What I Read

Atlantic has a recent feature where guest writers are describing what they read. Since most are journalists, the entries are pretty similar and focus on which news sources they read. But it seems like a fun exercise, if not a little narcissistic, so I thought I would give it a go.

I always read on my train commute to and from work - but that time is my time; I only read for pleasure and not for work. What I read then varies though. It could be one of the many books I am reading, or one of the magazines I subscribe to.

My book choices vary between non-fiction (something related to, or a mix of, history, current events and policy, including anything by Samantha Power, And the Band Played On, The Power Broker, Team of Rivals, Omnivore's Dilemma, What is the What, and Development as Freedom) and fiction (Murakami, Achebe, Paul Auster, Neil Gaiman, Frank McCourt and since I started at my current job a few children's books that are easier to read after a long day - ie Lightning Thief / Percy Jackson).

For magazines, I subscribe to National Geographic (which I love - great pictures, great animals, great politics / history!), New York Review of Books (great but I can never seem to stay on top of it), and Atlantic Monthly (which I am always debating whether to continue that subscription).

When I get to work, I spend a little bit of time throughout the day checking out local and national newspapers and blogs. I always check Liz Benjamin's blog at the Daily News as soon as I get in, along with the Observer and NY Post. I also check the main page of the NY Times, Wall Street Journal (even though most articles are subscriber only), and Washington Post. Later in the day I will probably check out Huffington Post, The New Republic, Atlantic, the Economist, Foreign Policy, and Slate. Basically, I am looking for as much objective analysis as possible, with as little liberal commentary as possible (and basically no conservative commentary - so no National Review or Weekly Standard).

Surprisingly enough, I don't read much outside of these two times (downtime at work and my subway commute). If I ever lose that commute, I'm not sure when I'll read for pleasure.