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What Writers Read: 35 Writers on their Favourite Book
In this love letter to reading, curated by Pandora Sykes in aid of the National Literacy Trust, bestselling and beloved writers share their favourite books: the ones they hold most dearly, that they return to time and again and that helped make them the writers they are.
With contributions from:
Nick Hornby * Ruth Ozeki * Ann Patchett * Benjamin Zephaniah * Marian Keyes * Elizabeth Strout * Deborah Levy * Tessa Hadley * Elif Shafak * George The Poet * Leila Slimani * Ali Smith * Derek Owusu * Dolly Alderton * Paris Lees * Jojo Moyes * Paul Mendez * Sebastian Faulks * Diana Evans * Meena Kandasamy * Lisa Taddeo * Nikesh Shukla * Taiye Selasi * Monica Ali * Nina Stibbe * Caleb Azumah Nelson * Elizabeth Day * Sara Collins * Damon Galgut * Naoise Dolan * William Boyd * Emma Dabiri * Fatima Bhutto * Kit De Waal
With contributions from:
Nick Hornby * Ruth Ozeki * Ann Patchett * Benjamin Zephaniah * Marian Keyes * Elizabeth Strout * Deborah Levy * Tessa Hadley * Elif Shafak * George The Poet * Leila Slimani * Ali Smith * Derek Owusu * Dolly Alderton * Paris Lees * Jojo Moyes * Paul Mendez * Sebastian Faulks * Diana Evans * Meena Kandasamy * Lisa Taddeo * Nikesh Shukla * Taiye Selasi * Monica Ali * Nina Stibbe * Caleb Azumah Nelson * Elizabeth Day * Sara Collins * Damon Galgut * Naoise Dolan * William Boyd * Emma Dabiri * Fatima Bhutto * Kit De Waal
208 pages, Paperback
Published November 7, 2024
123 people are currently reading
2700 people want to read
About the author
Pandora Sykes
4 books1,441 followersPandora Sykes is a British journalist and speaker. She's a former Fashion Features Editor of The Sunday Times Style magazine (2014-2017) and contributing editor at ELLE and ManRepeller.com, she has also written for titles including The Observer, The Telegraph, GQ, Vogue UK & Australia, Red, ES Magazine and The Cut. She contributed to Stylist’s essay collection, Life Lessons From Incredible Women, published in March 2018 by Penguin and to Comfort Zones, an essay collection produced by Sonder & Tell in March 2019.
In 2017, she co-founded the podcast The High Low with Dolly Alderton, a weekly pop-culture and current affairs podcast.
Her debut essay collection, How Do We Know We Are Doing It Right? comes out in July 2020.
In 2017, she co-founded the podcast The High Low with Dolly Alderton, a weekly pop-culture and current affairs podcast.
Her debut essay collection, How Do We Know We Are Doing It Right? comes out in July 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews
January 15, 2023
This was a gift from my dear friend Cathrine for my birthday last month. It was the perfect thing to read over the holidays when reading time was limited. Sometimes I’d pick it up, expecting to read only one entry, but then move on to another when I saw a familiar author or the name of their chosen book.
Synchronously, I’d read Tessa Hadley’s entry about Tom's Midnight Garden then came across her in another book I’m slowly reading. Her short story in the latter is followed by an interview. Near its end she mentions Tom’s Midnight Garden as a seminal book for her, along with a theme so relevant to the construction of her short story, I’d thought of it while reading her story and it’s a book I haven’t read.
Bloomsbury publishes beautiful books and this small book is no exception. If I had virtual shelves, it’d be labeled as charming. Proceeds go to the U.K.’s National Literary Trust.
Synchronously, I’d read Tessa Hadley’s entry about Tom's Midnight Garden then came across her in another book I’m slowly reading. Her short story in the latter is followed by an interview. Near its end she mentions Tom’s Midnight Garden as a seminal book for her, along with a theme so relevant to the construction of her short story, I’d thought of it while reading her story and it’s a book I haven’t read.
