By the Book (2014) Writers On Literature and the Literary Life edited by Pamela Paul
Lena Dunham recommends
Good Material (2023) Dolly Alderton "Wise and relatable and pee-your-pants funny, Dolly Alderton is, quite simply, the bard of modern day love ."
Just by Looking at Him (2022) Ryan O'Connell "I've loved Ryan O'Connell's voice in every iteration, but his turn to fiction is my favorite Ryan yet: sharp, bawdy, yet still deeply touching. It's shockingly elegant, and elegantly shocking."
Hourglass (2022) Keiran Goddard "This book is such a sneaky head f*ck - an epic poem in an ancient style about the brutalities of modern love, a masculine interrogation of feminine heartbreak, a really beautiful way to spend an evening."
561 (2018) Katherine Heiny "Katherine Heiny's work does something magical."
Sour Heart (2017) Jenny Zhang "I was stunned, moved and quite frankly-a little jealous."
Edgar and Lucy (2017) Victor Lodato "I love this book. Profoundly spiritual and hilariously specific... an unusual and intimate epic that manages to capture the wonder and terror of both child and parenthood with an uncanny clarity."
Grayling's Song (2016) Karen Cushman "Grayling's Song delves into the past to let us know what we must ask of our future."
The Girls (2016) Emma Cline "Emma Cline has an unparalleled eye for the intricacies of girlhood, turning the stuff of myth into something altogether more intimate. She reminds us that behind so many of our culture’s fables exists a girl: unseen, unheard, angry. This book will break your heart and blow your mind."
Women (2014) Chloe Caldwell "A beautiful read/a perfect primer for an explosive lesbian affair/an essential truth."
You (2014) (Joe Goldberg , book 1) Caroline Kepnes "My most favorite thriller."
