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Actress Zosie Mamet is the editor of a new collection of essays, my first popsicle, in which prominent cultural figures each write about a poignant memory related to food. Under the Girls and The stewardess star names six favorite books.
The Secret History of Donna Tartt (1992)
One of my favorite novels since I read it so many years ago. It confronts big issues like class, perception, and who you really are. But Tartt blends it all together in the most delicious and biting murder mystery that will keep you turning the pages until the wee hours. Buy it here.
The Savage Detective by Jonathan Lethem (2018)
I recorded the audiobook of this novel, a modern detective story set in the dark depths of the Californian desert. If other novels are a sweet and creamy cocktail, this one is a shot of tequila: tart and sharp. The hunt for a lost girl takes our two heroes on a strange and dangerous pursuit that brings them closer to death and brings them together in unexpected ways. Buy it here.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh (2018)
This novel pissed me off. A young and beautiful woman who is fed up with the world decides that she is going to take a vacation far from the daily sufferings of life. She doesn’t want to die. Instead, she commits – with the help of pharmaceuticals – to sleep for an entire year. Buy it here.
Sex and Rage by Eve Babitz (1979)
Everyone should read everything by Eve Babitz — in my opinion, one of the greatest writers of her time. In this novel, her only novel, we follow Jacaranda Leven as she wades through the waters of literary success and a sea of men, drugs and alcohol. Buy it here.
An Hour to Be Born by Dawn Powell (1942)
Welcome to the world of New York’s elite in the early 1900s. Class, wealth and backstabbing, oh my! A morally ambiguous novelist and her stolen newspaper mogul husband take center stage, and yet Powell will make you fall in love with these fabulously devious characters. Buy it here.
The Invisible Furies of the Heart by John Boyne (2017)
This far-reaching novel takes you through a man’s entire life as he grows, ages, and discovers himself and his sexuality – often while struggling with the narrow-mindedness of 20th-century Ireland. century. Do not read this book without tissues. Love, loss, grief, growth – Boyne does it all in the most beautiful package that grabs you by the chord. Buy it here.
This article first appeared in the latest issue of The week magazine. If you want to know more, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.