Bloomsbury publishes beautiful books and this small book is no exception. If I had virtual shelves, it’d be labeled as charming. Proceeds go to the U.K.’s National Literary Trust.
August 25, 2023
I finished this up last night and found all the pieces worthy of considering. I downloaded one book, ordered 3 more, and made a list of several to get from my library. Win/win on all counts.
November 3, 2022
Technically speaking, this is probably more of a 4⭐️ than a 5⭐️ as I didn’t love every single entry. However, the overall feeling this book gave me could not be anything but 5⭐️s. This book perfectly captures the utter joy of reading and how books really do change lives. Something about hearing people, especially writers, talk about their favourite books is just the most wonderful thing. If you are a reader or book lover, please please please pick up a copy of this book! All profits and royalties from the sales of this book are going to the National Literacy Trust, which works to end literacy inequality, so it really is worth it.
February 19, 2023
In a somewhat underwhelming book, Sykes presents a series of 35 pieces by authors on their favourite books. This is very much a collection of short essays that reflects either the editor’s or her publisher’s commitment to “diversity, inclusivity, and equity,” so we get the views of writers of a variety of shades of skin, ethnicities, and sexual orientations . . . but seemingly more young than older authors. A number of the contributors were new to me—some, like Paris Lees, I judge to be minor, flash-in-the-pan, flavour-of-the-month sorts, who won’t be remembered for long. Based on their rather unremarkable contributions, I feel little inclination to seek out their work or the books that touched them.
The word “favourite” seems to have been interpreted quite loosely here. Some authors focus on formative books from childhood. Others identify recent favourites (e.g., Ann Patchett on Meg Mason’s Sorrow and Bliss) or titles that have influenced their own craft (e.g., Taiye Selasi on Penelope Lively’s Moon Tiger and Kit de Waal on Donal Ryan’s The Thing about December.)
Of the 35 short essays, only about a half dozen had any effect on me. William Boyd writes well about Joseph Heller’s ability to capture the absurdity of war in his novel Catch-22, reflecting Boyd’s sense of the Biafran conflict, which he had personal experience of as a young man. Sebastian Faulks discusses an intriguing adult novel he read as a nine-year-old; unfortunately, he has no recollection of the title, and whether his memory can, at this point, even be trusted on the particulars of character and plot is debatable. Deborah Levy’s wonderful and lively voice carries her personal essay on Dodie Smith’s classic I Capture the Castle, and Damon Galgut’s insightful piece on Denis Johnson’s Train Dreams is rewarding—it made me want to read the novella. So did Ali Smith on Tove Jansson’s The Summer Book, which concerns the relationship between a grandmother and granddaughter, a subject dear to my heart. Smith observes that it’s a work of “profound openness, where age knows everything anew and youth is profound experience. Saying this, or trying to describe the book in any way at all, doesn’t come anywhere near what happens when you read it: the calm, the joy, the depth, the understanding, the warmth of this slim little masterpiece about everything.” I’ve long intended to read this, and Smith has motivated to get to it soon.
Aside from these few highlights, Sykes’s book was nothing special for me. I can’t say I’d recommend it. A positive: it’s very short and very quickly read.
The word “favourite” seems to have been interpreted quite loosely here. Some authors focus on formative books from childhood. Others identify recent favourites (e.g., Ann Patchett on Meg Mason’s Sorrow and Bliss) or titles that have influenced their own craft (e.g., Taiye Selasi on Penelope Lively’s Moon Tiger and Kit de Waal on Donal Ryan’s The Thing about December.)
