in which the author discusses five books he’d read, if time permitted.

1. Joss Whedon: The Complete Companion: The TV Series, the Movies, the Comic Books and More: The Essential Guide to the Whedonverse, by PopMatters.
Joss Whedon went to my college. So did Jem Cohen and, uh, MGMT and, uh—-did I mention Joss Whedon?

2. A Natural Woman, by Carole King.
I found a dusty Tapestry cassette at a thrift store in my early 20s and I decided to figure out what the fuss was all about. So, I bought it and popped the tape in the stereo of my Chevy Celebrity and rocked “I Feel the Earth Move.” Though I routinely fast-forwarded “You’ve Got a Friend,” I felt that the purchase was more than worth it. In fact, I listened to Tapestry regularly — until I found a copy of Pantera’s Vulgar Display of Power at another thrift store.

3. The Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel, by Stephen King.
It’s tough for me to devote any more time to the “Dark Tower” series after the really bummerific ending of the seventh book. I mean, come on—-that sh*t took two decades to read, and then King has the balls to just be like: “Check it. This series is crazy. Instead of writing a real ending, I’ma just do a postmodern switcheroo and have the whole series start again!” So, I’ll read this eventually—-but in the meantime, I’ll just have my boy @aleitko read that sh*t and summarize it over Korean BBQ. Where you at, @aleitko?

4. A Mind of Winter, by Shira Nayman.
Any book that steals its title from a Wallace Stevens poem is probably worth a look.

5. Search Sweet Country, by Kojo Laing.
In my world, America is in decline, and China is the new America, but Africa is the new China.