Best books … chosen by Maria Semple
Former Arrested Development writer and producer Maria Semple is the author of This One Is Mine, a new novel about broken couples in L.A. It has just been published by Little, Brown.
Former Arrested Development writer and producer Maria Semple is the author of This One Is Mine, a new novel about broken couples in L.A. It has just been published by Little, Brown.
Last Night by James Salter (Vintage, $13). I start every writing day by copying a few pages from Salter, one of the masters. Sometimes, I get to a sentence in this story collection that’s so gorgeous and devastating and short that I have to put my pen down and do what I feel is more my destiny, like troll the mall for sales.
American Pastoral by Philip Roth (Vintage, $15). My favorite book from my favorite writer. His sentences are so simple and his style so conversational, still, every book tears me apart. What can I say, other than, Philip Roth, Philip Roth ... aaaaghhh, I don’t care what Claire Bloom says, I love you, Philip Roth!
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.
Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie (Random House, $15). And here I only thought of Rushdie as a lady’s hound with a fatwa. This, his second novel, is screaming with confidence and life. I used to write in the reading room at the Beverly Hills library and would occasionally see him there. Lucky for him, it was before I read Midnight’s Children or I would have yammered the poor knight’s ear off.
The Travelling Horn Player by Barbara Trapido (out of print). Why don’t people know about her? I stumbled across this novel at another library. Its wonderful characters zip along with feather-light wit in a marvelously complex and moving plot. Trapido has written a ton of books, many out of print in the U.S. If I can do nothing else for you, let me be the one who turns you onto Barbara Trapido.
The Dog of the South by Charles Portis (Penguin, $16). How do you not love a charming first-person novel that’s full of exclamation points?
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White (Prentice Hall, $10). I have read Strunk & White a dozen times and still have so much to learn. There are four copies tucked around my apartment in various states of highlightedness and dog-eareditude. (Ooch, see how much I still have to learn?
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
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?
In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meat
The Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
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 Published
-
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 Published
-
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 Published
-
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 Published
-
Jason Isaacs's 6 favorite books that changed his perception on life
Feature The British actor recommends works by George Orwell, C.S. Lewis, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Tessa Bailey's 6 favorite books for hopeless romantics
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Lyla Sage, Sally Thorne, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Pagan Kennedy's 6 favorite books that inspire resistance
Feature The author recommends works by Patrick Radden Keefe, Margaret Atwood, and more
By The Week US Published
-
John Sayles' 6 favorite works that left a lasting impression
Feature The Oscar-nominated screenwriter recommends works by William Faulkner, Carson McCullers, and more
By The Week US Published