Leading up to Christmas, I was feeling that my storytelling reserve was empty. It must have been all of those overlong, self-obsessed New York Story posts that I churned out. So during some free time during Christmas break, I stumbled upon this revolutionary new practice that would improve my vocabulary, fuel my imagination, and teach me from masters of the written word: reading.

I have rarely read for recreation. I read the Lord of the Rings series and a few books like it because, despite my looks, I am a big nerd. People usually mistake me for a small nerd, me being 5′5 and all.

I picked up some good deals at a used bookstore and Amazon. Since Christmas, I’ve read

• Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
• The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
• American Gods by Neil Gaiman
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
• Stardust by Neil Gaiman

I spend at least an hour on the subway round-trip everyday; I have plenty of reading time. After looking for the strong points within each storyteller, I’ve felt refreshed when it comes to my own writing. Now I just need to put down some of these page-turners and start writing!

What kind of books or which authors do you like to read?