I found so many of my favorites on this list, and a few new titles to add to my Goodreads list! If I were to make my own list, I'd have to give a lot of real estate to Virginia Woolf and Kurt Vonnegut, and perhaps one of my absolute favorite novels published in the last few years, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Thank you for sharing, and have a wonderful birthday :)
I’m so glad to hear! I focused a major research project on it a few years ago, and since then I’ve read it a few more times. Each time I find something new to admire :) it’s truly a gem!
I love it! I had "The Waves" on here, but I ended up bumping it for something else. I need to do a closer study of Woolf. I read loads of her stuff in grad school, but I don't feel like I had proper time to sit with her amazingness.
Happy Birthday, Haley!! And thank you for sharing this list of great books. Some I've loved (Rhys, Kaysen, Austen, Montgomery, Barrie...) to name a few, and some that I would love to check out. I think it's SO HARD to name your favourite books, but a few of my all-timers are: The Bell Jar, Little Women, The Secret Garden, Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel, Jamaica Inn (OK, the whole of du Maurier), The Hours, Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name (BEST title ever!!) The Camomile Lawn, and Tales of the City. I could go on. Perhaps I will have to write one for my next birthday... :)
Happy Birthday! What a great way to celebrate! Are you reading anything special ON your birthday?
Two of my favorite recent reads — and definitely on my all-time faves list — are The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka (set in Sri Lanka) and The Last Warner Woman by Kei Miller. (set in Jamaica). Based on your list, it looks like you're not scared off by challenging and/or darker books, so you might like these.
Both tell difficult stories that deal with supernatural elements — and both are lyrically written with prose that verges on poetry. I love that they immersed me in history that I didn't know much about before.
The Last Warner Woman tells the life story of Adamine, a seer in Jamaica who learns how to hold her power. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is a mashup of historical fiction with a murder mystery. It's narrated by a mouthy, abrasive, lovable dead man who's investigating his own murder from the afterlife.
GEEK LOVE by Katherine Dunn is a very strange story of family & love set amidst a carnival. I also return to THE CHANGEOVER by Margaret Mahy when in need of some teenage nostalgia.
Thank you for this! You convinced me to read Foucault. My list is a work in progress but definitely includes Roberta Bolano’s 2226 and Richard Brautigan’s A Confederate General from Big Sur. I’m on my 72nd time around so I’m granting myself 72 spots on my list.
Oh my—that must have been something. Somehow in high school in a small southern town I came across Confederate General in the public library and because of the cover I checked it out. Never been the same since. Brautigan and that novel are in a novel I wrote Wild Walt and the Rock Creek Gang. Whitman and Leaves were a big influence on Brautigan.
Happy Birthday! I've got a few good ones for you: The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (actually anything by Jhumpa Lahiri); The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese; A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, his An Equal Music is really good too; A Fine Balance by Rohintan Mistry, and I just finished Real American by Rachel Khong which I adored!
Jhumpa Lahiri is one of my favorite authors, too. The best way I've found to describe The Lowland is that it's like reading a Whistler painting: cool, precise, and specific with its light, lines, and colors, and will likely make you cry if you sit with it long enough.
Another Jhumpa Lahiri fan here! A few online friends and I are reading all of her books in chronological order of release this year—and sharing our thoughts on a Discord chat—and it’s been one of the highlights of my 2024!
Happy Birthday Haley! As I'm 72 and have way too much books I truly love I'll propose authors instead. Marcel Proust, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Hilary Mantel, Jane Austen and more and more... If I was to have a book that stays in my mind it would be Boy swallows Universe. Have you thought about a close reading of Pride and Prejudice?
I'll be taking recommendations from this list, seeing as you already have a couple of my favourites on there - Frankenstein, and Beloved.
I'm a few months too late to do a list of 25 books for my 25th birthday (that was back in March), but it's tempting. If nothing else it'll be interesting to see what changes for me between now and 30 and 35!
Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith by Sarah Waters will each get a prominent spot. What else...? The Picture of Dorian Gray... Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell... My Sister Jodie by Jacqueline Wilson also springs to mind as a childhood favourite.
Um--this is so great! Happy birthday, Haley! All-time is Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck, a few other faves: Angels in America (Kushner), The Order of Things (Foucault), Birds of America (Moore), Kitchen Confidential (Bourdain), The Chronology of Water (Yuknavitch), Thrust (Yuknavitch), Braiding Sweetgrass (Kimmerer), The Book of Form and Emptiness (Ozeki), Just Kids (Smith), The Summer Book (Jansson), Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery), The Babysitter's Club series (Martin), The Boxcar Children (Warner), Blubber (Blume)
I have Yuknavitch on my list because of you and I need to get to her sooner rather than later. Also: omg The Boxcar Children. I LOVED those stories, especially the first book. And you're such a baller for Order of Things being your favorite Foucault. I've still yet to make it allllll the way through that one. It's so intense, but that Las Meninas reading in the first chapter still blows my freaking mind.
