I always dodge this question, because it forces me into talking about literature as a horse race. Triple Crown winners vs. lame hacks? Nah. Of course I have opinions and favorites, but listing them seems tiresome, and anyhow, if I tried I know I’d leave out half the people I really wanted to mention.

What genres do you especially enjoy reading? And which do you avoid?

I read mostly novels, any kind of novels, and poetry, and all kinds of nonfiction, especially some kinds of science, biographies, some history, and books about and by Native Americans, and Tierra del Fuego, and Darwinian adaptation — oh, give me a book and if it’s interesting, I’ll read it. Avoidance? At the moment, I tend to avoid fiction about dysfunctional urban middle-class people written in the present tense. This makes it hard to find a new novel, sometimes.

Which fantasy novels do you consider the best of the genre?

Oh gee, “best” again. And “genre.” Ow. I’ll pretend you asked for a few of my favorite fantasies, O.K.? And I am applying the Dirri (Do I Reread It?) Test. So, for starters: “Alice in Wonderland,” “Gormenghast,” “The Sword in the Stone,” “The Jungle Books,” “The Lord of the Rings.”

And what are your favorite works of science fiction — stories, novels, film?

The Dirri Test filters out a lot of science fiction I’ve enjoyed very much. But Dick’s “The Man in the High Castle,” Arnason’s “Ring of Swords,” McIntyre’s “Dreamsnake” are among those that have passed it, and I expect Miéville’s “Embassytown” will soon join them.

What books might we be surprised to find on your shelves?

I don’t know, because I don’t know what you expect. Would finding all Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin novels be a shock?