In a previous life, I was an aspiring writer. Then I discovered that professional writers are an anachronism, turned away from literature, and learned to code. My return to literature began when I noticed that certain anime and superhero comics had this incredible thing called "subtext", where you had to figure things out based on hints and clues instead of the characters yelling it for you or wearing it tattooed on their foreheads, and started to seek out this mystical quality more generally in the works I consumed.

My favored genre is fantasy, especially fantasy that explores characters and ideas over intricate worldbuilding. The first book I ever read was The Magician's Nephew, soon followed by the other Narnia books, which I read in in-universe chronological order. I've been on a multi-year quest to familiarize myself with classical literature, especially authors with a great skill for language and a fantastical bent, such as the Romantic poets. I'm not very smart, so it's a struggle, but a rewarding one.