BEST-SELLING author Jodi Picoult entertained fans with a reading from her new book.

The popular American regaled visitors to the Seven Fish Bar in Ringwood with a few pages from her latest offering The Storyteller and signed copies at the Paperview book shop afterwards.

Jodi's hit novel My Sister's Keeper was made into a Hollywood film starring Cameron Diaz.

And that was among the books she discussed at the packed bar.

She said she was given her best ever question by a fan who asked her how she wrote from a man's perspective so well with some of her characters.

And Jodi inspired the crowd with stories of how she carried out research for her work.

She read out a section of The Storyteller, giving an account of life in Auschwitz.

Then she described how meeting Holocaust survivors had helped her form the story and convinced her it was an important theme to use.

Jodi said: “If there's anything I can convince you of it's that the Holocaust is still important.

“A lot people assume the Holocaust is a Jewish problem as 6 million Jews died.

“But 5 million non-Jews died too.

“And it's important because genocides are still happening today.”

Paperview owner Trevor Johnson, who set up the event, was overjoyed with the coup of having the hit writer in Ringwood.

He said: “It was fantastic and I was honoured to have her here.

“We ask so many people and now and again one does come and to get someone of Jodi's magnitude is great.”