“There isn’t much to say for the life of a critic. In the first place, it is entirely too spotty. There are long, quiet stretches where he hasn’t a thing to do with his evenings, and then there are sudden outbursts of such violent activity that he nearly succumbs to apoplexy.”
—Dorothy Parker
“How can I describe my life to you? I think a lot, listen to music. I’m fond of flowers.”
—Susan Sontag
“My personal hobbies are reading, listening to music, and silence.”
—Edith Sitwell
Jeffrey Reads is owned and written by a professional introvert named Jeffrey, who is an enthusiast of all things pop culture. He started his first blog in 2011 after his aunts told him to start posting his movie reviews on the Internet (a blog which may still be active but he’s too scared to look) and he has been writing about movies, books, music, and TV on and off ever since. He’s been reading for as long as his arm muscles could support books and has wanted to be a writer for pretty much the same amount of time.
Jeffrey writes about books for Book Riot, movies and TV for Collider, and music and culture for PopMatters. Previously, he was a music critic for Spectrum Culture and a writer, editor, and producer for the entertainment podcast The Kelly Alexander Show. His writing has also appeared in other places and you can browse some samples of his writing here. He is also the co-host of a Gilmore Girls podcast, Coffee With a Shot of Cynicism, which you can find wherever you listen to podcasts.
He believes that you are never too old for a Disney movie and that anyone who disagrees should be cut loose, and that the solution to just about any problem can be found on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He has seen every episode of Desperate Housewives at least five times (which has influenced him greatly as a writer), and will gladly debate with you which Britney Spears album is the best. You can follow him on Twitter @teeveejeff, Instagram @jeffreyreads, and also find him on Tumblr.
When he’s not writing, Jeffrey can be found trying to catch up on his TV, endlessly rewatching his favorite movies and series, listening to music, or with his nose buried in a book for hours on end. If you were to ever find him out in the wild, it would usually be in a bookstore, the library, any place that sells DVDs, or struggling to keep his eyes open on a commuter train. He’ll read any book that sounds interesting to him, but he will hold a grudge if a book wastes his time.
He can usually be found watching comedies, dramas, soaps, and anything in between. Be sure check out his shelf of favorite books on Goodreads as there are way too many to list here. He listens to all different kinds of music and doesn’t describe himself as a fan of only one genre although he has always been passionate about pop music, and some of his all-time favorite artists include Shania Twain, P!nk, Demi Lovato, and Britney Spears. He wishes he could give you a list of his favorite movies, but this is such a long list and he can’t contain himself long enough to make one in completion (but you can follow him on Letterboxd).
“I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. If you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it full speed. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it, and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good.”
—Roald Dahl
“So many people are shut up tight inside themselves like boxes, yet they would open up, unfolding quite wonderfully, if only you were interested in them.”
—Sylvia Plath
“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”
—Franz Kafka
JEFFREY READS 