John began working at the College a little more than eight years ago, and is a member of the Swarthmore Dining team. He became a manager there and has absolutely adored his time on campus. When he’s not at work, he enjoys being at home with his kids and wife playing games, watching movies, or going to the park. He is also an avid baseball fan and enjoys spending as much time at the ballpark as he can. He loves reading in his free time and tries to juggle that time management with his other hobbies, which include video games, tabletop games such as Dungeons and Dragons, and collecting Pokémon cards with his kids.

What are you reading these days? I am currently juggling a few books & graphic novels. When I'm not reading books for the college's faculty/staff reading group, I'm filling the gaps with fantasy fiction, novels, and graphic novels. I'm currently reading the second book of The Witcher series, volume 4 of The Adventure Zone (Dungeons and Dragons-themed graphic novel/comic), as well as deep into Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn saga.

Describe your favorite place to read on campus: There are a few quiet spots in the Dining and Community Commons that I like to hide away in on breaks to read, but most people will tell you that a majority of my reading on campus is done while traversing the campus. I often have my nose buried in a book while walking from one side of campus to the other. I like to kill two birds with one stone.

Is there a book you've read multiple times? Most of my repeat readings are from Kurt Vonnegut. I have read incredible books like Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-five on multiple occasions. I try to revisit books that I read in college and have a tough time recalling.

Who is your favorite author? Aside from thoroughly enjoying the works of Vonnegut, I am a huge fan of Neil Gaiman. American Gods, Good Omens, and The Sandman are all some of my favorites.

What's the latest book you could not finish even though you thought you should? I tried using the reading push of last summer's reading contest to get through a book called The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D. It was recommended to me by a personal therapist as well as many other people. I got about 60 pages into it and found it tough to read for many reasons. I hope to revisit it and get through it some time soon.

What literary character would you most like to be friends with? Kelsier, a character from Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series. I've recently been reading this series and find the character to be simply incredible. A person who has gone through so much terrible tragedy and trauma who can't help but to persist and remain optimistic even in the face of terrible fortune. A very inspiring character who brings out so much in the people around them, no matter how frustrated they may be or how dark times may seem.

Do you have a literary nemesis? Don Quixote. This massive classic has been sitting on my dresser and nightstand for years now, and it is taunting me constantly. I just haven't found the courage to crack it open and begin reading it. I know I am going to thoroughly enjoy it, but I expect it will take me quite a long time to get through it.

What is your favorite reading genre? I am a huge fan of fantasy/sci-fi works as well as graphic novels.

What book do you recommend most often? Saga, Saga, Saga. This graphic novel series was recommended to me for last year's summer reading program by the spouse of a coworker and I proceeded to read every single volume and book I could get in the span of only a few days/weeks. It's very graphic, so I will preface the recommendation with that, but I loved it.

What's the best movie adaptation of a book you've read? The Princess Bride. This is extremely biased as it is one of my all-time favorite books, but the movie is in my top three all-time movies and I find the movie to be far better than the book, which is not typically the case.

What author would you like to meet, and what would you ask them? I would love to actually meet the McElroy brothers, who helped create The Adventure Zone series, which is a graphic novel/comic based on their own Dungeons & Dragons podcast that was adapted into this separate medium. I love their characters and could seemingly talk about multiple fandoms at the same time with them.

What book made an early impact on you and why? Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books. Like many people it was my entry point into fantasy/high fantasy fiction and I never looked back. The world and the characters started my love for the genre.

What is one lesson you learned from a book that you think everyone should know? A thirst for vengeance and revenge can all too often blind you to what is in front of you.

What book surprised you with its ending? The end of the first Mistborn book genuinely surprised me. The book does a great job of bouncing between the current world and diary entries from one of the main characters, setting up an amazing final sequence and story beat.

What book did you not realize you would love as much as you do? Dark Archives was recently brought up during one of the Faculty-Staff Book Group lunches and before the meeting concluded I had requested a copy to be dropped off at McCabe. I don't typically read non-fiction but this book scratched enough of my love of horror/macabre that I didn't mind its historical stories. I found each story of historical figures fascinating as it relates to the anthropodermic bibliopegy (the practice of binding books in human skin) the book studies.