Of the 35 short essays, only about a half dozen had any effect on me. William Boyd writes well about Joseph Heller’s ability to capture the absurdity of war in his novel Catch-22, reflecting Boyd’s sense of the Biafran conflict, which he had personal experience of as a young man. Sebastian Faulks discusses an intriguing adult novel he read as a nine-year-old; unfortunately, he has no recollection of the title, and whether his memory can, at this point, even be trusted on the particulars of character and plot is debatable. Deborah Levy’s wonderful and lively voice carries her personal essay on Dodie Smith’s classic I Capture the Castle, and Damon Galgut’s insightful piece on Denis Johnson’s Train Dreams is rewarding—it made me want to read the novella. So did Ali Smith on Tove Jansson’s The Summer Book, which concerns the relationship between a grandmother and granddaughter, a subject dear to my heart. Smith observes that it’s a work of “profound openness, where age knows everything anew and youth is profound experience. Saying this, or trying to describe the book in any way at all, doesn’t come anywhere near what happens when you read it: the calm, the joy, the depth, the understanding, the warmth of this slim little masterpiece about everything.” I’ve long intended to read this, and Smith has motivated to get to it soon.
Aside from these few highlights, Sykes’s book was nothing special for me. I can’t say I’d recommend it. A positive: it’s very short and very quickly read.
April 5, 2023
I admit, I read this book solely for Deborah Levy’s - one of my main literary loves- essay about one of her favorite books, “I Capture the Castle,” which also happens to be a book I adore. Her essay is, unsurprisingly, brilliant. But surprisingly, it is not my favorite offering in this stellar collection. That honor goes to Fatima Bhutto’s ode to her entire bookshelf, where she talks about books as gateways to places one needs to go and quotes Mary Oliver: “still, what I want in my life is to be willing to be dazzled, to cast aside the weight of facts and maybe even to float a little above this difficult world” and the unique ability of her bookshelf to make that a reality. I loved William Boyd’s recounting of the importance of “Catch-22” which he read during the Biafran War, and Benjamin Zephaniah’s awakening as a feminist by way of bell hooks’s “Ain’t I a Woman,” of Ali Smith’s love for “the summer book,” of the profound truths to be found in “the pillow book” by Ruth Ozeki…I could go on and on. There are so many highlights, so many new books to discover from reading this.
November 21, 2022
A treat, a joy, a few hours in an afternoon. This book is so comforting, and has given me some great recommendations and literary trivia! Also I'd forgotten how pleasing a small hardback can be to hold - it's the perfect size for a Christmas stocking...
April 12, 2023
There is something absolutely delicious about writers, writing about being readers. I really never get sick of books like this. They capture perfectly all the many things reading and books can mean in our lives. They always make me think of books I’ve loved, and add lots to my to-read list. A lovely little treat.
November 5, 2022
Something so comforting reading about books
February 3, 2023
I would have rated this higher had there been a better representation of genre writers and books.
What Writers Read is exactly what it says on the cover, provided the reader is interested in literary fiction authors like Ann Patchett, David Nicholls and Elif Shafak. Of course, I enjoyed learning which books have touched the lives of these prominent authors, and how. As with any favourite read, they discovered their favourite books at pivotal times in their lives, when they needed validation and encouragement. These become heartening themes throughout the collection of essays, but I was also pleased with the sheer variety of noted books, ranging from worthy classics (e.g. Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, Cold Comfort Farm) to the socially influential (e.g. Orlando, The God of Small Things, The Pillow Book) to the popular (e.g. Bridget Jones's Diary, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The Spider-Man comics).
However this does not make up for the fact that dozens of equally-loved and respected authors are noticeably msising from this gathering. While I do not like to cast aspersions, it must be said that there are few genre authors in What Writers Read, aside from the likes of romance writer Jojo Moyes and thriller writer Elizabeth Day. Some of the featured writers have dabbled in genre fiction but by no means are they best known for this. That being said, it is lovely that a few hold up genre novels as being formative for them.
This aside, I enjoyed leafing through What Writers Read. It's a great little book for recommendations and it's gratifying to see writers speak about the literature that has influenced them, even when they can't quite remember the book in question or can't narrow it down to a single influence. Some of these essays will make your smile but all will make you think.
I recommend What Writers Read to those who are curious about what the cutting edge of literary fiction hold on their bookshelves.
