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Meet the C-SPL Sept. 2024 Reader of the Month, David Lopez!
I am a husband, father, musician, nerd, and book lover. Along with spending time with my family and gaming, I am an avid reader and am interested in writing. I am currently developing my second murder mystery party and looking forward to running it!
I tend to bounce between fiction and nonfiction. With fiction, I like a mix of genres, but have been on a mystery kick lately since I have also been doing some mystery writing. There have been a lot of Hercule Poirot and Lord Peter Wimsey novels in my To Read (or re-read) pile as I create murder mystery parties.
For nonfiction, I mostly study history. I am particularly interested in the American Civil War and Ancient Rome, but will pick up other topics when they catch my curiosity. Lately, Iāve been gradually looking for some of the original sources so I can read the words of the people who were there when it happened. It is an odd feeling, but also very fulfilling, to be reading and realize that rather than reading about them, you are reading what people like Ulysses Grant or Julius Caesar wanted to say about the events of their life. It also leads to fun surprises like discovering Ulysses Grantās sense of humor.
C-SPL Sept. 2024 Reader of the Month Q & A:
Q: What book(s) are you currently reading?
A: I am currently reading “The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine” by Serhii Plokhy. It is about the origins of Ukraine, the development of its culture, and its long history of struggling to exist as a nation. Iām getting a lot of historical context to current events from it and it is also helping me better understand the country that my wife came to love after serving as a missionary there before we started dating.
Q: What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?
A: I have a lot of favorite books so when Iām hit by a question like this I always have to take a
moment to narrow down the list to which book I want to talk about at the moment. One of my constant favorites for years and years that I regularly reread is “The Hound of the Baskervilles” by Arthur Conan Doyle. I am a lifelong Sherlockian, and Iām not really exaggerating when saying that. I
think I may have been a first-grader when my parents introduced me to the old black and white Sherlock Holmes movies with Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. Around the same time, we also had rented an animated version of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” from Blockbuster, and between the two Iāve been hooked ever since. Baskervilles was my gateway to falling in love with the mystery genre, and probably to reading in general. It is such a well thought
out mystery and the atmosphere of the setting works so well to keep you on edge through the story. I just canāt say enough good things about it.
Q: What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?
A: During those precious times when I find the time to sit down with an actual book, I like to recline in a comfortable chair with some instrumental music playing. A hammock on a nice day is even better. Since I do not often get the time to do that though, I also like to listen to audiobooks while doing something I donāt have to put much thought into, like exercising or household chores.
Q: What book are you most excited about reading next, and what about it is exciting?
A: I finally got a copy of “The Iron Brigade in Civil War and Memory” and am looking forward to reading it. The Iron Brigade was the only brigade made up completely of westerners that fought in the eastern theater of the Civil War against Robert E. Lee. It was made up of regiments from Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan. They were also one of the toughest and best units of the Civil War and endured some of the hardest fighting the war could throw at men. At Antietam they were among the first wave of Union soldiers sent into the Cornfield, and later at Gettysburg they took devastating losses delaying the oncoming Confederate army on the first day of the battle. Their sacrifice at Gettysburg helped to buy time for the rest of the Union army to take control of the high ground, which proved critical to the eventual Union victory. I could history-geek out and go on longer, but suffice to say, I am looking forward to learning more about the unit and their struggles.
Q: What reading format do you prefer and why (physical book, ebook, audiobook)?
A: I will always be a lover of physical books, much to my wifeās initial shock when she first saw my wall that is covered with bookshelves. That said, I really appreciate audiobooks. It is very convenient to be able to work or drive and enjoy a good book at the same time.
Q: Have you discovered any exciting new authors or genres?
A: Not so much a genre, but I did stumble upon a fascinating and not as often talked about period of history. Does that count as a subgenre, perhaps? While perusing audiobooks one day I came upon one on the history of Venice and decided why not, it might be interesting and at least would provide some variety. It wound up leading to me seeking out books on the Borgias, the Medici family, and other topics connected to Italy during the Renaissance. It is a time period that proves Dan Carlin, the creator of the podcast Hardcore History, correct when he said, āHistory will ruin fiction for you,ā because some of the people and events of that period blow fiction out of the water in terms of drama, plot twists, and action. Iām surprised that more fantasy and historical fiction authors have not drawn on Renaissance Italy as inspiration for their stories.
Q: Have you read any books recently that change the way you think about something?
A: It is only somewhat recent, but last year I discovered the lectures of N.T. Wright and read “Paul: A Biography,” which he wrote on Paul the Apostle. It is a fascinating book and added a lot of historical context that I had not been aware of before. It helped shift how I envision the world of the New Testament in the Bible and Paul himself. That context really adds to the depth of meaning and relevance of scripture by showing the challenges and struggles that the early Christians were dealing with and why Paul addressed them the way he did.
Q: When do you decide to stop reading a book? In other words, do you read every book to the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?
A: Usually, Iāll read a book to the end, but there have been a few times where I gave up on the book before the end. There are two in particular that immediately come to mind, which Iāll leave nameless since one of them is very popular. With one of them it had an interesting setting, but the characters and story were so bland and boring that I finally switched to reading something else and never came back to the book. The other one was far more interesting, but I found the characters to be so painfully unlikable that I couldnāt stand another moment of them.
Q: Do you remember when your love of reading began?
A: I attribute a lot of it to my fourth-grade teacher. She was co-owner of a bookstore and set out to fan the flames of my casual liking of books into a great love for reading.
Q: What other library resources do you enjoy (DVDs, CDs, board games, baking pans, digital content, etc.)?
A: I often check DVDs out from the library since it is a great way to see movies without needing to pay for a streaming service or to go to the theater. Access to Libby and hoopla is also fantastic since it gives me access to so many additional books, especially in audiobook form.
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