The book baton.

The baton having been passed by John, I answer the following:

Name three books on your book shelf. One from each end and one from the middle.

My book shelf? Like I have just one? I’ll pick one that makes me look smart and interesting. Lessee.

On the left, John Rawls “Political Liberalism.” On the right, Alfred Hitchcock’s “My Favorites in Suspense.” And in the middle, Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States.”

What reading material is in your bathroom?

Nothing.

Favorite authors and why?

I have a lot of favorite authors. David Sedaris, because he makes me laugh. Simon Winchester because he makes me smarter. Bill Bryson because he does both at once.

Least favorite authors and why?

I don’t know — I don’t read books that I don’t like.

What author is over rated?

David Foster Wallace. He’s like the David Lynch of writing. I got halfway through “Infinite Jest” before I realized that absolutely nothing was happening, and reading it had become a chore. I’m open to the idea that maybe I just don’t get it, and I should try reading something else by him. He did win a MacArthur Fellowship, after all.

Would you (have you) picked up a woman (or man) in a bookstore?

I can’t see what would be wrong or odd about that. I haven’t done so, but not out of any objection to the concept. More out of being engaged, I suspect.

Do you eat while you read? If so what’s your food of choice?

I read at all times. If I am doing anything that does not require my full attention, I’m reading. It’s not an activity for me, any more than, say, breathing is an activity. Do I eat while I breathe? If so, what’s my food of choice? It’s meaningless.

Name one book you’d recommend for someone searching for meaning or insight or inspiration.

“Jonathan Livingston Seagull.”

Name one book you’d recommend for a day on the beach or a rainy day in the house.

Simon Winchester’s “Krakatoa.”

Do you judge a book by its cover?

Sure.

In the bookstore, what section do you head to first?

No particular section.

I am passing the baton to nobody at all, because chain letters are craziness. Also, this thing is really long, and it’s not fair to inflict it on others.