My Favorite Books
Content
My Favorite Books
In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote: Probably the best nonfiction book ever written. A classic reconstruction of the murders of a farming family in Kansas. Oysters of Locmariaquer, by Eleanor Clark: A lovely narrative of how France’s famous Belon oysters are cultivated. The locals call them les plates (“the flat ones”). My Uncle Oswald, by Roald Dahl: A hilarious tale of an irrepressible philanderer and adventurer who sets out to make a fortune in the Sudan. From Beirut to Jerusalem, by Thomas L. Friedman: The all-time classic of the Middle East. A great reporter’s look at the Arab-Israeli crisis from both sides of the fence. City Room, by Arthur Gelb: A fond and nostalgic look at the culture of New York Times by a man who rose from the lowliest position of a copy boy to managing editor in 45 years. The Human Factor, by Graham Greene: A sad, moody novel of a man who betrays Britain for the Soviets. The Best and the Brightest, by David Halberstam: A wonderfully written, richly detailed work on how the American military effort in Vietnam got into a quagmire. A Moveable Feast, by Ernest Hemingway: Paris in the swinging 1920s, as told by one of the greatest writers of our time. Freedom at Midnight, by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins: In my view, the best book ever written about India. It tells the story of India’s fight for independence and the crucial partition by the British of the Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan. Rich history, wonderful anecdotes. The Little Drummer Girl, by John Le Carre: My favorite of the great master’s novels. A haunting study of men and women engaged in shadowy war in the Middle East. Move Your Shadow: South Africa, Black and White, by Joseph Lelyveld: A richly detailed and beautifully crafted book about what life was like under apartheid. It won Lelyveld the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction. Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families, by J. Anthony Lukas: A monumental work of how the busing crisis unfolded in Boston. A Bend in the River, by Manohar Malgaonkar: A beautifully written novel of 19th century India, it tells the story of a local ruler named Nanasahib Peshwa who led a mutiny against the British.
The Summing Up, by W. Somerset Maugham: A great work by a great writer, encapsulating the lessons life taught him. A Writer’s World: 1950 to 2000, by Jan Morris: An anthology of the Welsh writer’s journalism and travel writings of five decades. Read it for the literary elegance, wit and perceptivity. The Discovery of India, by Jawaharlal Nehru: India’s history and sociology by one of the country’s founding fathers. A Stranger in My House: Jews and Arabs in the West Bank, by Walter Reich: The heartwrenching story of what’s happened in Palestine. Life Stories: Profiles from The New Yorker, edited by David Remnick: A marvelous anthology of profiles, a must-read for anyone who wants to be a writer or journalist. Thirty-Eight Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Story, by A. M. Rosenthal: A careful reconstruction of the murder of a New York woman while her neighbors listened to her screams and did nothing. Short Stories: Five Decades, by Irwin Shaw: Brilliant fiction by the great master. The Kingdom and the Power, by Gay Talese: Still the definitive work about the New York Times. The Great Railway Bazaar, by Paul Theroux: Without doubt, the best book ever written about railway journeys. Theroux rides on trains from London across Europe, Asia and up to Russia and back again. Scoop, by Evelyn Waugh: Absolutely THE novel about foreign correspondents and the absurd games they play with their subjects and their bosses. The Prize, by Daniel Yergin: The best study of the oil and energy industry. Yergin’s clear style makes the book accessible to the layman.
