a labyrinth of concrete and brushed steel, and I don't find it a very comfortable space. 

I am lucky, though, to live very close to the Seattle Theosophical Library, which maintains a fascinating collection of metaphysical texts in a historic space. 

It's well worth checking out if you're interested in matters spiritual and occult. 

5. Comic Books. Which ones are you reading?

I've never really gotten into graphic novels or comic books. But I do have the complete Calvin and Hobbes comic strips, since they are of course the pinnacle of 20th-century American art.

6. What author can you just read again and again?

Well, some authors are worth re-reading just for the quality and depth of their use of language. Hugo, Melville, and Joyce come to mind. There are also authors who just fit in a certain niche in one's life. 

For example, when I want easy-reading paperback sci-fi about mysterious alien artifacts, I often reach for the latest book by Jack McDevitt and it always gets the job done! 

I've also maintained a collection of John Erickson's Hank the Cowdog books since I was a kid. These days I mostly use them to read aloud when my wife or a friend needs a relaxing and funny story. 

Anyone who says that bedtime stories are just for kids is a fool!