Lois Lowry

Lois Lowry has published over 30 books for children, including the Newbery Award-winning Number the Stars (1990) and The Giver (1994). Her new book, Crow Call, is due out in October.

A few days ago I asked her what she was reading. Her reply:

I usually have more than one book going at the same time, and that is true now. I'm reading Rafael Yglesias's A Happy Marriage, which though written in fictional form is really a memoir: the story of his own long and happy marriage. The chapters are interspersed, going back and forth, beginning with his first meeting Margaret, immediately contrasted in chapter two with her last days as he cares for her during her final illness, then back to their courtship in chapter three. It's a -- I began to say "glimpse" but it is much more than a glimpse -- it is a study of a deep and lasting relationship through many years.

At the same time, I too am going back and forth, and my other book is an Anthony Trollope --The Duke's Children -- sixth in his Palliser series, and a good read in a rainy summer. Trollope never disappoints. His keen insights into the social and political issues of the day are still fresh, and his novels, though lengthy, move along at a fast clip (many were serialized, like those of Dickens).

Visit Lois Lowry's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue