In addition to collecting coins and following the Red Sox, I love to read. I read mostly books, although I do read magazines and newspapers when I have time. I especially like science fiction and fantasy novels. I like the authors Orson Scott Card, George R.R. Martin, Terry Pratchett, Anne McCaffery, Robert Jordan, and J.K. Rowling, among others.
I also participate in Battle of the Books (right), a reading competition in which teams of three people read 12-15 books over five or six months and then have to answer questions about them during the state tournament in February. The questions are in the format "In which book…" and the teams are given thirty seconds to write down a key word from the book's title and the last name of the book's author on the answer sheet. A round consists of 16 such questions, after which the team that got the most right is declared the winner. I've been in Battle of the Books since I was in third grade.
I, along with my friend Donnie Neal, have been integral members of Battle of the Books teams that have won eight district titles (not a remarkable feat) and four state titles, although one of those was a tie for first after 10 overtime questions. We were also one question away from victory in eighth grade (we finished tied for 5th) and finished 3rd in sixth grade. We haven't missed the final round since fifth grade.