Favorite Books
The following is a list of books that have shaped me as a writer and as a human. Not all of these are books I would still recommend (some have not withstood the test of time), but they’ve all made an impact on me in one way or another. I’m sharing them here because knowing someone else’s favorite books tells me so much about who they’ve been, who they are now, and in what direction they are growing.
The linked titles are ones I do still recommend, and the link will send you to my affiliate Bookshop.org site.*
If we share any favorite books, or if you have recommendations based on this list, let me know!
Craft Books & Non-Fiction
Mother Trip: Hip Mama's Guide to Staying Sane in the Chaos of Motherhood by Ariel Gore
Becoming a parent changed my relationship with my creativity and my writing, and no one understands that better than Ariel Gore. Her non-fiction is sprinkled with so many relatable, intimate details that reveal the practical realities of single parenting while also offering proof that a writing life is still possible (however it happens). This was the first craft book I felt I could relate to after having my son. I highly recommend everything she’s written, but this one, in particular, helped me tremendously.
The Anti-Racist Writer’s Workshop by Felicia Rose Chavez
A must-read for anyone who ever gives feedback to anyone else on their writing — critique groups, editors, teachers, etc. Even if you’re not giving anyone else feedback, read this book to understand how to treat yourself with compassion you during the editing process.
Wonderbook by Jeff VanderMeer
I consider this to be a worldbuilding masterpiece of a book. The illustrations, charts, tables, etc. are especially helpful for generative work, however, I personally find that I have to put this book away once I start writing because it’s too easy to get lost in.
Becoming a Writer Dorthea Brand
I never hear anyone else talk about this simple book that changed my life as a teenage writer. If you are struggling to find your voice or regularly suffer from writer’s block, this book has an easy-to-apply method for awakening your creativity and accessing your muse. Writers looking for help generating new ideas should start here.
The Emotional Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
This is just one of an entire series of reference books for fiction writers — I’d recommend at least keeping a copy of this one on your desk while you’re writing, and think about investing in some of the others in the series (The Occupational Thesaurus is another good one).
The Synonym Finder by Nancy Laroche, J I Rodale, & Laurence Urdang
I actually just read this for fun sometimes. If you (like me) love words to an obsessive, ridiculous degree, you want this book on your desk. If I’m being perfectly honest, this might be my favorite book of all time.
Wired for Story by Lisa Cron
Much of what I teach in my book coaching practice is based on Lisa’s work. She explains exactly how and why character decisions and cause-and-effect trajectory are such critical components of a good story, and she does so in a way that’s fun and engaging.
The Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan
I love this book so much that I reread it about once a year. It’s a simple, un-pretentious, sometimes self-deprecating & often-poignant collection of essays, emails, and other writing that give a glimpse of Tan’s journey as a writer, her relationship with her family, and the way her work reflects her life, and vice versa. You’ll also see several of Amy Tan’s other works in my list of favorite fiction, below, but this book is close to my heart because it was one of the first books that made me believe a writer’s life was possible and attainable for me.
Fiction
(titles are more or less in order of when I read them, newest to oldest)
The Locked Tomb Series by Tamsyn Muir, starting with Gideon the Ninth.
The Broken Earth series by N.K. Jemisin, The Fifth Season in particular
The Paper Menagerie & The Hidden Girl by Ken Liu
Folding Beijing by Hao Jingfang (short story, available for free online at Uncanny Magazine)
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace
Dawn and Kindred by Octavia Butler
The Replacement by Breanna Yovanoff
Lisey’s Story by Stephen King
Doc by Mary Doria Russell
The Newford series of short story collections by Charles DeLint, Moonlight & Vines in particular
The Kitchen God's Wife & The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan
The Complete English Poems of John Donne
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Princess Bride by William Goldman (a warning that there are some dated, sexist, & racist references in the introduction that have not held up over time, but the brilliant “book-within-a-book” design of this novel is still worth examining for craft purposes. I was one of many pre-teens in my generation who was deeply disappointed to realize that S. Morgenstern did not actually exist. I also wrote to the publisher and received the missing love scene—along with regular legal updates—in the mail)
The Chrestomanci series (The Many Lives of Christopher Chant & Witch Week in particular) by Diana Wynn Jones, also the Moving Castle series (which includes Howl’s Moving Castle)
The Time Quintet (including A Wrinkle in Time) by Madeline L’Engle
The Earth’s Children series by Jean M. Auel, Vally of Horses in particular
Behind the Attic Wall by Sylvia Cassedy (out of print but worth reading if you can find a copy!)
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The Anne of Green Gables & Emily of New Moon series by L.M. Montgomery
The Crystal Cave & Thornyhold (out of print) by Mary Stewart
The Once & Future King by T.H. White
Remember Me by Christopher Pike
Silver by Norma Fox Mazer (out of print but worth reading if you can find it!)
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
The Sleep of Stone & Nemesis (the Indigo series) by Lousie Cooper (out of print)
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Deenie & Blubber by Judy Blume (re-read Blubber if you want to be horrified by the reality of 80s-era bullying and appalled at your child self for not being appalled by the cruelty of some of the characters in this book)
*I’m a Bookshop.org affiliate. This means that if you purchase a book through the links on my website, you’ll pay the same you would at a bookstore, but I will earn a small commission, and Bookshop will also pay 10% of your purchase to support independent bookstores. Bookshop also allows you to search for nearby independent bookstores that carry the title you’re looking for, so I also encourage you to order & buy directly from your local bookstore whenever you can.