Notable Essays
• David Nicholls on the Pan Book of Horror Stories selected by Herbert van Thal – it’s fascinating to read about how a funny romantic writer cut his teeth on twist-based ghost stories.
• Tessa Hadley on Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce – Hadley writes about this classic children’s novel in a way that makes me want to track down a copy and absorb the magic myself.
• Sebastian Faulks on The Last Swim by J. J. Smith – it’s a half-remembered book from Faulks’s childhood but I’m all the keener to seek it out, as well as the novels I can’t quite recall.
What Writers Read is exactly what it says on the cover, provided the reader is interested in literary fiction authors like Ann Patchett, David Nicholls and Elif Shafak. Of course, I enjoyed learning which books have touched the lives of these prominent authors, and how. As with any favourite read, they discovered their favourite books at pivotal times in their lives, when they needed validation and encouragement. These become heartening themes throughout the collection of essays, but I was also pleased with the sheer variety of noted books, ranging from worthy classics (e.g. Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, Cold Comfort Farm) to the socially influential (e.g. Orlando, The God of Small Things, The Pillow Book) to the popular (e.g. Bridget Jones's Diary, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The Spider-Man comics).
However this does not make up for the fact that dozens of equally-loved and respected authors are noticeably msising from this gathering. While I do not like to cast aspersions, it must be said that there are few genre authors in What Writers Read, aside from the likes of romance writer Jojo Moyes and thriller writer Elizabeth Day. Some of the featured writers have dabbled in genre fiction but by no means are they best known for this. That being said, it is lovely that a few hold up genre novels as being formative for them.
This aside, I enjoyed leafing through What Writers Read. It's a great little book for recommendations and it's gratifying to see writers speak about the literature that has influenced them, even when they can't quite remember the book in question or can't narrow it down to a single influence. Some of these essays will make your smile but all will make you think.
I recommend What Writers Read to those who are curious about what the cutting edge of literary fiction hold on their bookshelves.
Notable Essays
• David Nicholls on the Pan Book of Horror Stories selected by Herbert van Thal – it’s fascinating to read about how a funny romantic writer cut his teeth on twist-based ghost stories.
• Tessa Hadley on Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce – Hadley writes about this classic children’s novel in a way that makes me want to track down a copy and absorb the magic myself.
• Sebastian Faulks on The Last Swim by J. J. Smith – it’s a half-remembered book from Faulks’s childhood but I’m all the keener to seek it out, as well as the novels I can’t quite recall.
December 15, 2022
Beautiful in every single way. But the last entry from Fatima Bhutto…a masterpiece. I love books, I love reading, I love knowing what books people love. Having an insight into which books people love, that have moved them, that they treasure is an absolute gift. Yes, these are famous writers but honestly I think I would happily know every average Joe and Josephine’s favourite book(s).
November 16, 2024
An incredibly beautiful ode to the beauty of reading, the power if stories and the utterly diverse but always valuable effects books might have on our lives.
I added various books mentioned in "What Writers Read" to my personal reading list. Moreover, I totally want to read a couple of those chapters with my students in school and encourage them to write a short text about a book that changed something for them/inspired/annoyed/cared for them in whichever way in the style of those chapters. Would be great to see what they come up with.
I added various books mentioned in "What Writers Read" to my personal reading list. Moreover, I totally want to read a couple of those chapters with my students in school and encourage them to write a short text about a book that changed something for them/inspired/annoyed/cared for them in whichever way in the style of those chapters. Would be great to see what they come up with.
December 28, 2022
Comforting, inspiring, thought-provoking. This little collection introduced me to the minds of diverse authors I love and authors I had yet to encounter, as well as to their perspectives on some of my favourite books, and some potential future favourites, too.
A lovely concept for a worthwhile cause – and a welcome distraction to calm busy minds with reflection of just how much books can mean to us and cast a spell over us, regardless of age, identity, or background.
A lovely concept for a worthwhile cause – and a welcome distraction to calm busy minds with reflection of just how much books can mean to us and cast a spell over us, regardless of age, identity, or background.