© Copyright 2003 - 2008, Pranaygupte.com - by Fluid Design
10. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
It’s a sad thing to consider that every year, countless people die having never written the novel of their dreams. The reason most of those books (some of which would have undoubtedly been great) don’t make it onto the page is because the would-be author waited for a moment of manic inspiration—a divine-lightbulb moment that would leave them scribbling into a leather-bound journal for hours at some quaint cafe or home library. For
most of us, that moment never comes, and the only way to unleash creativity is through persistence and discipline. The Artist’s Way focuses on training the mind to work more creatively by engaging in free-writing every morning and taking time each week to explore a subject one finds fascinating. Never mind that it occasionally feels like a transcript from a spiritual segment on Oprah; if you’re willing to put in the work, this book wants to send you on your way.—Kevin Keller
9. The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson
It’s key for a writer to understand his own language, and Bill Bryson offers the best insight on the origins and uses of English I’ve ever read. The author of Troublesome Words explains in biting prose the origins of swear words, why the British have so many different accents, and how English is quickly becoming the world’s lingua franca. When grammar and syntax become fascinating and funny, the writer has done his job.—Wendy Greenberg
8. Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
This list is full of writers moaning about the difficulties of writing (to which we relate). But Bradley refreshingly relishes the art of writing, and his joy is infectious. “Think of Shakespeare and Melville and you think of thunder, lightning, wind,” he admonishes the dour scribe. “They all knew the joy of creating in large or small forms, on unlimited or restricted canvasses. These are the children of the gods. They knew fun in their work. No matter if creation came hard here or there along the way, or what illnesses and tragedies touched their most private lives. … If you are writing without zest, without gusto, without love, without fun, you are only half a writer.”—Josh Jackson
7. On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Zinsser writes simply and clearly about simplicity and clutter. Full of excellent examples of crisp non-fiction, On Writing Well is a straightforward guide to improving your writing, one that’s quick to point out common flaws and prescribe simple cures. It’s Writing 101, and its increased popularity would instantly make the Internet a better place.—Josh Jackson
6. Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark
Roy Peter Clark’s plainspoken masterpiece dispenses a lifetime’s worth of practical advice in one slim, readable volume. It’s essential for young aspiring journalists, but should really
be made mandatory reading in every single American high school.—Nick Marino
5. On Writing by Stephen King
However you feel about Stephen King, he’s managed to pen a staggering amount of work both popular and unpopular. It was only a matter of time until he tried to impart some sagely advice about how to “kill your darlings” and communicate telepathically; in 2000, he released the partmemoir, part-stylebook On Writing that both recounts his childhood attempts at writing and offers advice about the technical aspects of the trade—developing plot and characters and facing the blank page. It’s an interesting read even if you’re not looking to write your own 1000-page thriller.—Whitney Baker
4. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Author Donald Miller gave me a copy of this book a couple years ago, so I’ll just quote him about why he reads it every six months: “Pressfield leaves out all the mushy romantic talk about the writing life, talk I don’t find helpful. True, professional writers are not walking around looking at flowers waiting for inspiration, they are, rather, fighting the urge to distract themselves and sitting down at the computer to hammer out their days work. Pressfield instills in his readers a professional perspective. Being a writer, to Pressfield, is no more glamorous than being a plumber. A professional shows up every day and ‘fixes a toilet.’ I doubt any book has had a more positive influence on my writing life than this one.”—Josh Jackson
3. The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
My first published travel essay was written while I was reading Annie Dillard’s wonderful Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, a book that no doubt colored my own searching prose. When my story showed up in a literary journal right next to an essay by Dillard, I felt the pride of accomplishment until I read her short book about writing. The brutality of The Writing Life is only somewhat soften by the rhythm of each sentence and her parabolic tales from the natural world. But the message is clear: Do not fall in love with your words. Mercilessly attack your most perfect paragraphs if they don’t serve the whole of the idea. “This writing that you do, that so thrills you, that so rocks and exhilarates you, as if you were dancing next to the band, is barely audible to anyone else.” It’s rewarding work. But it’s work.—Josh Jackson
