Hello reader who is also a reader, and welcome to Booked For The Week – our regular Sunday chat with a selection of cool industry folk about books! As usual, I have to stuff my new cat into every post. I've tried to suggest several books to her, but she hasn't managed to turn a single page so far. What a big dumbo. The best dumbo. The sweetest, smartest dumbo in the world, yes she is. Hmm. This week it's Anastasia Dukakis, Narrative Designer at Supermassive, Niantic and Sensible Object and Limit Break Mentor! Cheers Ana! Mind if we take a look at your library?
What are you currently reading?
I recently started reading Stephen King's A Fairy Tale. It's a bit slow, but it gives the text this almost oral quality that I love – you really feel like you're walking with Charlie in his thoughts, going from 2010s Illinois to dark fantasy.
The story takes classic fairy tale elements (the old shoemaker, the buckets of gold, the creatures that lurk in the dark) and freshens them up by visiting them through the eyes of a down-to-earth suburban teenager.
He also comes with a very charming dog that will surely make you melt. I really hope he manages to get through the rest of the story without any problems…
What did you read last?
Doing Good Better, by William MacAskill, on effective altruism. It presents evidence-based arguments for why – and how – we can care for the world and our fellow human beings. It’s a popular answer for professors, but it’s solid as motivation for making practical, positive changes in your daily life.
What do you plan to do next?
Our very cool and very goth game director, Alejandro Gallardo, recently recommended Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (as well as Lestat the Vampire). When he described the characters, their moral conundrums immediately grabbed me: What do you do when you’ve lived for decades trapped in a child’s body, perceived as something completely different from what you are on the inside? And by the way, are you a vampire? I guess I’ll have to read to find out!
What quote or scene from a book has left a lasting impression on you?
Spoilers ahead for Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro):
The scene where Tommy and Kathy plead their case for a “deferral,” but are immediately dismissed. It’s something the characters and the reader suspected, but it breaks you all the same. The moment is both polite and brutal. And the whole book is bathed in this poignant, nostalgic syrup, so much so that by the time you get to that point, you want to run into a field and scream, just like Tommy (complimentary).
What book do you ask your friends to read to you?
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray. Spoiler alert: Skippy dies. From there, events go in all directions – before death, after, from multiple points of view. The book has a brilliant sense of humor, but manages to treat the characters with tenderness… it’s beautiful.
I'm also a defender of Ted Chiang, especially his short story collection Stories of Your Life and Others. Given his many Nebula Awards, I'm not sure he's in desperate need of defenders, but I do like the way he connects universe-scale concepts to human-scale stories.
What book would you like to see someone adapt into a game?
Again, I cheat and add two contenders:
I think Toshikazu Kawaguchi's Before The Coffee Gets Cold would be nice. The book contains several slices of life, all starting in the same coffee shop. It's strangely like a marriage of the retrospection and interconnectivity of Edith Finch, with the warm atmosphere of Coffee Talk.
Otherwise, a modern adaptation of Emma would be nice. Jane Austen's works are constantly being adapted… And I'm up for it! I've seen Emma (2020), Aisha, Emma Approved and Clueless… it's the video game version that's missing!
Another great list of recommendations for my retreat. But as you can imagine, I am absolutely distraught that Ana didn’t manage to go further at the end, continuing to add contenders until she had achieved the very secret goal of this column and named every book in existence. A predictable outcome, but not entirely unpleasant, as it means that the pile of recommendations will get yet another list next week. Book now!