"I don't listen to music when I write - I find it distracting." — Khaled Hosseini

I have a particular disdain for Islamic extremism, and of course, in both 'The Kite Runner' and 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' that's obvious.

I read actual physical books and have thus far avoided the electronic lure.

I don't think she is underappreciated, certainly not among writers, but Alice Munro is the classic underappreciated writer among readers. It is almost a cliche now to wonder why this living legend is not more widely read.

The only two places where I can read for long stretches are in airplanes and in bed at nighttime.