2. On Moral Fiction by John Gardner
Gardner asserts that morality is an eternal and unchanging element in the universe, like a law of
physics. Like gravity or centrifugal force or AutoTune. Like Tolstoy before him, Gardner’s getting at the notion that fiction should aim at higher targets than entertainment or titillation alone, that entertainment and titillation are simpler tools for going after Truth, whatever it is. Moral fiction can be comic—look at Euripides or Twain or Vonnegut or Shakespeare, for that matter—or high-minded and serious, like Faulkner and Morrison and Borges. But it goes after the Big Kahuna of Being, else it fails.—Charles McNair
1. Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on the Writing Life by Anne Lamott
Anne Lamott mixes enthralling bits of advice with glimpses of the ordinariness of the profession that make it one of the most generous and inspiring writing books you’ll find. For anybody looking to improve their craft, the mantra imparted from father to son in the titular slice-of-life about Lamott’s older brother trying desperately to write a report about birds is valuable. Start small, be tenacious, and take it bird by bird.—Whitney Baker
In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote: Probably the best nonfiction book ever written. A classic reconstruction of the murders of a farming family in Kansas. Oysters of Locmariaquer, by Eleanor Clark: A lovely narrative of how France’s famous Belon oysters are cultivated. The locals call them les plates (“the flat ones”). My Uncle Oswald, by Roald Dahl: A hilarious tale of an irrepressible philanderer and adventurer who sets out to make a fortune in the Sudan. From Beirut to Jerusalem, by Thomas L. Friedman: The all-time classic of the Middle East. A great reporter’s look at the Arab-Israeli crisis from both sides of the fence. City Room, by Arthur Gelb: A fond and nostalgic look at the culture of New York Times by a man who rose from the lowliest position of a copy boy to managing editor in 45 years. The Human Factor, by Graham Greene: A sad, moody novel of a man who betrays Britain for the Soviets. The Best and the Brightest, by David Halberstam: A wonderfully written, richly detailed work on how the American military effort in Vietnam got into a quagmire. A Moveable Feast, by Ernest Hemingway: Paris in the swinging 1920s, as told by one of the greatest writers of our time. Freedom at Midnight, by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins: In my view, the best book ever written about India. It tells the story of India’s fight for independence and the crucial partition by the British of the Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan. Rich history, wonderful anecdotes. The Little Drummer Girl, by John Le Carre: My favorite of the great master’s novels. A haunting study of men and women engaged in shadowy war in the Middle East. Move Your Shadow: South Africa, Black and White, by Joseph Lelyveld: A richly detailed and beautifully crafted book about what life was like under apartheid. It won Lelyveld the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction. Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families, by J. Anthony Lukas: A monumental work of how the busing crisis unfolded in Boston. A Bend in the River, by Manohar Malgaonkar: A beautifully written novel of 19th century India, it tells the story of a local ruler named Nanasahib Peshwa who led a mutiny against the British.
The Summing Up, by W. Somerset Maugham: A great work by a great writer, encapsulating the lessons life taught him. A Writer’s World: 1950 to 2000, by Jan Morris: An anthology of the Welsh writer’s journalism and travel writings of five decades. Read it for the literary elegance, wit and perceptivity. The Discovery of India, by Jawaharlal Nehru: India’s history and sociology by one of the country’s founding fathers. A Stranger in My House: Jews and Arabs in the West Bank, by Walter Reich: The heartwrenching story of what’s happened in Palestine. Life Stories: Profiles from The New Yorker, edited by David Remnick: A marvelous anthology of profiles, a must-read for anyone who wants to be a writer or journalist. Thirty-Eight Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Story, by A. M. Rosenthal: A careful reconstruction of the murder of a New York woman while her neighbors listened to her screams and did nothing. Short Stories: Five Decades, by Irwin Shaw: Brilliant fiction by the great master. The Kingdom and the Power, by Gay Talese: Still the definitive work about the New York Times. The Great Railway Bazaar, by Paul Theroux: Without doubt, the best book ever written about railway journeys. Theroux rides on trains from London across Europe, Asia and up to Russia and back again. Scoop, by Evelyn Waugh: Absolutely THE novel about foreign correspondents and the absurd games they play with their subjects and their bosses. The Prize, by Daniel Yergin: The best study of the oil and energy industry. Yergin’s clear style makes the book accessible to the layman.
