Anna Quindlen is probably best known for her Op-Ed column in the New York Times where she has won a Pulitzer. Her columns tend to be liberal (a.k.a. filled with common sense) and avoid being preachy. Her NYT career began with the column Life in the 30's. She has gone on to write the novels One True Thing, turned into a movie starring Meryl Streep, Black and Blue, Object Lessons, A Tree That Came to Stay, and Happily Ever After. There are also a couple of books featuring her NYT columns. Bookstore brousers might be familiar with her book A Short Guide to a Happy Life. Quindlen has children and stresses the importance of reading to and with them. She recommends A Wrinkle in Time and The Phantom Tollbooth, both books I highly enjoyed as a child.