By the book

This collection compiles sixty-five interviews from the New York Times Book Review column, featuring writers such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Neil Gaiman, and David Sedaris. The entries utilize a consistent Q&A format to document the personal libraries, reading habits, and literary influences of contemporary authors. Interviewees identify the specific titles they abandoned halfway through, the books that shaped their childhoods, and the fictional characters they wish to meet. Accompanying these profiles are Jillian Tamaki’s illustrations, which provide visual context for the individual portraits and literary preferences discussed in the text.

Readers who enjoy literary trivia and bibliography will find this a useful resource for discovering new titles and authors. It serves as a practical guide for those seeking to build a reading list based on the recommendations of established novelists and historians. The reader gains insight into how professionals organize their bookshelves and which specific works they consider overrated or overlooked. It offers a direct look at the relationship between a writer’s creative output and their consumption of language and storytelling.

Clear-cut; an easy read.

Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?