© Copyright 2003 - 2008, Pranaygupte.com - by Fluid Design
10. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
It’s a sad thing to consider that every year, countless people die having never written the novel of their dreams. The reason most of those books (some of which would have undoubtedly been great) don’t make it onto the page is because the would-be author waited for a moment of manic inspiration—a divine-lightbulb moment that would leave them scribbling into a leather-bound journal for hours at some quaint cafe or home library. For
most of us, that moment never comes, and the only way to unleash creativity is through persistence and discipline. The Artist’s Way focuses on training the mind to work more creatively by engaging in free-writing every morning and taking time each week to explore a subject one finds fascinating. Never mind that it occasionally feels like a transcript from a spiritual segment on Oprah; if you’re willing to put in the work, this book wants to send you on your way.—Kevin Keller
9. The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson
It’s key for a writer to understand his own language, and Bill Bryson offers the best insight on the origins and uses of English I’ve ever read. The author of Troublesome Words explains in biting prose the origins of swear words, why the British have so many different accents, and how English is quickly becoming the world’s lingua franca. When grammar and syntax become fascinating and funny, the writer has done his job.—Wendy Greenberg
8. Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
This list is full of writers moaning about the difficulties of writing (to which we relate). But Bradley refreshingly relishes the art of writing, and his joy is infectious. “Think of Shakespeare and Melville and you think of thunder, lightning, wind,” he admonishes the dour scribe. “They all knew the joy of creating in large or small forms, on unlimited or restricted canvasses. These are the children of the gods. They knew fun in their work. No matter if creation came hard here or there along the way, or what illnesses and tragedies touched their most private lives. … If you are writing without zest, without gusto, without love, without fun, you are only half a writer.”—Josh Jackson
7. On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Zinsser writes simply and clearly about simplicity and clutter. Full of excellent examples of crisp non-fiction, On Writing Well is a straightforward guide to improving your writing, one that’s quick to point out common flaws and prescribe simple cures. It’s Writing 101, and its increased popularity would instantly make the Internet a better place.—Josh Jackson
6. Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark
Roy Peter Clark’s plainspoken masterpiece dispenses a lifetime’s worth of practical advice in one slim, readable volume. It’s essential for young aspiring journalists, but should really
be made mandatory reading in every single American high school.—Nick Marino
5. On Writing by Stephen King
However you feel about Stephen King, he’s managed to pen a staggering amount of work both popular and unpopular. It was only a matter of time until he tried to impart some sagely advice about how to “kill your darlings” and communicate telepathically; in 2000, he released the partmemoir, part-stylebook On Writing that both recounts his childhood attempts at writing and offers advice about the technical aspects of the trade—developing plot and characters and facing the blank page. It’s an interesting read even if you’re not looking to write your own 1000-page thriller.—Whitney Baker
4. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Author Donald Miller gave me a copy of this book a couple years ago, so I’ll just quote him about why he reads it every six months: “Pressfield leaves out all the mushy romantic talk about the writing life, talk I don’t find helpful. True, professional writers are not walking around looking at flowers waiting for inspiration, they are, rather, fighting the urge to distract themselves and sitting down at the computer to hammer out their days work. Pressfield instills in his readers a professional perspective. Being a writer, to Pressfield, is no more glamorous than being a plumber. A professional shows up every day and ‘fixes a toilet.’ I doubt any book has had a more positive influence on my writing life than this one.”—Josh Jackson
3. The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
My first published travel essay was written while I was reading Annie Dillard’s wonderful Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, a book that no doubt colored my own searching prose. When my story showed up in a literary journal right next to an essay by Dillard, I felt the pride of accomplishment until I read her short book about writing. The brutality of The Writing Life is only somewhat soften by the rhythm of each sentence and her parabolic tales from the natural world. But the message is clear: Do not fall in love with your words. Mercilessly attack your most perfect paragraphs if they don’t serve the whole of the idea. “This writing that you do, that so thrills you, that so rocks and exhilarates you, as if you were dancing next to the band, is barely audible to anyone else.” It’s rewarding work. But it’s work.—Josh Jackson
2. On Moral Fiction by John Gardner
Gardner asserts that morality is an eternal and unchanging element in the universe, like a law of
physics. Like gravity or centrifugal force or AutoTune. Like Tolstoy before him, Gardner’s getting at the notion that fiction should aim at higher targets than entertainment or titillation alone, that entertainment and titillation are simpler tools for going after Truth, whatever it is. Moral fiction can be comic—look at Euripides or Twain or Vonnegut or Shakespeare, for that matter—or high-minded and serious, like Faulkner and Morrison and Borges. But it goes after the Big Kahuna of Being, else it fails.—Charles McNair
1. Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on the Writing Life by Anne Lamott
Anne Lamott mixes enthralling bits of advice with glimpses of the ordinariness of the profession that make it one of the most generous and inspiring writing books you’ll find. For anybody looking to improve their craft, the mantra imparted from father to son in the titular slice-of-life about Lamott’s older brother trying desperately to write a report about birds is valuable. Start small, be tenacious, and take it bird by bird.—Whitney Baker