December 27, 2022
Such a simple concept and such an easy book to dip in and out of. I simply adored reading about all the favourite books of such illuminating writers. 80% were stimulating enough to make me want to read each favourite book. The message for me was the significance of moment in time and how a book can sometimes be perfect timing!
December 30, 2022
A love letter to literature and the sheer unmatched joy of reading! A small gorgeous gem of a book brimming with future reads waiting to be discovered!
January 7, 2025
Haven’t read anything in a while and these authors made me curious again about the unique pleasure that is reading. Will I read more this year? We shall see…
February 22, 2025
What could be better than great writers writing about great books?
February 3, 2024
These essays are a warm hug and an ode to the joy of reading. I loved reading about the books that moved and inspired these brilliant writers. Delish
February 23, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ok
A good palette cleanser if you’re unsure what to read next.
It’s very short and easily read in one sitting with a large mug of tea & a few biscuits.
I’m a little disappointed that a lot of the contributions in this book haven’t really committed to the supposed ‘favourite’ part of the title. Many of the authors here have simply chosen a book they remember enjoying from childhood rather than an all time favorite (perhaps this is coming from a selfish point of view as I was hoping to add to my TBR).
A very diverse range of contributors, but they’ve written scarcely more than a short essay about said book. So there’s not much detail to go on.
Overall, good for a quick flick through but nothing memorable.
Ok
A good palette cleanser if you’re unsure what to read next.
It’s very short and easily read in one sitting with a large mug of tea & a few biscuits.
I’m a little disappointed that a lot of the contributions in this book haven’t really committed to the supposed ‘favourite’ part of the title. Many of the authors here have simply chosen a book they remember enjoying from childhood rather than an all time favorite (perhaps this is coming from a selfish point of view as I was hoping to add to my TBR).
A very diverse range of contributors, but they’ve written scarcely more than a short essay about said book. So there’s not much detail to go on.
Overall, good for a quick flick through but nothing memorable.
November 25, 2023
Pandora Sykes vroeg auteurs naar hun favoriete boek en verzamelde zo 35 stukjes waarin auteurs hun liefde aan lezen verklaren. Nick Hornby, Leïla Slimana, Ann Patchett, Ali Smith, Sebastian Faulks, Caleb Azumah Nelson en William Boyd zijn de bekendere namen die ons spontaan aanspraken uit het lijstje.
De stukjes zijn net lang genoeg om doordacht te enthousiasmeren of een bevlogen punt te maken en kort genoeg om in één toiletbezoek te lezen.
Zoals je kan verwachten van 35 verschillende pennen, zijn niet alle stukjes even sterk en helaas zijn er nogal wat auteurs die zelfs in een kort stuk over andermans boek, vooral graag over zichzelf vertellen.
Niettemin: fijn leesvoer dat ons links en rechts wat inspiratie bracht. 11 van de 35 vermelde titels noteren we als verder te onderzoeken of te lezen, 8 lazen we al en 2 interesseerden ons geen moer.
De stukjes zijn net lang genoeg om doordacht te enthousiasmeren of een bevlogen punt te maken en kort genoeg om in één toiletbezoek te lezen.
Zoals je kan verwachten van 35 verschillende pennen, zijn niet alle stukjes even sterk en helaas zijn er nogal wat auteurs die zelfs in een kort stuk over andermans boek, vooral graag over zichzelf vertellen.
Niettemin: fijn leesvoer dat ons links en rechts wat inspiratie bracht. 11 van de 35 vermelde titels noteren we als verder te onderzoeken of te lezen, 8 lazen we al en 2 interesseerden ons geen moer.
February 22, 2023
What Writers Read is a wonderful collection of the most beloved books by the writers we love to read.
Reminiscent of Cathy Rentzenbrink's "Dear Reader", this is a wonderful collection of books that inspired and invigorated some popular authors.
While I felt more drawn to some entries over others, each held this spark and love of reading that just made you absorb how they felt while reading and how it inspired the books they've written.
