What books are on your nightstand?
John le Carré’s “A Perfect Spy” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”; Zadie Smith’s “Grand Union”; Eve Babitz’s “Sex and Rage”; “A Short History of London,” by Simon Jenkins, “Discovering the News,” by Michael Schudson, and (for reasons I can’t explain quickly) “Stop Reading the News: A Manifesto for a Happier, Calm, and living wiser,” by Rolf Dobelli I also have a copy of “Hotel Scarface,” a book by my friend Roben Farzad about an old drug dealer’s hangout in Miami, which happened to be the hangout of my old retired father-in-law’s drug dealer.
What’s the last great book you read?
“Vladimir”, by Julia May Jonas. It was delicious and weird, and the underlying social commentary was sharp. The big turn really touched me.
Are there any classic novels that you have only recently read for the first time?
“Sex and Rage” by Eve Babitz, which I didn’t read until after she passed away. The book made me want to go back to Los Angeles, tan, drink too much, smoke too much, be way too obsessive—and maybe rewrite the first half of my own book under its “postcard blue” sky.
Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).
It’s 80 degrees, I’m lying on a cushioned beach chair with a large umbrella over my head and a small one in my glass. My husband sits next to me and reads his own book. Crucially, our children are a three-hour flight away.
What is your favorite book that no one else has heard of?
Tiziano Terzani’s “A Fortune-Teller Told Me: Earthbound Travels in the Far East.” It is about an Italian foreign correspondent, based in Asia, who writes for a German magazine. When a Hong Kong fortune teller warns him not to fly for a year, he persuades his editor to let him travel to his stories by boat, train, car, bus and on foot. He goes all over Southeast Asia, a region he has reported on for decades, and finds a whole new way of understanding it. It’s one of the main reasons I decided to work as a foreign correspondent, and I did, if only for a short time. I wanted what Terzani wanted. The book haunts me because I never really understood it.
Which writers – novelists, playwrights, critics, journalists, poets – working today do you most admire?
I’m biased, and you’ll probably never allow this answer, but my husband, Tony Dokoupil, tells a great story and that’s why I asked him out. The story was an ironic ode to Styrofoam. And I fell in love with him when I read his memoir, “The Last Pirate”.
Speaking of journalists, off the top of my head, Martha Gellhorn’s coverage of the liberation of Dachau is essential. Jodi Kantor has a gift for telling great stories. The same goes for Jane Mayer. Jamelle Bouie writes with power and grace. Masha Gessen has been haunted since the invasion of Ukraine.
Do you have any comfort readings?
I have a weakness for fantasy, anything that gets me out of my own head: “Harry Potter”, “His Dark Materials”, “The Magicians”, “The Lord of the Rings”, “A Game of Thrones”. I look forward to reading “Dune”. I also love ‘The Night Circus’ by Erin Morgenstern.
Has a book ever brought you closer to someone else, or come between you?
My mother used to read me the classics when I was little: ‘The Little Prince’, ‘The Secret Garden’, ‘Charlotte’s Web’, ‘Heidi’. Later, when she said goodbye to my father, she sent me ‘Fear of Flying’ and ‘Tropic of Cancer’. To this day we exchange books. It’s like getting a postcard out of the other person’s head without even having to talk about it. Because who wants to talk about it?
How do you organize your books?
Not me. They are piled up in rooms all over my house. So when I’m stuck somewhere watching my kids (whom I love and enjoy) smash blocks together, I have something interesting to pick up.
What’s the best book you’ve ever received as a gift?
“The Dud Avocado”, by Elaine Dundy, is about an American girl who has a terrible time abroad. Tony gave it to me when we first started dating and when I was technically still working at the NBC bureau in London. He wanted me to move to America and he hoped the book would help. “Hint, hint,” he wrote.
You are organizing a literary dinner. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?
Dorothy Parker, Elaine Dundy and Zadie Smith. It would be great fun.
Disappointing, Overrated, Just Not Good: What book did you feel you would enjoy but didn’t? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing it?
“A confederation of idiots.” I couldn’t stand the main character. I never finished it. Maybe it was the wrong time in my life. It’s on my shelf. I might try again.
What books are you ashamed of not having read?
All written by Haruki Murakami. A friend gave me “After the Quake” years ago, but for some reason I still haven’t opened it.
What do you plan to read next?
“The Honorable Schoolboy.” I have a le Carré kick.
