Novelist Julie Otsuka On Literary Guilty Pleasures

"I'm not sure what makes a book a guilty pleasure," said Japanese-Canadian novelist Julie Otsuka to the New York Times Book Review ("By the Book," February 20, 2022), "but you definitely know it when you're reading one."

Novelist Julie Otsuka's Ideal Reading Experience

My favorite question asked of those interviewed in the New York Times Book Review's "By the Book" Q &A feature each week is "What is your ideal reading experience?"

Novelist Julie Otsuka, I think, has given the best description so far (The New York Times Book Review, February 20, 2022):

"...I love reading and working in public spaces. My ideal reading experience: late afternoon, pre-pandemic, my neighborhood cafe, a seat in the far back corner, a slight coffee buzz. All around me, the pleasant hum of human voices. In front of me, on the table, a book, a pencil for underlining (Blackwing Palomino), a pen and a small unlined Muji notebook, in case I run across a sentence I want to write down, or overhear a good snatch of dialogue (which could end up in my next novel--sometimes I only appear to be reading)."