Here it is. The FAQ you’ve been waiting for — what are my favorite books. Reading is basically my number one hobby and I will talk about books anytime to anyone ever. Don’t test me.
A few years ago I had a lovely short list to trot out, but as time goes on and I read more books, the list keeps growing.
This list is in no particular order other than how they came to mind … take that how you will.
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer — When I think about the kind of literary fiction I want to write it’s this. Kind of coming of age. Lots of points of view. Deep character dives. Ambiguity and pain and beauty in simple things. I love this book.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara — Another lovely long, sprawling, intimate, character-driven literary fiction. I love this book. It’s so heartbreaking. I would love to write something like this.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern — I stalk her instagram waiting for her to write another book. This is the book I recommend to friends who mostly read genre fiction but want to try something more literary. It feels like the most visually beautiful prose I’ve ever read.
The Magicians (series) by Lev Grossman — If you’ve seen the TV show, the books are much much different. I usually describe it as literary fiction through a veil of fantasy. It’s such a smart series, and says such lovely things about the stories we tell ourselves and our place in other people’s stories.
Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling — I didn’t actually read these until the fifth book was out (and then I binged them), but I love them all the same.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov — I talked about this book in the last email, but basically it just does so many amazing things with language, I get something new out of it every time I read it. Also, I aspire to write an unreliable narrator like Humbert Humbert.
Howard’s End by E.M. Forster — I wrote a paper for a graduate class on this book and I’m still rather proud of it. This is the perfect example of modernist fiction and if you like British class stories (like Downton Abbey) you might like this.
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer — I was first exposed to this as a movie, but loved it so much I had to get the book. It’s got a lovely thread about collecting and material culture that I adore, plus WW2 history (also a favorite) and strange characters.
The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler — If I had to pick one author I wanted to emulate it would be Anne Tyler, and this is my favorite of her books. I love her stories of everyday people with their totally normal struggles. The characters are what makes her books magic. This one in particular is mostly about a couple after their divorce.
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne — The ending and the theme of this book made me cry. Plus it’s so beautifully structured (if you’re reading on a kindle, pay attention to what happens at 25%, 50% and 75%). Coming of age character-driven literary fiction.
Couples by John Updike — Updike is problematic in a lot of ways, but that doesn’t make his work not worth reading. I’ve read a lot of his books and so far like this one the best. The characters feel real to me. The problems feel real. He makes it easy to like unlikable people.
The Shining by Stephen King — My favorite King book and I think better than the movie. One of the few Stephen King books (that I’ve read) with a solid ending. If you haven’t ever read Stephen King, start here. He is a master at writing real, round characters.
House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski — I love that this book isn’t available as an ebook. You must experience it as a physical copy. This is one of those book I didn’t realize how much I liked while I was reading it, and then I noticed myself still thinking about it weeks and months later. Another great questionably reliable first person narrator, and my inspiration to one day write a haunted house book.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke — Another literary-ish-fantasy, this book you should read a physical copy of. What Clarke does with footnotes is just delightful. The BBC adaption is pretty true to the book, too.
Most of these books I’ve read more than once. All of these books I own a physical copy of and plan to read more than once.
The common thread through all of these books is CHARACTER. I’ll read plot-driven books, like crime or urban fantasy, but even of those I prefer the books that spend time on character (example: Check out Caimh McDonnell or Robert Galbraith). I recognize that long, slow, sprawling literary fiction isn’t for everyone, but that is where my heart is and what I want to train myself up to be able to write.
What is your favorite book right now?
P.S. I genuinely love talking book recommendations all the time. I haven’t read a ton of sci-fi or romance, but I can still recommend books in virtually every genre.
P.P.S. This is obviously a fiction-only list. I can go on a whole other rant about nonfiction.
P.P.P.S. Dear lord, literally I want to drop everything else in my life right now and just re-read these books.
(Please note: all these links are affiliate links, so I’ll get a couple cents if you decide to buy something after clicking through)