Wow, I love how many of these I haven't ever heard of. And your list of Victorian texts is screaming my name: I have been dying to read The Woman in White for years!! It's time I get to it.
You’ve been reading sixty books a year???Bloody heck! Good for you. What a lovely list. Unsurprisingly, The Waves by Virginia Woolf is at number 1 for me.
Happy Birthday, Haley! Thank you for sharing your favorites with us! Some of mine are 84, Charing Cross Road, Northanger Abbey, Winter in Sokcho, and the Neapolitan quartet by Elena Ferrante.
I found so many of my favorites on this list, and a few new titles to add to my Goodreads list! If I were to make my own list, I'd have to give a lot of real estate to Virginia Woolf and Kurt Vonnegut, and perhaps one of my absolute favorite novels published in the last few years, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Thank you for sharing, and have a wonderful birthday :)
OMG I LOVED Eleanor Oliphant!!! It stayed with me for weeks after reading :)
I’m so glad to hear! I focused a major research project on it a few years ago, and since then I’ve read it a few more times. Each time I find something new to admire :) it’s truly a gem!
Okay, I have only seen this book in stores and never heard anything about it. I will add it to my list!
I love it! I had "The Waves" on here, but I ended up bumping it for something else. I need to do a closer study of Woolf. I read loads of her stuff in grad school, but I don't feel like I had proper time to sit with her amazingness.
I adore "The Waves!" I think about the final chapter of that novel often.
Yes yes to Woolf!
Happy Birthday, Haley!! And thank you for sharing this list of great books. Some I've loved (Rhys, Kaysen, Austen, Montgomery, Barrie...) to name a few, and some that I would love to check out. I think it's SO HARD to name your favourite books, but a few of my all-timers are: The Bell Jar, Little Women, The Secret Garden, Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel, Jamaica Inn (OK, the whole of du Maurier), The Hours, Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name (BEST title ever!!) The Camomile Lawn, and Tales of the City. I could go on. Perhaps I will have to write one for my next birthday... :)
Thanks so much, Kate!! And omg: The Secret Garden and Rebecca are on my slightly longer list. I love them both so much!
I haven't heard of the last few you mention so I'm off to put them in my bookshop cart :)
Happy Birthday! What a great way to celebrate! Are you reading anything special ON your birthday?
Two of my favorite recent reads — and definitely on my all-time faves list — are The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka (set in Sri Lanka) and The Last Warner Woman by Kei Miller. (set in Jamaica). Based on your list, it looks like you're not scared off by challenging and/or darker books, so you might like these.
Both tell difficult stories that deal with supernatural elements — and both are lyrically written with prose that verges on poetry. I love that they immersed me in history that I didn't know much about before.
The Last Warner Woman tells the life story of Adamine, a seer in Jamaica who learns how to hold her power. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is a mashup of historical fiction with a murder mystery. It's narrated by a mouthy, abrasive, lovable dead man who's investigating his own murder from the afterlife.
They have both stayed with me and while bleak in some places, they're ultimately hopeful and life-affirming. (If you want more, you can hear me talk about them on our show... Jamaica - https://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2023-03-06-jamaica/ and Sri Lanka - https://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2023-04-03-sri_lanka/)
May your 36th year be awesome!
Thank you!! I am reading "The Memory Police" right now, so I'm tucking away a few extra hours before bed to read more of that!
The two you've mentioned sound amazing and I'll definitely be reading more about them!
GEEK LOVE by Katherine Dunn is a very strange story of family & love set amidst a carnival. I also return to THE CHANGEOVER by Margaret Mahy when in need of some teenage nostalgia.
Ah, I have Geek Love on my TBR shelf!!!
I will look up The Changeover. I love a good teenage angst book.
I love booklists and book recommendations. This list and your brief descriptions are very enticing!!
Happy Birthday 🎉 and Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much Debra!
Thank you for this! You convinced me to read Foucault. My list is a work in progress but definitely includes Roberta Bolano’s 2226 and Richard Brautigan’s A Confederate General from Big Sur. I’m on my 72nd time around so I’m granting myself 72 spots on my list.
Richard Brautigan!❤️ I saw him read in 1969 or 1970 at Pasadena City College. I will never forget the experience.
Oh my—that must have been something. Somehow in high school in a small southern town I came across Confederate General in the public library and because of the cover I checked it out. Never been the same since. Brautigan and that novel are in a novel I wrote Wild Walt and the Rock Creek Gang. Whitman and Leaves were a big influence on Brautigan.
There's so much to explore with Foucault, I am very happy you feel convinced :)
Happy Birthday! I've got a few good ones for you: The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (actually anything by Jhumpa Lahiri); The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese; A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, his An Equal Music is really good too; A Fine Balance by Rohintan Mistry, and I just finished Real American by Rachel Khong which I adored!