Be warned, it is fatal for your bank account, as I've added many more books to my TBR after reading this.
What Writers Read is an inspiration, a reminiscent read of what empowers us to read and write, and the reasons why many of us made a living out of it.
Reminiscent of Cathy Rentzenbrink's "Dear Reader", this is a wonderful collection of books that inspired and invigorated some popular authors.
While I felt more drawn to some entries over others, each held this spark and love of reading that just made you absorb how they felt while reading and how it inspired the books they've written.
Be warned, it is fatal for your bank account, as I've added many more books to my TBR after reading this.
What Writers Read is an inspiration, a reminiscent read of what empowers us to read and write, and the reasons why many of us made a living out of it.
December 30, 2025
a lovely book to end the year on! a little gem of a book, where 35 authors each write about their favourite book and how it changed their life, their perception of the world, and gave them comfort and company in a time of need. the book is too gorg to mark up, but the writing was beautiful and it felt like such an intimate peek into these infamous authors' minds - i would have underlined pages and pages if i wasn't so precious 🤓 and all royalties and profits go to the national literacy trust!
September 20, 2024
Rating: 3½ stars.
A charming collection of essays on the joys of reading and finding the right book at the right time.
A charming collection of essays on the joys of reading and finding the right book at the right time.
October 26, 2024
I’m a big believer in serendipity and this book symbolizes this for me. Having a few minutes to spare before a meeting in Norwich, I popped into an independent bookshop called The Book Hive and found this book within minutes of entering the shop. I have to confess that I am not familiar with all the authors who contributed nor the books they write about but it gave me enormous pleasure to hear their thoughts and recommendations and I now have several more books on my TBR list as well as a few to reread.
April 15, 2024
A lovely read to dip in and out of and a lovely gift to receive -- thanks Jo! I'd recommend it as a gift to any book lover as you can discover even more wonderful reads to add to your TBR and learn more about the books that have inspired well known and popular authors.
March 3, 2023
This book reminded me of why I love reading, and how some books read at a particular time in life will stick with you for ages 💓
“We just need to read more, and listen more, and hear more, and love more. And hate less. Read more, to hate less.”
“We just need to read more, and listen more, and hear more, and love more. And hate less. Read more, to hate less.”
November 22, 2022
this was fine. just fell short of its potential in my opinion.
January 10, 2023
Quite nice, but also a bit lacklustre.
November 19, 2022
Reflections and lessons learned:
“Knowing an author's favourite book feels like a delicious piece of insider information - like peeking behind their brain curtains to see the cogs turning within. It's highly unlikely that reading said book will confer a similar set of writing skills, but being in the same reading space that your favourite author has dwelt in is a lovely sort of alchemy”
Which designers do fashion creatives wear? Where do chefs value to eat out at? Which cars do Formula 1 drivers own that they’ve purchased themselves? When you’re doing well in your chosen field, I wonder how hard it is to critically asses the work of peers without too much personal influence coming in? This is an area that everyone can (hopefully) pick something from though - people don’t have to have read thousands of titles, or spent 100 thousand hours reading classic literature to feel close to a book that they have valued as a part of their life.
I liked that this book took a bit of a side step in traditional listing approaches in places, and that there was a swathe of types of books covered - some titles I’ve read, some I’d like to, and through this, some have been newly discovered - a lovely summary style reference book, and a snapshot from history of popular and beloved books
“Knowing an author's favourite book feels like a delicious piece of insider information - like peeking behind their brain curtains to see the cogs turning within. It's highly unlikely that reading said book will confer a similar set of writing skills, but being in the same reading space that your favourite author has dwelt in is a lovely sort of alchemy”
Which designers do fashion creatives wear? Where do chefs value to eat out at? Which cars do Formula 1 drivers own that they’ve purchased themselves? When you’re doing well in your chosen field, I wonder how hard it is to critically asses the work of peers without too much personal influence coming in? This is an area that everyone can (hopefully) pick something from though - people don’t have to have read thousands of titles, or spent 100 thousand hours reading classic literature to feel close to a book that they have valued as a part of their life.
