Patron-Only AMA Questions September 2025

Who are some of your favorite publishers right now?

Since you don’t come from an academic literature background, do you ever wish you had a degree in it? Or do you think coming at books without that training has actually given you a more unique voice as a reviewer?

I found your Youtube channel a few months ago and thoroughly enjoyed your content, so first of all, thanks! My question(s) is - how do you find the act of putting up literary commentary in today’s climate (even by comparing the scene of when you started versus now)? It feels like each year, cultural works blend more with the trends of social politics, while the aesthetic core of great literature, that was once rooted in its transgressive dialogue with the canon, gets overshadowed by social agenda. How do you personally allow both your selection of books + personal notes to be influenced by the pressures to adhere to these burgeoning ethical codes, and more generally, do you feel the ethics of a work resides within the work itself, or in its treatment by cultural agents engaged with it such as yourself? I'd be keen to hear your views, even in terse outlines.

Desert Island rock album?

Tell us about your exercise routine. How many days per week / how long / what workouts and can you make a Patreon only workout Spotify playlist for us — you have such great musical taste for that!

What are some of your favourite novels/novellas/short stories for fall and Halloween?

What is the funniest book you've ever read? Are there any books you've read that aren't supposed to be funny at all but that you found hilarious?

I recently watched the first video you uploaded on the channel and your mission was to make people read more (mission accomplished if I can say so myself :) ). My question is that at what point did you decide, if you ever did, to pursue this full time? To me, a corporate job worker, it sounds like such a romantic dream. What moved you from a hobbyist to a "professional" book reviewer? Also related to that, in the first video you also said that you're sure you'll be making many mistakes (I found that charming). So when you decided to become a "professional" book reviewer, how did you reconcile with the fact that you're not an "expert"? (I put quotes around some terms coz I only use them with a good amount of skepticism - no one's really an expert). Personally, this kind of imposter syndrome thinking is also what has prevented me from reading more difficult books because it can feel pretentious to read difficult books when there is no authority to validate your thoughts and interpretations.

What is your favorite concert you have attended?

Desert Island author! Go!

Have you read The Secret History by Donna Tartt? (It seems like one of those books that inspired hundreds of books and kinda created their own “genre”)

If you could read fluently in another language, which language would you pick? (And what would you want to read).

Read somewhere recently that every great American writer is attempting to rewrite “moby-dick” while every European is attempting to rewrite “Faust.” Given all you read, was he onto something or an elitist snob?

What is your favorite book (fiction or non-fiction) that places emphasis on the environment or climate?

Do you have any reading superstitions or rituals? What's the longest you've ever spent reading a single book?

I will throw some questions here but you can answer only one of them if you like. Is there any chance to make videos about movies again ? Like Better than movies ? Have you ever thought about writing a book ? How do you read a book ? Like the way you take notes or do research about certain passages. If you could start again what would you do differently? If you would get bored of reading books, what would you do? :)

Which book (or books) made you fall in love with literature and paved the way to start Better Than Food?

Are there any books that you have come back to and changed your mind about?

What's your daily routine or does it change?

Who are the authors (and books) that you used to love when younger and now don't care for?

If you could be any writer, which one would you be? And if I may extend this question, what about their life entices you the most?

What is your favorite album released this year?

Is your favourite book still Story of the Eye, or has your preference changed?

Boxers or briefs?

What is your favourite book about a musician/band?