Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.

When I first decided I wanted to be a writer, when I was 10, 11 years old, the books that I loved obviously and openly fit that description: They came with maps and glossaries and timelines - books like Lord Of The Rings, Dune, The Chronicles Of Narnia. I imagined that's what being a writer was: You invented a world, and you did it in a very detailed way, and you told stories that were set in that world.

I love Richard Yates, his work, and the novel, Revolutionary Road. It's a devastating novel.

If children are not permitted-not taught-to be adventurers and explorers as children, what will become of the world...?

Every time another review comes out I let out a deep breath.

The things I keep going back to, rereading, maybe they say more about me as a reader than about the books. Love in the Time of Cholera, Pale Fire.

In the immemorial style of young men under pressure, they decided to lie down for a while and waste time.