What are you reading now?

“I read Lev Grossmans’ The Magicians because the author was coming to our local literary festival (and also to dinner at my house). The book had me engrossed from the very beginning, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the trilogy. ... I grew up on Narnia, and The Magicians is so obviously influenced, not so much by those books as by the idea of having grown up on those books. As one who writes fiction about literary figures like Shakespeare and Austen, I also love Grossman’s subtle (and boldly not-so-subtle) references to other favorites of mine, from Tolkien to Harry Potter.”

Charlie Lovett, author of First Impressions

Lovett appears at 8 p.m. Friday at Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables.

This story was originally published October 19, 2014 at 8:00 AM with the headline "What are you reading now?."