10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Nancy Drew Inspired Lisa Scottoline's Recent Splurge
In an email interview, the author shared how her mother first discouraged, then championed, her wish for a literary life. SCOTT HELLER
How do you organize your books?
The only thing organized in my house are my books. I have over 5,000, divided into signed books, fiction and nonfiction. I even have brass plaques of the subject areas, like Dogs and Horses. I'm basically a book fetishist.
Do you prefer books that reach you emotionally, or intellectually?
Both. Extra credit for a book that reaches your soul, too.
Who is your favorite fictional hero or heroine?
Nancy Drew. The character of a young woman driving a roadster anywhere she wants, doing anything she wants, grabbed me and didn't let go. She speaks to me still. I just bought a roadster.
What's your favorite book no one else has heard of?
I adored 'History,' by Elsa Morante, which is about a woman living through wartime Rome. Morante is underappreciated here, but you could draw a throughline from her to the terrific Elena Ferrante, who wrote 'My Brilliant Friend.'
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