A Third-String Quarterback's Lookshelf

1) Who are you and where are you?

I'm Bill and I live in down Detroit. No, it's not scary -- you just have to keep your head about you. I'm a native Clevelander and remain monogamous in my devotion to that city's sports teams, but Detroit is epically cool. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Oh, and John King used books -- which have nearly 1 million books -- is just down the street.
 
2) What do you do for work?

I'm a reporter, writer and blogger for a popular weekly business newspaper in Detroit. I also freelance for a magazine and Web site devoted to the Cleveland Browns. Woof. I was the third-string quarterback of an arena football team a couple years ago, and I'm writing a book about it called "Last String." I hope that shows up on your shelves one day.

3) What do you do for fun?

Read. Obviously.
 
4) Tell me something about your bookshelves.

This is maybe 15% of the entire shelf, which actually is an entertainment center I bought in 1996. Since I graduated to a large flatscreen TV, the entertainment center is now purely a bookshelf. The top shelf, part of which is shown here, is all military. Other shelves are devoted to the Beats, Hunter S. Thompson, Charles Bukowski, George Orwell, classic literature and just random books. This is one of five bookshelves in the house.
 
5) Tell me something about ONE of the books on your shelf.

The thin blue book you probably can't make the title out ... that's the Maneuver Warfare Handbook by William S. Lind. Hard to find. I enjoy reading about how modern combat is conducted, the X's and O's of moving men and stuff on a battlefield. It's quite complex and fascinating. Oh, and the bobblehead if Charles Bukowski, a 35th birthday gift from my beloved girlfriend.