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Is it possible to be a good writer without being a good reader? From the time I learned to read, I always had a book in my hand—when I tied my shoes, as I walked to school (dangerous in New York City), and when had free time. I just began to write a couple of years ago, and I know that all my reading put cadences and rhythms in my head. According to a report of the Independent Book Publishing Association, over five million American adults belong to reading groups. What, do you believe, is the basis for this country's love for literature and books? People think that reading is a lonely activity, and they crave company, to talk about what they have read and share their thoughts and feelings. I think that reading groups are wonderful because they make people read books they might not have tried and force them to have opinions about what they have read. Have you ever belonged to a reading group? I never did, but being an editor for over 40 years is like belonging to the longest-running book club you can imagine. We talked about books all day, and sometimes into the night. What advice do you have for reading group members when it comes to selecting books for discussion? There are two things that I treasure about the reading experience: feeling new emotions and learning things. So I would think that groups should choose books that are well written, of course, but also that inform our sensibilities and increase our empathy. A good plot isn’t bad, either! What books are you reading now or do you plan to read? Alice Munro, The View from Castle Rock, and the new John Grisham—I’m a mystery fan from way back. If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only bring one book with you to read, what would it be and why? Anna Karenina or War and Peace, I’m not sure which. All right, it’s Anna Karenina. She’s my favorite heroine because she is so passionate and so misguided. If you could have dinner with three writers (dead or alive) who would they be and why? Marquez, J.K. Rowling, and Anthony Trollope Have you ever read anything you're too embarrassed to admit (except in this interview)? Nah (not telling). But I have to admit that I have read basically every good mystery ever written. It’s my guilty pleasure, for which I can give you many good reasons and rationalizatons. I started out on Dorothy Sayers in college, and I am still partial to the women detective novels, from P. D. James to Sara Paretzky. Favorite book when you were a child? Mistress Masham’s Repose, by T.H. White. It’s a book about a lonely girl who triumphs. I found it long before reading The Secret Garden, which still has a special place in my heart. I also read every biography of Eleanor Roosevelt I could get my hands on. Ditto Joan of Arc. If you have children, is this the same book you read to them? If not, what is your favorite book for your children? I have sons, so the girl books I loved were not right for them. Today I would read The Hobbi, for instance, because it emphasizes the hero in each of us. Favorite heroine in literature and why? All those strong girls in the novels I mentioned were important to me because they helped me to imagine myself as a strong girl, too. In a time when independence and strong-mindedness were not encouraged these heroines gave me courage. Favorite hero in literature and why? It's hard to say. Favorite first line from a book? “Happy families are all alike…” I think this sentence from Anna Karenina is alluring and thoroughly wrong, and I love thinking about it. Favorite last line from a book? ”And now we shall begin.” That’s the last line of Portnoy’s Complaint and it is a brilliant ending because it indicates that the story has barely just begun. I love Phillip Roth, by the way. Book that changed your life? I couldn’t possibly answer that question because books are changing my life every day. Every really good book should change you just a bit, I think. I was such a crazed reader as a young girl; it was the act of reading itself that formed who I am. Words to live by? If you stay true to yourself you’ll always be OK.
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