Funds for Bookworm are provided in part by Lannin Foundation.

Boots!

Where would we be without boos?

Where would we be without good?

No, Zimberg.

It's a rhetorical question, sir.

But where would we need without books?

From KCRW and KCRW.com, I'm Michael Silverblatt, and this is Bookworm.

I'm very happy to have as my guest today, Anne Patchett, who's talking to us from at home in Tennessee.

Her new book is State of Wonder. It's published by Home. who's talking to us from at home in Tennessee.

Her new book is State of Wonder.

It's published by Harper.

And I have to say it's simply,

some books won't let you stop reading them.

You read them deep into the night, saying just one more chapter.

And that's the cause of surprises in this book, State of Wonder, come so fast and thick that each chapter keeps you awake another 20 minutes, and then

you want to read the following one. I couldn't stop. And this is so much more richly plotted. There are so many

balls in the air in this book. What was the provocation? Well, first I want to say thank you.

Thank you for having me back and thank you for saying such nice things,

especially about chapter shape, because it's something that I'm kind of obsessed with. And what you

just described is what I always hope to achieve, which is the idea of someone sleepy, in bed,

reading, thinking, I'm just going to make it to the end. And then there's a little hook at the end and

...