If we don't value the people who inspire us (and money is one mark of that) then what kind of culture are we building?

We can learn so much looking outside our core field of expertise.

I've always had a keen sense of history. My father was an antiques dealer and he used to bring home boxes full of treasures, and each item always had a tale attached.

Research material can turn up anywhere - in a dusty old letter in an archive, a journal or some old photographs you find in a charity shop.

At the end of the day, that's what a family is - a group of different people who accept each other.

Books exist for me not as physical entities with pages and binding, but in the province of my mind.

I care about a lot of issues. I care about libraries, I care about healthcare, I care about homelessness and unemployment. I care about net neutrality and the steady erosion of our liberties both online and off. I care about the rich/poor divide and the rise of corporate business.