My Favorite Books (Fiction)

Sorry, I couldn’t limit this list to 10…and I totally cheated on number 11….Oh well. My list, my rules, right??

(Links will take you to Amazon. I don’t make any money if you buy. It’s just a convenience thing because I WANT YOU TO READ THESE BOOKS. Thanks.)

I’m not going to guarantee that you’ll love every book on this list. But I promise you–each of these books changed my life. I can specifically remember the period of time in which I read each of them. I also know that I would be incredibly proud if I produced a work of fiction even half as good as any of these.

Do you have a list of your own?? No matter how big or how small, please share it in the comments below!

1.   Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Hauntingly beautiful. I read this on a plane from Atlanta to San Francisco. I read it again on the flight back. It’s fast but it stays with you.

2.   White Oleander by Janet Fitch

I read this when I was in my early 20s and deeply into poetry. I SO connected with the main character, even though we had nothing in common. Isn’t that the sign of a great writer??

3.   American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

I’m actually reading this right now and it’s already on the list. I’m halfway through and will probably finish it before the end of the week. I can’t say enough about this story (based on a real person) or this writer. It’s simply spellbinding.

4.   Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

The same writer as above…This is the ONLY book that ever elicited an audible gasp from me. I won’t tell you what happened. Email me if/when you read it and we’ll discuss.

5.   Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

The recent movie dampened my love for this only a smidge. I just loved escaping into the old carnival world. Makes me want to runaway with the circus….

6.   Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis

WARNING: This is a very weird book and a very disturbing writer. Please do not blame me if you hate it. However, if you love it, I will accept all the credit. This is the one book that has left me with real, lasting nightmares. Is it crazy that I love that???

7.   Lunar Park by Bret Easton Ellis

Above warning applies here. This is best if read AFTER reading every other Bret Easton Ellis book. He makes himself a character and other characters from past stories pop up as friends and neighbors. It’s like a hall of mirrors that you can’t escape. LOVE!!

8.   A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

This takes place in San Francisco and I read it while living there. Charming and sad, beautiful and painful all at once–you can’t put it down. Simply heartbreaking. And genius.

9.   My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Poetry! And so, so, so lovely. When I read this, it had been a long time since I had really been enveloped in a book. I remember curling up on my couch, under a blanket and crying unabashedly while reading the last pages. My (now former) boyfriend was kinda scared.

10.   She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb

I read this in college and was AMAZED to learn that “Wally” (the author) was, indeed, male. He writes so clearly and competently from the female mind. Body issues are a huge part of this book and somehow, this author really taps into what we, as women, go through.

11.   The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (entire series) by Douglas Adams

I read this series while studying abroad in Bradford, England. Perhaps I just have fond memories of that time, but these books just make me SOOOO happy. They’re funny and clever and endlessly entertaining.

12.   The Handmaid’s Tale by Margret Atwood

This was (maybe) my first real taste of fiction for fun. I read this my first year of college–not because a class required it, but just “because”. I think a friend gave it to me…but I can’t remember. Anyway, it was captivating and eye-opening and scary. It was like a whole new world.

13.   The Beach by Alex Garland

I read this while studying abroad and (don’t tell my mom but…) I skipped class one day just to finish it. I remember going to a little cafe close to my University and sitting there ALL DAY LONG just to read the last quarter of the book. Pure bliss.