NL: Can you share a bio with us?
TD: I am a criminal defense appellate attorney. My work is all in California and most of my clients have been convicted of murder and several are sentenced to death. I am also a vice-president of the Nyack Library Board of Trustees. I am an avid reader.
NL: What are you currently reading? Do you like it?
TD: I am currently reading The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin. It is the November book pick of my long time book club. I do like it. It is a memoir about drug addiction in the middle class with some excellent writing.
NL: If you could have any author speak at Nyack Library, who would it be and why?
TD: Hard choice. There are so many to pick from. I would say S.A. Cosby. I like his gritty characters who make bad choices and do bad things but have a soft heart. I saw him speak in CA and really enjoyed it.
NL: Which character in a book do you most identify with?
TD: I like a good homicide detective.
NL: What books are on your night stand?
TD: Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler; American Shtetl–the Making of Kiryas Joel by Nomi Stolzenberg (my former law professor); and Field Guide to Forgiveness (On-order) by Rebecca Watkins (a book of poems by a fellow workout enthusiast at Nyack Boot Camp!)
NL: Are there any books that you feel are overrated?
TD: I never understood the popularity of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
NL: Do you have a literary “guilty pleasure”?
TD: Despite the overlap with my job, I like a good murder mystery.
NL: Would you ever organize your books by color? Yea or Nay?
TD: No–unless I had a major work deadline and was trying to procrastinate
NL: What do you plan to read next?
TD: Probably Parable of the Sower. I borrowed it from my brother months ago and he might remember and ask for it back. (Do not share this interview with him!).
NL: What’s the first book that you remember reading?
TD: I have always loved Go, Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman. But the first book I read myself that stuck with me all these years is Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. I just found a copy this month at the Nyack Library book sale and bought it!
NL: What’s your least favorite book?
TD: I can’t really think of one. In the past few years I have finally granted myself permission to stop reading a book if I am not liking it. No more trudging through books I don’t like. Time is too short and there are SO MANY good books.