Newspapers, no...The Colbert Report, yes

What are you reading?

“On my phone, I’m reading The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. It’s just a way of making these agreements with yourself to get a new perspective. I don’t know if it’s self-help, but my friend told me about it, and it sounded like something I could really use. There’s one about not making assumptions, and I guess I do that a lot. But, bookwise? I’m here to get the new Cameron Diaz book about the body.” (The Body Book: The Law of Hunger, the Science of Strength, and Other Ways to Love Your Amazing Body.)

Do you have a preference between e-text and print text?

“I prefer a book. Sometimes, I have to print out things I’m reading online; I don’t feel like it sinks in as well when I read it on a screen. I like just sitting there [with paper], letting myself absorb it, making notes, highlighting, having an interaction with the information. But if it’s on my phone, I’ll read it much quicker — maybe because there’s just that little window of text.”

Why are you interested in the Diaz book?

“One of the first courses I took when I moved to San Diego was about nutrition, and that stuck with me. I saw her on Jimmy Fallon, and she was saying that it was about nutrition at a cellular level — how nutrients affect your cells and stuff. It’s been a while since I’ve read anything about that, and I thought she might have some good insight, since she looks great and seems like she leads a really healthy lifestyle. She was talking about how she cooks chopped onions until they get really crispy and she said they taste like bacon, and I thought, It would be great to have a bacon substitute. I like bacon.

Anything else you’re reading?

“I recently read Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, by John Gray. That was really good. It was written I don’t know how long ago, but it’s so applicable to this day. It was a little bit like an Idiot’s Guide, the way he breaks it down: this is how we men see it, this is how women see it, here are the differences in how we communicate.”

Give me an example.

“When women have a problem, we have to talk it out. If men have something that’s bothering them, they’ll pull away. They want to go into their cave and work it out. Then they’ll come back and be normal again.”

What book was most life-changing for you? “In high school, my favorite book was The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. High school is a tough time and you’re kind of finding yourself and this kid was going through an identity crisis, and it was one of those things where you realize, Okay, other people go through this, too. One of the most interesting things was that there wasn’t anything super-interesting. It just kind of coasts. But, that’s life, and I felt I could relate to that.”

Who is your favorite author?

“Hunter S. Thompson. My brother and I bonded when we first watched the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I just loved his take on the world, his ability to do all these crazy drugs and then write. Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72 was really good — hilarious. He follows McGovern around when he’s running against Nixon and describes what it was like. I loved his writing style. I was really interested in journalism, and journalism is supposed to be objective, but he’s very subjective. And he’s still very well known. I thought it was a really cool type of journalism.”

Do you read any magazines or newspapers?

“Not really. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are my two favorite news sources. And I’ll find stuff online.”

Do you discuss books with your friends?

“Mostly recommendations, if I find a book I like.”