Eddie Schneider

Literary fiction: I’m an avid reader of literary fiction, and what lights up my cerebral cortex here are more plot-driven novels with a strong emotional core, which engage in areas beyond and outside the middle-class concerns endemic to a large swath of books published in this genre. Two examples of (non-client) novels from the last few years that I particularly enjoyed are Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being and Louise Erdrich’s Round House.

Science fiction: I love science fiction, especially SF set in the near future, often with social or cultural commentary, as well as the occasional space opera. Two examples of (non-client) novels that I enjoyed in this vein are Ursula K. LeGuin’s classic The Left Hand of Darkness and Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower. I am very much interested in SF written from non-Western cultural perspectives, and one good non-client example of that is G. Willow Wilson’s Alif the Unseen.

Fantasy: With fantasy, my favorite novels have tended to be those that toe both the real world and the fantastic. In any case, I go for stories with intricate, imaginative settings that are internally consistent, address political and social concerns, and have often found myself preferring tight writing to florid. I’m especially interested in fantasy novels set outside the Northern European milieu from which the genre originated. Two examples of (non-client) novels that I particularly enjoyed like this are Octavia Butler’s Kindred and Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.

Young Adult: My favorite YA novels tend to be both character- and concept-driven, while embracing the intensity of emotion that characterizes a lot of the best YA fiction. A couple (non-client) favorites published in recent years include Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone and American Street by Ibi Zoboi.

Middle Grade: Middle grade novels have a special resonance for me, in part because the genre has such breadth. As with YA, I’m also interested in both realistic/contemporary and sf/fantasy. Two examples of (non-client) novels that I really enjoyed are Dianna Wynne Jones’ classic Howl’s Moving Castle and Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me.

Science: I have wide-ranging interests here that include the physical, earth, life, medical, and social sciences. Science books most likely to appeal to me tend to deal with specific topics, and sometimes unlikely ones. Examples of (non-client) books in this vein that I enjoyed are Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and especially Mary Roach’s Stiff.

History: I am interested in histories that focus on a single subject, rather than wide-ranging works about a time or place. I particularly enjoy historical biographies, including those where the biography’s subject is an artifact or commodity. Examples of (non-client) books that capture the essence of what I’m after are Michael W. Twitty’s The Cooking Gene and Doris Kearns Goodwin’s No Ordinary Time.

Narrative nonfiction: Here, I’m interested in memoirs that take on issues that extend beyond those in the author’s own life, travel narratives that are socially engaged and possess an individual stamp, and in ‘nonfiction novels.’ Examples of (non-client) books that follow some of these paths include Sy Montgomery’s The Good, Good Pig and Lynne Cox’s Swimming to Antarctica.