Anonymous asked: Name ten of your favorite books? :)
OOOH THIS IS TOUGHIE. This is probably an incomplete list (especially since I’m in LA and not currently in front of my bookshelf in Boston) and I do have to separate “literary” recs from pleasure reading, but here’s the former:
Fear of Flying, Erica Jong
Slouching Toward Bethlehem, Joan Didion
The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson
The Women’s Room, Marilyn French
Hunger: A Novella and Stories, Lan Samantha Chang
You can likely deduce from the above list that my ideal book would be a coming-of-age story featuring a sexually conflicted female protagonist, a dystopian setting, strong autobiographical elements, and a critical bent. I don’t really do happy endings.
So. I now owe you three more selections.
My two major guilty pleasures are Ian McEwan and Patrick McGrath. Love those old British dudes so much that I’ve read every single book and anthology they’ve ever put out (with the exception of the latest McEwan). My favorite McEwan novels are Amsterdam and Enduring Love, and my favorite McGrath is Asylum. They’re all total head-trips, but I have a bit of a weakness for psychological horror.
When I refer to a piece of literature as a “guilty pleasure”, I usually do so because it has absolutely nothing to do with the writing I do. I try not to read for leisure too much, since I always feel like I should be exposing myself to material that relates to my topics of interest. Or studying up on technique. Or you know, doing something that could pass for productive. Lately, however, I’ve been experimenting a lot with form and I’m trying to expand my horizons. It’s great that I’m in a line of work in which reading can be considered part of the job, but I always, always have to remind myself to stay focused on the task at hand. And these days, that task has consisted of doing little sketches of all the characters who will be appearing in the book based on my blog.
While leisure reading is definitely on the back burner, I’d be interested in hearing some recommendations for creative non-fiction or autobiographical novels related to sex, drugs, and/or rock ‘n roll. Bonus points for Ivy League arrogance, stealth bitches, and mental breakdowns, since that was essentially my entire college experience. Um, if you can’t think of anything that fulfills the above criteria, I suppose I can take solace in the fact that I’m at least being halfway original. (Somehow, I doubt it.)
Thanks in advance for any tips!
More burning questions? Ask Lena.
Previous Book-Related Posts:
Thoughts On Memoir Writing & Some Women’s Literature Recs
Leisure Reading Recommendations
Books Books (With Commentary)
