John Semmel, software developer, has a weekly ritual. On Sunday mornings, he listens to NPR’s notorious “Puzzlemaster”, Will Shortz’s weekly word puzzle.  John then promptly puts his mental lexicon to work to figure out next week’s challenge and to submit his answer to the show.  Though his submissions nearly always match the intended answer, he has never been selected to participate in the on air quiz.  He remains hopeful and eagerly awaits his 15 minutes of enigmatological fame.

John’s current read: On Language, by William Safire

Tamara Manik-Perlman, GIS Analyst & Project Manager, has often been called a materialist, and she can’t really dispute the label since it captures both her tactile and academic obsessions. Although she’s fascinated by all aspects of material culture, Tamara is particularly taken with textiles and the various techniques for knitting, weaving, dyeing, printing and manipulating fabric. The anthropologist and economic geographer in her is also fascinated by how the desire for and trade in commodities has shaped the course of human history around the globe. (If you’re also curious about supply chains, check out developer David Zwarg’s recent research project Sourcemap.org)

Tamara’s current read: Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History, by Sidney Mintz

John and Tamara are not the only avid readers at Azavea.  We’ve polled everyone in the office on their latest reads which resulted in a pretty stellar list.  Check it out!