Why do we go to book readings? For a chance to see the authors we love come to life off the page, answering our questions and proving to be the brilliant, witty people we catch glimpses of through their work. At every reading she attends, Kate Gavino hand-letters the event's most memorable quote alongside her portrait of the author. Taking a journey through the literary world, Gavino shares illustrated insights from more than 100 of today's greatest writers—including Zadie Smith, Junot Diaz, Lorrie Moore, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Colum McCann, Roxane Gay, Khaled Hosseini, Neil Gaiman, Lois Lowry, and Toni Morrison—on topics ranging from friendship and humor to creativity and identity.