Best books … chosen by James Gray
Gray is the writer-director of the new film Two Lovers, starring Joaquin Phoenix and ­Gwyneth Paltrow. His previous films include Little Odessa and We Own the Night
James Gray is the writer-director of the new film Two Lovers, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow. His previous films include Little Odessa and We Own the Night.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Signet, $7). In my view, Anna Karenina is simply the best novel ever written. A book of authentic emotion, acutely observed and brilliantly executed, with astonishing sweep and power. My personal favorite moment is when Levin goes to the men’s club.
The Great War and Modern Memory by Paul Fussell (Oxford, $20). One of the best nonfiction works I’ve ever read. I’m a huge fan of virtually everything Fussell has ever done, but this unique book, which uses literature and social history to examine World War I, may be his best. Unflinching.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O’Connor (Mariner, $14). This was O’Connor’s first published collection. For me, she is the best writer in the Southern Gothic style. Her work has a marvelous complexity, morally ambiguous and macabre.
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh (Back Bay, $15) I’ve chosen Waugh’s masterpiece, though I suppose I could just have easily named four other books of his. The story is haunting, filled with longing and love. Poor Sebastian Flyte is one of the most heartbreaking characters in literary history.
Babe: The Legend Comes to Life by Robert Creamer (Simon
& Schuster, $15). A truly wonderful and thoroughly detailed biography of Babe Ruth. Robert Creamer’s vivid book peaks, I think, with Chapter 28: “Kaleidoscope: Personality of the Babe.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Puffin, $5). If you haven’t taken a look at it recently, you should. I read it too early—high school—but picked it up again not too long ago and realized it’s as good as they say. A caustic book, but a very funny one, too. Essential.
-
The best crime fiction of 2025
The Week Recommends These page-turners will keep you on the edge of your seat
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK
-
Will divisions over trans issue derail Keir Starmer's government?
Today's Big Question Rebellion is brewing following the Supreme Court's ruling that a woman is defined by biological sex under equality law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Why UK scientists are trying to dim the Sun
In The Spotlight The UK has funded controversial geoengineering techniques that could prove helpful in slowing climate change
By Abby Wilson
-
Susan Page's 6 favorite books about historical figures who stood up to authority
Feature The USA Today's Washington bureau chief recommends works by Catherine Clinton, Alexei Navalny, and more
By The Week US
-
Ione Skye's 6 favorite books about love and loss
Feature The actress recommends works by James Baldwin, Nora Ephron, and more
By The Week US
-
Colum McCann's 6 favorite books that take place at sea
Feature The National Book Award-winning author recommends works by Ernest Hemingway, Herman Melville, and more
By The Week US
-
Max Allan Collins’ 6 favorite books that feature private detectives
Feature The mystery writer recommends works by Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and more
By The Week US
-
John McWhorter’s 6 favorite books that are rooted in history
Feature The Columbia University professor recommends works by Lyla Sage, Sally Thorne, and more
By The Week US
-
Abdulrazak Gurnah's 6 favorite books about war and colonialism
Feature The Nobel Prize winner recommends works by Michael Ondaatje, Toni Morrison, and more
By The Week US
-
Elliot Ackerman’s 6 favorite books on war and duty
Feature The Marine veteran recommends works by Robert A. Heinlein, John le Carré, and more
By The Week US
-
Xochitl Gonzalez’s 6 favorite books that shaped her storytelling
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Stephen King, Julian Barnes, and more
By The Week US