Desert Island Books

TWO OF A KIND Ned Vizzini on writing a children's book with Goonies director Chris Columbus "House of Secrets is the first book I co-wrote with anyone, and one thing I learned is that the important bits happen on the phone. It started with a phone call in early 2011 from my agent. He told me that Chris Columbus, the filmmaker, was interested in meeting with me, possibly to pursue a book project, and that there wasn't any way this could be a bad thing. I agreed—but I was nervous. Chris wrote The Goonies and Gremlins and directed the first two Harry Potter films, of course, but he also made my family actually enjoy a night out together over Christmas 1990 by directing Home Alone."  MORE >

DESERT ISLAND BOOKS World Book Night author Sebastian Barry tells us about the books he loves (1) Victory by Joseph Conrad"Helpfully for this article, this book is set on an island in the South China Seas. I couldn’t be sure if it is Joseph Conrad’s best book, but it has a tremendous lifespan in the imagination after you read it. I read it in about 1977 and still think about it – Axel Heyst is the hero, a classic Conradian disproved man, trying to locate a proof for himself, for his very soul, again. It’s a book that seems now like something I lived through – it becomes a personal memory, vivid and painterly." MORE >