[Svein Olav Nyberg]

I have noticed that many of my favourite writers not only admit to enjoying "illiterate" reading material, but even state that they draw deep inspiration from it.

So I wondered if my minor statistics could be augmented with info from the highly literary crowd at the Eratosphere? What illiterature do you openly or covertly enjoy -- and are you inspired by it?

I'll own up in a small way, just to start it out: I am a sucker for the adventures of Conan the Barbarian - preferrably in comic form. I just know that, somehow, reading it compulsively for the last 15 years has made me a better person.

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--Svein Olav

[MEHope]

Giddyup!

[David Upson]

I succumb to a secret fetish for serial fantasy. R. A. Salvatore, Terry Goodkind, Garth Nix, Eric Van Lustbader—that kind of thing. I can’t see where it has had any detrimental effect on my sterling character, but this is the first time I’ve publicly admitted it. Hi, my name is David…

[Ethan Anderson]

When my brain hurts, I like reading John Feinstein's sports books. He gets fantastic access to teams, players, and coaches, he's quite knowledgeable about basketball and golf in particular, and yet he remains a lazy, sloppy writer. So, if you like, you can skip whole pages and paragraphs and miss nothing, and you can finish a 400-pager in an evening while still catching routine gems along the lines of "Jeff Lebo, literally on fire in the second half, led the Tar Heels with 27 points."

The restorative qualities of crummy-but-good are underrated, I think.

[R. S. Gwynn]

I have, from time to time, enjoyed the writings of Ernest Hemingway.

[Janet Kenny]

Originally posted by R. S. Gwynn:
I have, from time to time, enjoyed the writings of Ernest Hemingway.

Oh hohohohoho hahahaha heeheehee

I would never have dared!

(especially since I can't type my way out of a paper bag.)



[This message has been edited by Janet Kenny (edited November 27, 2006).]

[Mark Allinson]

[Gail White]

I also am willing to admit that I read the bar room scenes from "The Sun Also Rises" over and over.

Under the heading of "Favorite Light Reading" - which seems to be what this is about - I would include the stories written by Louisa M. Alcott during her "thriller" period, and anything by Edward Gorey.

[Robert Meyer]

Svein:
So I wondered if my minor statistics could be augmented with info from the highly literary crowd at the Eratosphere? What illiterature do you openly or covertly enjoy -- and are you inspired by it?

WONDER WOMAN

Truth, Justice, and the Amazon Way - Splat!
I, as your chronicler and acolyte,
delight in triumph over each boy-brat
as you control his apish appetite.
Steve Trevor, spying from beyond the Rhine,
is always easy prey for nazi chicks.
You rescue him - a seemingly divine
transparent plane with an aviatrix
to fly it. When, at home, some gangster reigns,
your bracelets will deflect the slugs he shoots.
You always get your man (...get him in chains);
a well-placed kick will silence boasting brutes.
Take me to Paradise, your fabled isle,
you need no golden lasso to beguile.

Robert Meyer

[Howard]