Writers on Reading: Joe Abercrombie

http://www.joeabercrombie.com/

Joe Abercrombie is one of many authors who grew up on a steady diet of role-playing games and computer consoles, and after realising that his job as a freelance film editor gave him plenty of downtime, he returned to a childhood dream of writing a fantasy novel to re-invent the genre. 8 years, 9 novels and a good number of bestsellers later Joe is a  star of the British fantasy firmament, and has been published in countries the world over.

What is the first book you remember reading?

I remember reading Ironhead by Gerald Rose, a wonderful picture book on the futility of violence which I still read to my kids now.  It's funny, since that's one of my central themes as an adult writer.

What effect does being an author have on you as a reader?

It actually makes it really difficult for me to enjoy books in the way I did before I started writing professionally.  I read much less than I used to - the last thing you want to do after a day struggling with your own books is to pick someone else's up - and when I do read it generally tends to be non-fiction, some sort of research pertaining to whatever I'm currently working on.  When I do read fiction I find it very difficult to slip out of the ultra-critical reviewing mode I tend to use when I'm going over my own work.  it's only rarely that a book can really capture me and carry me along in the way that it used to.

Are there any books you can read again and again?

I used to read the Lord of the Rings every Christmas, but it's actually been a while since I opened it.

Are there any genres that you wouldn’t choose to read?

Ironically, I find it particularly difficult to read fantasy these days, even though it's the genre I write in.  Feels too much like a busman's holiday.  But otherwise I try to read as widely as possible.  Reading is like eating, for good health I think you need a varied diet.

What is the current book on your nightstand/coffee table?

Garth Nix's new book Clariel.  

The first novel in the Half a King series was released in July, the next books is due in February