What books are you reading right now?您最近在读哪些书？

　　I’ve got a pile of books stacked

　　on my night stand that I’m reading — or hoping to get to soon. I’m usually working on more than one at a time. So right now it’s “The Goldfinch,” by Donna Tartt; “Mom & Me & Mom,” by Maya Angelou; and “Missing You,” by Harlan Coben。在我床头的桌子上放了一摞我正在读和想要读的书。我总是会同时看好几本书。现在正在看的是唐娜·塔特的《金翅雀》、玛雅·安吉罗的《妈妈，我和妈妈》以及哈兰·科本的《想念你》。

　　What was the last truly great book you read?上一本觉得非常好的书是什么？

　　I can’t stop thinking about “The Hare With Amber Eyes,” by Edmund de Waal; “The Signature of All Things,” by Elizabeth Gilbert; “Citizens of London,” by Lynne Olson; and “A Suitable Boy,” by Vikram Seth。让我难以忘掉的有埃德蒙·德瓦尔的《琥珀眼睛的兔子》、伊丽莎白·吉尔伯特的《万物的签名》、莱恩·奥尔森的《伦敦市民》和维克拉姆·塞斯《合适郎君》。

　　Who are your favorite contemporary writers? Are there any writers whose books you automatically read when they come out?您最喜欢的当代作家是哪位？有没有那样一位作家，他只要出书您就会读呢？

　　I will read anything by Laura Hillenbrand, Walter Isaacson, Barbara Kingsolver, John le Carré, John Grisham, Hilary Mantel, Toni Morrison, Anna Quindlen and Alice Walker. And I love series that follow particular characters over time and through their experiences, so I automatically read the latest installments

　　from Alex Berenson, Linda Fairstein, Sue Grafton, Donna Leon, Katherine Hall Page, Louise Penny, Daniel Silva, Alexander McCall Smith, Charles Todd and Jacqueline Winspear。劳拉·希伦布兰德、沃尔特·艾萨克森、芭芭拉。金索沃尔、约翰·勒·卡雷、约翰·格里森姆、希拉里·曼特尔、托尼•莫里森、安娜·昆德兰和艾丽斯·沃克等这些作家的所有书我都会读。我比较喜欢那种讲述某些人物长期经历的系列小说，所以亚历克斯·贝伦森、琳达·费尔史坦、苏·格拉夫顿、唐娜·列昂、凯瑟琳•霍尔•佩奇、露意丝·佩妮、丹尼尔·西尔瓦、亚历山大˙梅可˙史密斯、查尔斯·托德和杰奎琳·温斯皮尔的书只要出新我就会买来看。

　　What are your favorite novels? Your favorite short stories? Poems you hold especially dear?您最喜欢的长篇小说、短篇小说、诗歌有哪些？

　　“The Brothers Karamazov” made a lasting impression on me when I read it as a young woman; I intend to reread it this summer to see what I now think about it. My favorite short stories are by Alice Munro, especially her collections “Carried Away” and “Runaway。” That’s an easy choice for me compared with the many poets I’ve appreciated over time. Included in that list are E. E. Cummings, T. S. Eliot, Seamus Heaney, Pablo Neruda, Mary Oliver and W. B. Yeats. 《卡拉马佐夫兄弟》给我的印象很深刻，我看这部小说的时候还很年轻，我计划今年夏天再读一篇，看看现在的我会有什么新的体会。我最喜欢的短篇小说家是艾丽丝·门罗，尤其是她的《忘乎所以》《逃离》等作品。诗人卡明斯、艾略特、谢默斯·希尼、巴勃罗·聂鲁达、玛丽·奥利弗和叶芝的诗歌我都很喜欢。

　　And the best books about Washington, D.C.? Is there one book you’d recommend to someone planning to move to or work in the capital?有关华盛顿最好的书是哪本？有没有哪本书您想推荐给计划来华盛顿工作的人？

　　“Our Divided Political Heart,” by E. J. Dionne, shows how most everybody has some conservative

　　and liberal impulses, but just as individuals have to reconcile them within ourselves, so does our political system if we expect to function productively. “After the Music Stopped,” Alan Blinder’s account of the financial crisis, is clear in its analysis and recommendations。迪翁的《我们分裂的政治心》显示了大多数普通人都有保守和自由的冲动，但是就像我们每个人都得在内心深处调和二者一样，如果我们想让政治体系有效运转，也要调和这二者。艾伦·布林德尔的《音乐停止之后》是对金融危机的描述，他的分析和建议非常清晰。