Susan Orlean, the New Yorker writer and book author, is currently on a five-month, North American zigzag to promote “The Library Book,” her newest best-seller. Her repertoire already includes the Grateful Dead’s “Uncle John’s Band” and “Ho Hey,” by The Lumineers. “The Library Book” weaves together the stories of the 1986 arson fire of the Los Angeles Library, the history of libraries and Ms. Orlean’s personal connection to these institutions. In a past life I must have done something good,” she wrote one day. Over an unhurried breakfast, Ms. Orlean , who, when she is not on the road, lives in Los Angeles with her husband, John Gillespie, and their son, discussed her travel strategies for doing laundry, staying calm during takeoff and the “transformational” foot rest she has discovered.

Source: New York Times December 27, 2018 10:00 UTC