A Life in Books: Laura Lippman

Ex-reporter Laura Lippman may be known as a gritty crime novelist, but her Tess Monaghan series sends love notes to Baltimore's food, music and literature—an artsy side explained, perhaps, by her habit of rereading "Marjorie Morningstar" every year.

A classic that, on rereading, disappointed: "The Catcher in the Rye," by J. D. Salinger. As an adult, I have no use for it.

A Certified Important Book you haven't read: Proust's "Remembrance of Things Past." It was one of only three novels I packed for a three-month fellowship in Mexico. I don't think I ever got past page three.