I liked that this book took a bit of a side step in traditional listing approaches in places, and that there was a swathe of types of books covered - some titles I’ve read, some I’d like to, and through this, some have been newly discovered - a lovely summary style reference book, and a snapshot from history of popular and beloved books
November 16, 2022
Curated by Pandora Sykes, and with entries from:
Ann Patchett, Elif Shafak, Leila Slimani, Nick Hornby, David Nicholls, Sara Collins, Derek Owusu, Paris Lees, Paul Mendez, Diana Evans, Lisa Taddeo, Taiye Selasi, Nina Stibbe, Elizabeth Day, Kit de Waal, Damon Galgut, William Boyd, Fatima Bhutto, Monica Ali, Benjamin Zephaniah, Elizabeth Strout, Tessa Hadley, George the Poet, Marian Keyes, Ali Smith, Dolly Alderton, Jojo Moyes, Sebastian Faulks, Meena Kandasamy, Nikesh Shukla, Ruth Ozeki, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Deborah Levy, Naoise Dolan, Emma Dabiri
This is a beautiful little hardback book, ideal for gifting to any book lover at Christmas. Dark blue cover with embossed gold script and a gorgeous illustration on the front. It also has a gold coloured silky bookmark inside.
I do love to find new books to read, and especially love a recommendation. There's such a wide variety of authors choosing an eclectic and mixed selection of books in here, there's certainly something for everyone.
Not only does each writer choose their favourite book, they tell us why, with interesting and heart warming tales about why that particular books means so much to them.
It's an utter delight and a book to treasure, and to gift.
Ann Patchett, Elif Shafak, Leila Slimani, Nick Hornby, David Nicholls, Sara Collins, Derek Owusu, Paris Lees, Paul Mendez, Diana Evans, Lisa Taddeo, Taiye Selasi, Nina Stibbe, Elizabeth Day, Kit de Waal, Damon Galgut, William Boyd, Fatima Bhutto, Monica Ali, Benjamin Zephaniah, Elizabeth Strout, Tessa Hadley, George the Poet, Marian Keyes, Ali Smith, Dolly Alderton, Jojo Moyes, Sebastian Faulks, Meena Kandasamy, Nikesh Shukla, Ruth Ozeki, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Deborah Levy, Naoise Dolan, Emma Dabiri
This is a beautiful little hardback book, ideal for gifting to any book lover at Christmas. Dark blue cover with embossed gold script and a gorgeous illustration on the front. It also has a gold coloured silky bookmark inside.
I do love to find new books to read, and especially love a recommendation. There's such a wide variety of authors choosing an eclectic and mixed selection of books in here, there's certainly something for everyone.
Not only does each writer choose their favourite book, they tell us why, with interesting and heart warming tales about why that particular books means so much to them.
It's an utter delight and a book to treasure, and to gift.
December 29, 2022
Wow.
Reading "What Writers Read' has made me want to go back and re-read my favourites ('Jane Eyre' for the 1000th time), and also those books I read once many moons ago that I have slated since (Sorry 'Wuthering Heights'... will my 29 year old self learn to appreciate you more than my 19 year old self did?)
I was gripped from the intro, Sykes pulled on my heartstrings, brought a tear to my eye, and made me realise there is nothing to be sorry for when you enjoy a good book!
"What you enjoy should not be filtered or apologised for."
Reading "What Writers Read' has made me want to go back and re-read my favourites ('Jane Eyre' for the 1000th time), and also those books I read once many moons ago that I have slated since (Sorry 'Wuthering Heights'... will my 29 year old self learn to appreciate you more than my 19 year old self did?)
I was gripped from the intro, Sykes pulled on my heartstrings, brought a tear to my eye, and made me realise there is nothing to be sorry for when you enjoy a good book!
"What you enjoy should not be filtered or apologised for."
Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews