In Kristen Tracy’s new picture book, “I stopped“, an adopted cat, like many pet felines before her, quickly tires of all the house rules, like not chasing the baby or eating bread off the table. Tracy has written around twenty children’s books and teenagers, as well as poems published in The New Yorker, Poetry Magazine and Southern Review.Half-danger”, won the Emily Dickinson First Book Award from the Poetry Foundation. She lives in Los Angeles County with her family.

BOOKS: What are you reading?

TRACY: I read a lot of non-fiction because of my job. I’ve been reading about submarines because I’m writing a book about them for young readers. I have a picture book about barn owls coming out, so I’ve been looking in depth at them, and then I’m working on a book about mushrooms.

BOOKS: Any notable elements of this non-fiction reading?

TRACY: I found the “What is a mushroom for?“fascinating.” by Timothy MulliganLone Wolf” is one of the best submarine books I have read. It concerns the death of German submarine ace Werner Henke. Mulligan also wrote: “Neither sharks nor wolves”, for which he interviewed men who served on German submarines. I also listened to William Shirer’s long books, like “The rise and fall of the Third Reich.” I’m recovering from a concussion so I have to do a lot of audiobooks.

BOOKS: How has this changed your reading experience?

TRACY: I really enjoy reading a physical book and knowing how much is left in a chapter, so this has been a big change in reading for me. I can’t plan how far I’ll read or feel satisfied upon reaching a certain page. I also listen in the car rather than curled up on the couch with a book. It’s not as rewarding an experience but I’m coming back to physical books now.

BOOKS: What do you read when you’re not reading for work?

TRACY: I read a lot of poetry because I started as a poet. I also dig into literary novels. I tend to read what others read. I’ll notice what people are reading, like at the airport. I hadn’t read the nonfiction writer Mary Roach, and then I started noticing that people were reading her books. “Down», his book on animals is fascinating.

BOOKS: Who are your favorite literary writers?

TRACY: My favorite is Kathryn Davis, who wrote “Hell” “Labrador,” And “The walking tour.” I like lyrical, poetic language that surprises. This stuff is hard to find.

BOOKS: How did you start reading poetry?

TRACY: I didn’t really understand that poetry was something people did when I was in high school. I grew up in a small, very conservative, very Mormon town in Idaho. I had very limited book resources at home. My mother wrote Harlequin-style romance novels, but the church told her to stop. When I went to college, I thought I would become a marine biologist, but that didn’t suit me and I started taking the classes I wanted. I ended up taking English classes and started reading poets like Galway Kinnell and WS Merwin. That’s how I discovered I loved poetry.

BOOKS: Who do you read for poetry now?

TRACY: Sharon Olds, Claudia Rankine, Joy HarjoAnd Ada Limon. These are the kind of poets I like and I took out their books. Often when I go to schools I bring a piece of poetry because I feel like young readers read poetry really well and somehow that interest dies down and I want them to remain open to poetry.

BOOKS: What’s on your to-read pile?

TRACY: I’m embarrassed to say it. My neighbor gave me two books to read so we could talk about them, actor David Niven’s memoir.Bring the empty horses» and the memoirs of Robert Redford «The Outlaw Trail.” I don’t know when I’ll read them because I have so much research (to do), but it’s my favorite neighbor so I have to do it.

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter @GlobeBiblio. Amy Sutherland is the author, most recently, of “Saving Penny Jane» and she can be reached at [email protected].