Writer Gregory Maguire was on the show recently to discuss the last novel in his series The Wicked Years, based on The Wizard of Oz, and he shared his love of pesto sauce!

What have you read or seen over the past year (book, play, film, etc…) that moved or surprised you?

         I am reading Alexander Theroux’s biography of Edward Gorey, and learning, valuably, as much about Alexander Theroux as about Edward Gorey—an unashamed two-for-one.

What are you listening to right now?

         I lurch back and forth between the Chopin nocturnes and Greek bouzouki music. I suppose there is a vague tinkliness in common…

What’s the last great book you read?

         A chance to boast! After seven summers, I finished last August the final volume of Proust. Read the final two hundred pages with a sense of being in the presence of a great blessing.

What’s one thing you’re a fan of that people might not expect?

          Never having made a formal study of it, I love typeface and page design, and recently discovered that I can buy typefaces for my iMac.

What’s your favorite comfort food?

             Pesto. Well, it’s green. And organic, and vegetarian. I could almost put it in my oatmeal, I love it so much.