Even if you live in a big city, everybody lives in a small town. We identify ourselves by our neighborhoods - 'I live in the Village, or in Chelsea.'

Reading develops cognitive skills. It trains our minds to think critically and to question what you are told. This is why dictators censor or ban books. It's why it was illegal to teach slaves to read. It's why girls in developing countries have acid thrown in their faces when they walk to school.

Graphic novels let you take risks that just wouldn't fly in the conventional book form.

Jack Reacher is one of the sexiest characters in fiction.

Even 'Gone With the Wind' had a shocking, cold-blooded murder.

Equal access to reading is fundamental to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.

As much as we would like to deny it, reading is not vital to human survival.

Growing up in Georgia in the southeastern United States, I was always reading and always kept to myself. I never felt isolated, though; I just liked being alone.