Dear Everyone Who Asks Which Books I Love And They Should Read,
As an author, one question I am often asked is why I am wearing leather patches on my elbows. I guess it’s because usually there is a corduroy jacket involved with such a trend, but I prefer to just wear the patches sticky-taped to my skin.
Another question I’m often asked is, “Which books do you recommend I read?” which is a strange question, because taste in books varies wildly, just as taste in elbow patch fashion does.
Alas, I’ve written a book list all the same.
Please be assured I will probably keep adding to it because there is a marked difference between all the books I passionately love and all the books that I passionately love and can remember at this time.
- Italian Folktales - Italo Calvino
- Le Grand Mealnes - Alain-Fournier
- The Elegance of The Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery
- How To Eat Out - Giles Coren
- The Bronze Horseman - Paullina Simons
- Special Topics in Calamity Physics - Marisha Pessl
- Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris
- In fact, any book by David Sedaris
- Case Histories (the entire series) - Kate Atkinson
- Actually, any book by Kate Atkinson
- A New Earth - Eckhart Tolle
- The Four Hour Work Week - Timothy Ferris
- Witches - Roald Dahl
- Any and every book by Roald Dahl
- A Series of Unfortunate Evens - Lemony Snicket
- How To Be A Woman - Caitlin Moran
- The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy series - Douglas Adams
- Any word ever by Douglas Adams ever written
- Focal Point - Brian Tracy
- The Stinky Cheese Man - Jon Scieszka
- Dave Barry’s Only Travel Guide You’ll Ever Need - Dave Barry
- Any collection of columns by Dave Barry
Some you might vaguely enjoy, some you might spit on, some you might sleep with clutched in your sweaty palms. These books range from those I read as a grubby five year-old, to those I inhaled as a bored 28-year old needing some semblance of romance, even if had to be based in war-torn Russia.
Obviously it would be deeply unstylish to put my own books in the actual list, but they’re definitely in my secret brain list.
From your friend,
Zoe
