David Sosnowski

David Sosnowski has worked as a gag writer, fireworks salesman, telephone pollster, university writing instructor, and environmental protection specialist, while living in cities as varied as Washington, DC; Detroit, Michigan; and Fairbanks, Alaska. He is the author of three previous critically acclaimed novels, Rapture, Vamped, and Happy Doomsday.

Sosnowski's new novel is Buzz Kill.

Recently I asked the author about what he was reading. Sosnowski's reply:

Right now, the topmost book on my Kindle is The Depositions: New and Selected Essays on Being and Ceasing to Be by Thomas Lynch, a poet, essayist, and funeral director hailing from my home state of Michigan. Mr. Lynch’s writings on what he calls “the dismal trade,” in The Undertaking and elsewhere, served as inspiration for Alan Ball when he was working on the HBO series, Six Feet Under, as attested to in the foreword by Mr. Ball to this wonderful collection drawn from several of the author’s previous works. I’ve been a big fan for a long time and have had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Lynch read in public, something I recommend highly to any and all who get the chance; he’s the best. Also, for those who might be put off by the morbidity of the subject matter, I assure you that the essays here are full of wit and wisdom and a deep compassion for that common denominator destined to lay all of us low, sooner or later (preferably the latter).

I’ve also recently read (and loved!) The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell about a miners strike in northern Michigan (the Copper Country of the title) in the early part of the previous century. While the events surrounding that strike may be less well-known than those connected to the Triangle Shirtwaist fire they are every bit as dramatic and illustrative of why we need strong unions for a strong middle class – an especially important and timely message as that particular demographic seems more and more endangered every day.

And lastly, Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Issacson. While I’ve always been fascinated by Da Vinci’s mix of science and art and the startling prescience of his vision, it recently occurred to me that I hadn’t actually read a full-length biography. Mr. Isaacson’s work has helped me correct that oversight while offering numerous insights into Leonardo’s many, interconnected passions.

Visit David Sosnowski's website.

My Book, The Movie: Happy Doomsday.

The Page 69 Test: Happy Doomsday.

--Marshal Zeringue