What are the books that have shaped some of the most famous authors writing today? Nancy Pearl and Jeff Schwager, co-authors of the newly released The Writer’s Library, share with Eve and Julie recommendations they’ve collected from writers such as Luis Alberto Urrea, Laila Lalami, Jonathan Lethem, Louise Erdrich, and Maaza Mengiste; surprising details about which famous novels consistently didn’t show up on those authors’ lists of formative books; and insights into the changing roles of books during the pandemic. Best of all, we add many, many (many!) more books to our Book Dreams reading list!
The Writer's Library
“The Writer's Library is a great concept that is wonderfully executed. It would make a great holiday gift for the literati in your life.” -- Bookreporter.com
Go Deeper
The Writer’s Library, by Nancy Pearl and Jeff Schwager
NPR’s Morning Edition ft. Nancy Pearl
If All of Seattle Read the Same Book
Jesus’ Son (play), by Denis Johnson, adapted by Jeff Schwager
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (play), by Michael Chabon, adapted by Jeff Schwager
BOOKS MENTIONED:
The House of the Dead, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Marjorie Morningstar, by Herman Wouk
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
Watership Down, by Richard Adams
Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell
A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles
The House of Broken Angels, by Luis Alberto Urrea
Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry
The Enchanted April, by Elizabeth Von Arnim
The Summer Book, by Tove Jannson
Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace
Ticktock and Jim, by Keith Robertson
The Hat on the Bed, by John O'Hara
Sermons and Soda Water, by John O’Hara
The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien
Little Big Man, by Thomas Berger
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, by Anne Tyler
The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler
The Clock Winder, by Anne Tyler
The Woman Who Lost Her Soul, by Bob Shacochis
George and Lizzie, by Nancy Pearl
The Shadow King, by Maaza Mengiste
AUTHORS MENTIONED: