There's a huge stereotype surrounding the "indie rocker". You know the type:
- knows loads about music
- dabbles in music creation of their own
- must know a band before they're cool
- once a band sells out, they can't be good.
I think I might be the same way about books. I'm happiest reading something when it isn't *too* cool (exception: Harry Potter). I:
- know a fair amount about science fiction/fantasy literature, I've been an avid reader in the past
- I have dabbled in penning (or typing) my own stories.
Here are the kickers, that make me doubt my interests:
- I like being the person to "discover" an author before their book hits the bestseller list at chapters.
- Once a book is too popular, I feel less good about reading it. I read the Davinci Code on the bus once, and felt like I needed to conceal the cover.
I just bought "Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid" with a birthday gift certificate (yes, my birthday was more than six months ago), and I felt it was a very cool and science-y thing to be reading. It would give me cred.
Upon examining it more closely, I have noticed that it's a 20th anniversary re-print. It's been on the New York Times Bestseller List. Tragedy! I'll have to look elsewhere for my indie cred.
Read Le Ton Bot De Marot by Hofstadter instead: it's a much more coherent read, half the size, more current to his thinking, and oozing street cred.
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