Janelle Brown (All We Ever Wanted Was Everything) tells what she will read to her first child, just now on the way and more... In this month's 1-On-One!

Is it possible to be a good writer without being a good reader?

It depends on how you define "good" reader. If by good reader you mean "a passionate reader," then no – I think you have to be passionate about reading in order to write. In fact, I can't imagine you'd find many decent authors who didn't already love to read; it's part of the drive, I think. But if by "good" reader you mean "careful" or "intellectual" or "erudite," well, that gets a little harder to answer. I certainly have been known to race through books with abandon because I was enjoying them so much, only to realize when I was done that I would now have to re-read the book to get all the nuances and details I missed the first time around!

According to a report of the Independent Book Publishing Association, over five million American adults belong to reading groups.  What, do you believe, is the basis for this country’s love for literature and books?

I do think there's a desire for shared experience in America. We live in this enormous, often isolating country, and being able to come together around a common interest (a book, or a movie, etc) becomes very valuable. I also like to hope that the current passion for book clubs stems in part from the disposable culture we live in; that, in an era of reality TV and blogging, people yearn for something that requires more depth and commitment. Like, say, a book!

Have you ever belonged to a reading group?

I have, although the group fell apart rather quickly when it became clear that most people were more interested in chit-chat than actual book discussion!

What advice do you have for reading group members when it comes to selecting books for discussion?

Pick a book that not everyone is going to love. Otherwise, what is there to talk about? The best books are often controversial, or have difficult subjects or unlikeable characters that will spark an interesting conversation.

What book(s) are you reading now or planning to read?

I'm about to tackle Tree of Smoke, by Denis Johnson; and after that I want to read God of War by Marisa Silver.

If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only bring one book with you to read, what would it be and why?

Lord of the Flies, especially if there's a plane-wreck of schoolboys nearby.

If you could have dinner with three writers (dead or alive), who would they be and why?

Margaret Atwood – who is consistently amazing and so versatile in terms of what she writes. Zadie Smith – the vibrancy in her writing just pops off the page. Shakespeare – every story we know was somehow written centuries ago by this man. How fascinating his mind must be!

Have you ever read anything you’re too embarrassed to admit (except in this interview)?

Soul Survivors: The Official Autobiography of Destiny's Child. It was for a story assignment, I swear!

Favorite book when you were a child?

When I was in junior high I absolutely loved anything by Lois Duncan or Steven King. I loved books that were creepy and supernatural.

If you have children, is this the same book you read to them?  If not, what is your favorite book for your children?

My first child is on the way, and absolutely!

Favorite heroine in literature and why?

I always identified to Jo in Little Women when I was growing up. She was awkward, bookish, a tomboy, a little bit of an outsider, and rather bossy; I certainly could say the same of myself.

Favorite hero in literature and why?

He's not a hero, not by a long shot, but I've always been fascinated by the character of Humbert Humbert in Lolita. That Nabokov manages to get readers to identify with and root for a psychopathic pedophile is mind-boggling.

Favorite first line from a book?

"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins" – again, Lolita, by Nabokov.

Favorite last line from a book?

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.

Book that changed your life?

I'm not sure I could pick one book. My life has been slowly changed, word by word, page by page, with every book I read, with every book that lingers with me, with every book I love.

Words to live by?

Don't ever give up.

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