What I'm Reading and Watching: Leia Feltham

Leia is in her third semester of her Masters. She is from St. John's, and did her Honours Degree in English at Memorial University.

I'm a huge nerd, and a prime area of interest for me are dystopias and science fiction. Philip K. Dick is my favorite author who writes in these genres, and many of his stories have been adapted into films, including one of my top ten picks Blade Runner.

I think it takes something special to write an effective short story, and I usually have a few collections on my nightstand. The Living Dead gives me my dose of zombies while I'm waiting for the next issue of The Walking Dead. Robert Boynton's The New New Journalism is a compilation of interviews with noteworthy reporters and offers insight into the approaches and techniques they've adopted which have made them successful. It's an interesting read for me because I've worked with a newspaper in the past and it was a great way for me to learn investigative skills and get over the phobia of having lots of people read my ideas. Then for something different there's Leonard Cohen's collection of poetry Book of Longing, which is good for the soul.

When I do have time for some television I've been watching Community, which has been filling the void that Arrested Development left. It's a wonderful combination of physical comedy and intelligent writing. It's worth the 20 minute viewing just to see the end credits with Troy and Abed. Not to mention Chevy Chase, who hasn't lost his touch. I will watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation any time of the year.