Reader's Fave

I recently interviewed Cathlamet resident Ross Lofstrom for our 58th installment of Reader's Fave, a casual interview with someone who shares their favorite book. "I'd say I have a current list of top-five favorite books," Ross said. "Two of the books I've read just in this past year. One was 'Stoner' by John Williams and 'East of Eden' by John Steinbeck. Other favorites would be 'The Count of Monte Cristo,' along with 'Lonesome Dove' by Larry McMurtry and '11/22/63' by Stephen King. 'Stoner' kept popping up on my social media, and I had this book on my shelf. When I finally did read it, I read it in like two or three days. It's one of the few books where I might re-read it, and I almost never do that. It's not a book for everybody. To be clear because of the title, it's not about drugs and all that. There's nothing exciting about the story. It's hard to describe to others, other than the author is clear and precise in his writing."

Admitting he was surprised by "East of Eden," Ross said, "I didn't know about the book, I think I heard about it on 'Book Talk' on Instagram. It was mentioned there, along with Stoner. I was shocked by the book; I was not expecting the intensity of a lot of the scenes in it. I thought it'd be more poetic. It was not at all what I was expecting. I like reading very classic books, but I'm trying to read for enjoyment, not just to get through a classic book. Sometimes, I don't get it at all; the classic book. I'll usually go from a classic book to a fantasy or sci-fi. It kind of clears my mind before I read another work of literature."

Sharing "The Count of Monte Cristo," Ross said, "I read this around 2013, when I first got to Thailand. Another teacher recommended it to me. It's a bit daunting, but it's an amazing, incredible book. It's my benchmark; my standard for comparing other books. It's surprising how the authors are able to make it feel like it could be written in modern times. It's so easy to read. I didn't think books back then would discuss the issues they were talking about. It's a very impactful book."

Discussing Stephen King's "11/22/63," Ross said, "I've read quite a bit of Stephen King. It's too bad people won't pick up his books because they think it's all horror or scary. With the book '11/22/63,' it's a sci-fi and time travel book and, as the numbers in the title suggest, it goes back to JFK's assassination. A guy goes back in time to try to prevent what happened. It's a readable and well told story. It's usually argued that Stephen King doesn't do a very good job ending his books, but this book is well finished."

When asked about early influences, Ross said, "I'd be read to, and my mom and dad, at different points, would get me books. My dad was always reading. When 'Harry Potter' came out, he got two copies so we could both read them at the same time. Mr. Cox at the high school introduced me to some authors and books like 'The Quiet American' by Graham Greene. I read many of these when I was in Thailand."

Sharing his preferred reading method, Ross said, "I like all three. I had a Kindle. [I] don't know what happened to it. I do love physical copies; but, if I'm driving, I'll hop on audio and listen while I'm going to Portland or wherever. I don't have a real preference. I used to think, 'You gotta read. You can't do audio. You have to read the actual words.' I used to think you had to finish the book; but, if you're not gonna enjoy it, why? Who cares? No one is paying attention, so just move on."