Staff Feature - Ms. Rost

What do you most like to read?  (this could be a literary genre, or a type of material, like blogs, magazines, etc.)

These days, I seem to gravitate toward nonfiction across all mediums – from books to newspapers to blogs. (I suspect it has something to do with the fact that I used to be a newspaper reporter.) I’ll read the Los Angeles Times at lunch in the Admin Building most days, and I subscribe to the New York Times on Sundays. That’s more for keeping on top of news, of course, but I really love digging into personal accounts and features that illuminate current events and recent history.

Do you have a favorite book/author/publication?

Too many, in fact! My favorite book of all time is probably The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, which is just so beautifully written. It’s the story of a brother and sister who are separated in India and the various trials they have to endure to be reunited. As for authors, I always have to read anything new from Ann Patchett, Tim O’Brien, Michael Cunningham and Barbara Kingsolver. Michael Chabon and Margaret Atwood are quickly joining that group.

What's the last great thing you read?

How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran, which is part of my nonfiction kick. She’s a British columnist, and I had to get her book after hearing her interviewed on NPR because she is absolutely hysterical. The book is basically stories about her youth framed in such a way as to undercut a lot of what we hear in the media about how women should and should not behave, or should and should not look. There are definitely some sensitive, controversial topics discussed, so it’s not a book for everyone, but there were so many times when I couldn’t stop myself from laughing out loud.

Where do you most like to read?

Like how some people can sleep anywhere, I can read anywhere. I probably do most of my reading on my living-room couch on my laptop, but as long as I’m comfortable, I can read.

When you were in high school, did you like to read?  If so, what?

Oh yes. When I was even younger than that, I’d get in trouble for reading at the dinner table. I went through phases in high school – I’d go from Jane Austen to sci-fi to John Grisham. There was a point where my friends teased me because I’d pick up a book after seeing and liking the movie, like Emma for “Clueless,” or “Circle of Friends,” or “Wings of the Dove.”

What is your most hated book and why?

There are two that come to mind. First, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. Everyone told me it was so great – including people whose taste I trust! – but I couldn’t stand that book. The main character was just so whiny and self-centered. Secondly, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. There are a lot of people who don’t like Ayn Rand for her politics, and while I don’t agree with her, I read The Fountainhead and found it thought-provoking. I borrowed my aunt’s copy of Atlas Shrugged when I was in college, and I still have it because I’ve never gotten through it. At one point, there’s a 60-page speech from one character, and as a writer, I find that offensive! Writing concisely is not her strength.