Andrew Peterson isn’t embarrassed for not having read a classic book yet: I think that books usually come to us when we’re ready to read them.

Since the New York Times Book Review has not seen fit to interview this author (yet) for their By the Book feature, I decided to answer their most common questions myself.

What books are on your night stand?
“Rum Punch” by Elmore Leonard, “Dubliners” by James Joyce, and the collected run of “Swamp Thing” by Alan Moore.

What’s the last great book you read?
“The Weight of Ink” by Rachel Kadish. I’ve read many books since then but this one has stayed with me the longest.

Are there any classic novels that you only recently read for the first time?
I’m reading “Moby Dick” for the first time even as I write this answer. I’m having a difficult time deciding what genre this novel could be characterized under? Thankfully, I found an annotated edition online that I keep handy on my phone with each chapter that I read.

Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).
I really like reading with the morning light over my shoulder, with a mug of hot Anastasia tea within reach, and a cat on my lap. If classical music is playing softly in the background then so much the better.

What’s your favorite book no one else has heard of?
Such an interesting question. For today I’ll say “Genesis” by Bernard Beckett. It’s a post-apocalyptic, philosophical novel that looks at looks at questions of the origins of life, human consciousness, and the nature of a soul. It has a ridiculously slim page count (150 pages) for such grand explorations but Beckett makes every word count.

What book should everybody read before the age of 21?
“To Kill a Mockingbird.”

What book should nobody read until the age of 40?
“A River Runs Through It” by Norman Maclean. Honestly, I believe that the reader has to have some history in their rear-view mirror before tackling this novella.

Which writers — novelists, playwrights, critics, journalists, poets — working today do you admire most?
I wish that I was more well-read of authors who are producing works today. Many of the authors I read have been dead for decades if not centuries. Madeline Miller (“The Song of Achilles” and “Circe”) certainly tops the list, as does Jill Lepore and Russell Shorto. I’ve enjoyed the crime fiction of John Harvey as well.

What moves you most in a work of literature?
Characters, characters, and characters. A connection with the characters is vitally important to me. I’m willing to follow a good character anywhere, no matter the locations traveled or the MacGuffin searched for within the pages. I won’t stay in a book with characters that leave me cold. Give me a good character to hold on to and I’ll follow the author to the last page.

Which genres do you especially enjoy reading? And which do you avoid?
Fiction works for me, especially detective fiction for the moment. Memoirs are appealing, as well. I spent thirty years devouring Sci-Fi/Fantasy so a story in that genre needs to be something special for me to pick it up at this point.

How do you organize your books?
I have one-third less bookshelves in my house than I need. Conversely, I have small piles in my writing room waiting to be fit onto shelves if a book (once read) falls from its exalted space high above the floor.

What book might people be surprised to find on your shelves?
Surprised to find? Possibly “The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary” by Robert Alter. My exploration of “Gilgamesh”, “Beowulf”, and other heroic myths has taught me the importance of the translator of an ancient text. I decided to turn the same critical eye that I used on those works onto the Bible.

What’s the best book you’ve ever received as a gift?
The first adult book that I ever took out of the Pembroke Public Library was “A Princess of Mars” by Edgar Rice Burroughs that had cover art by Frank Frazetta. I read the whole series multiple times. For the longest time mine was the only name on the borrower’s card. Decades later, a dear friend who had connections at the library gifted me with this exact book. To this day I can hold it and remember reading it in my childhood home, or holding it on my lap as my Mom drove us home from the library. This book is a visceral reminder of my childhood. I cherish it.

Who is your favorite fictional hero or heroine? Your favorite antihero or villain?
Horatio Hornblower by C.S. Forrester is a favorite, as are Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin from Patrick O’Brian. Captain John Carter of Mars is a sentimental favorite.

My favorite antihero? Elric of Melniboné, hands-down. No one else comes close.

What kind of reader were you as a child? Which childhood books and authors stick with you most?
I was a voracious reader, first of comic books and then “Edith Hamilton’s Mythology” which I devoured over and over again. I had a library card and I used it well. Every Christmas my Uncle Charlie and Aunt Pat gave me a ten dollar gift certificate to Paperback Booksmith in the Hanover Mall – a chiefly sum in 1975 to be sure. I’ve haunted bookshops for as long as I can remember.

What books are you embarrassed not to have read yet?
I’m not embarrassed not to have read a book yet. I think that books usually come to us when we’re ready to read them.

You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?
J.R.R. Tolkien, Elmore Leonard, and Norman Maclean. I would love to sit and listen to these three writers discuss any topic earnestly. Of course, copious amounts of ale and whisky would be on-hand to loosen the tongue. Can I add Homer? I would love to know if one man or dozens of storytellers show up with his invitation in hand.

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