“It takes great self-confidence to write a newspaper column. Some might say it takes arrogance. Be that as it may, my willingness to pronounce on a great many matters of which I have little or no knowledge is one of my prime qualifications for this trade.”
– Russell Baker, The New York Times, Aug. 6, 1996
The same could be said of literary review and criticism.
If you want to know more about me, well, really all you need to know is that I love to read. Voraciously. I love books; anything and everything. Maugham, Tolkien, William Gibson, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Arthur C. Clarke, Poppy Z. Brite, Catcher in the Rye, Zorba the Greek — these are a few of my favorite things.
And I like to write; I’ve worked as a journalist for a long time (in spite of the this). Frankly I’m tired of writing about what other people want me to write about. Tired of writing about things I don’t care about.
So here I am.
Book reviews seem like a natural fit, no?
Books that I actually want to read, that is.
If you want to find out more about Jeff Chappell the journalist and would-be photographer, just follow that link. You’ll find out more than you ever wanted to know about my professional life.
If you want to find out more about what else is on my mind (such as it is) beyond matters of the Fourth Estate and the Internet (and other than books), you can visit my personal blog, The Gecko’s Bark. Here you will also learn about me, geckos and barking.
