Some authors write only a few books, others have a plethora of titles to their name. An example of the latter is the prolific Ann Hood who has written 14 novels — many of them bestsellers — three memoirs, a short story collection, a 10-book series for middle readers and one young adult novel. Her essays and short stories have appeared in many journals, magazines and anthologies, including The Paris Review, Ploughshares, and Tin House, and she is a regular contributor to The New York Times’ Op-Ed page, “Home Economics” column. She is without a doubt a writer’s writer.

And, like most writers, Hood loves books. A voracious reader since the age of 4, she grew up in a small Rhode Island town in an Italian immigrant family that did not own books. Her school did not even have a library, but in second grade, she discovered “Little Women” and was captivated. Inspired by her teacher, she was working her way through fourth-grade books by the time the school year was over.