Jhumpa Lahiri is one of my favorite authors, too. The best way I've found to describe The Lowland is that it's like reading a Whistler painting: cool, precise, and specific with its light, lines, and colors, and will likely make you cry if you sit with it long enough.
That is the perfect way to describe it!
I love Lahiri, but I have not yet read The Lowland. I looooove The Interpreter of Maladies. You're reminding me to bump her books up my TBR list.
It’s a must! Let me know when you read it. I’m curious what you think, and I always love to gush over her writing.
Another Jhumpa Lahiri fan here! A few online friends and I are reading all of her books in chronological order of release this year—and sharing our thoughts on a Discord chat—and it’s been one of the highlights of my 2024!
She’s a true master. She learned Italian as an adult and now writes exclusively in Italian!
Happy Birthday Haley! As I'm 72 and have way too much books I truly love I'll propose authors instead. Marcel Proust, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Hilary Mantel, Jane Austen and more and more... If I was to have a book that stays in my mind it would be Boy swallows Universe. Have you thought about a close reading of Pride and Prejudice?
I second a close read of Pride and Prejudice.❤️
Oooooh. Should we close read P&P together!? That'd be fun! Maybe this fall?
Yes! How fun.
Oh yes, I‘d love to learn how it’s misread. And if I misread it, too!
Happy birthday!! 🖤
I'll be taking recommendations from this list, seeing as you already have a couple of my favourites on there - Frankenstein, and Beloved.
I'm a few months too late to do a list of 25 books for my 25th birthday (that was back in March), but it's tempting. If nothing else it'll be interesting to see what changes for me between now and 30 and 35!
Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith by Sarah Waters will each get a prominent spot. What else...? The Picture of Dorian Gray... Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell... My Sister Jodie by Jacqueline Wilson also springs to mind as a childhood favourite.
Um--this is so great! Happy birthday, Haley! All-time is Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck, a few other faves: Angels in America (Kushner), The Order of Things (Foucault), Birds of America (Moore), Kitchen Confidential (Bourdain), The Chronology of Water (Yuknavitch), Thrust (Yuknavitch), Braiding Sweetgrass (Kimmerer), The Book of Form and Emptiness (Ozeki), Just Kids (Smith), The Summer Book (Jansson), Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery), The Babysitter's Club series (Martin), The Boxcar Children (Warner), Blubber (Blume)
Judy Blume ❤️
Hi Errin!!! Thank you!
I have Yuknavitch on my list because of you and I need to get to her sooner rather than later. Also: omg The Boxcar Children. I LOVED those stories, especially the first book. And you're such a baller for Order of Things being your favorite Foucault. I've still yet to make it allllll the way through that one. It's so intense, but that Las Meninas reading in the first chapter still blows my freaking mind.
Happy happy happy birthday! Have the best day ever. Thank you for this gift of your favorite books and photos of your spaces.
Thank you so much Barbara!!
As my mother would say “You are as welcome as the flowers in May.”
🌹🪻🌸🌺🌷🌻🌼🪷💐🥀
🎉🎂🎈🎊🎁🎉🎂🎈🎊🎁
Frankenstein is definitely a favourite of mine also! Others include:
Gormenghast - I love the macabre, rambliness of Gormenghast castle itself and the fabulous characters.
A Time of Gifts - Patrick Leigh Fermor's adventures walking across Europe pre WWII are charming. This is my favourite travel book.
Dracula - because Mina is the BEST!
War & Peace - I never believed I could read it, but I did and I loved it, and I love Pierre.
Ring of Bright Water - made me want to live somewhere remote and raise pet otters.
So many others it's hard to limite them - Middlemarch, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, The Woman in White....on and on....
Wow, I love how many of these I haven't ever heard of. And your list of Victorian texts is screaming my name: I have been dying to read The Woman in White for years!! It's time I get to it.
Woman in White is just amazing - you won't regret reading it!
STARGIRL!! I loved Stargirl growing up, absolutely tickled to see it here. Wishing you the happiest of birthdays, Haley!
Thank you Catherine!!
Happy birthday, Haley!!! Wishing you the loveliest of days!!! 🥳💗
(Cursing autocorrect for changing Haley into Hellen. Grrrr.)
You’ve been reading sixty books a year???Bloody heck! Good for you. What a lovely list. Unsurprisingly, The Waves by Virginia Woolf is at number 1 for me.
In my defense, one of those years was finishing my dissertation, so I read like 100 books that year in a pure daze! Lol
I can't wait to read Dalloway with you so I can really finally give Woolf the time she deserves!
Happy Birthday, Haley! Thank you for sharing your favorites with us! Some of mine are 84, Charing Cross Road, Northanger Abbey, Winter in Sokcho, and the Neapolitan quartet by Elena Ferrante.