Francis Heaney
Francis Heaney is the author of the anagram-laden anthology Holy Tango of Literature. Here he recommends six books, using only the letters in each title and author’s name.
Cemetery Nights by Stephen Dobyns (out of print). These disconcerting poems, composed in prose rhythms, bring to mind sinister bedtime stories concerning identity crises, domesticity gone to the dogs, etc. It’s not Mother Goose. Buy it at Amazon.com
Watchmen by Alan Moore (DC Comics, $20). Whoa, a mammoth cartoon tome that can enthrall e’en a non-teen—not a normal hero tale at all. How can each character act realer than real? A rare treat.
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.
If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino (Harvest, $13). Translated into English (it was Italian first), this series of narratives that never resolve, thwarting one’s longing to see things to their close, is interwoven with a tale of love—for writing, for another, for life.
A Singing Dictionary by Elvis Costello (Warner Bros., $30). Since getting it (and a nearly-seven-string) in college, I’ve revisited it over and over.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
A Humument by Tom Phillips (Thames & Hudson, $28). As Phillips paints atop a lame MS, his lit one-upmanship mutates into an aesthete’s sumptuous amusement.
The Complete Monty Python’s Flying Circus: All the Words
-
Nepal chooses toddler as its new ‘living goddess’
Under the Radar Girls between two and four are typically chosen to live inside the temple as the Kumari – until puberty strikes
-
October 5 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include half-truth hucksters, Capitol lockdown, and more
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailout
Talking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Lou Berney’s 6 favorite books with powerful storytelling
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by Dorothy B. Hughes, James McBride, and more
-
Elizabeth Gilbert’s favorite books about women overcoming difficulties
Feature The author recommends works by Tove Jansson, Lauren Groff, and more
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imagination
Feature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is more
Feature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more
-
Keith McNally's 6 favorite books that have ambitious characters
Feature The London-born restaurateur recommends works by Leo Tolstoy, John le Carré, and more
-
Garrett Graff's 6 favorite books that shine new light on World War II
Feature The author recommends works by James D. Hornfischer, Craig L. Symonds, and more
-
Helen Schulman's 6 favorite collections of short stories
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by Raymond Carver, James Baldwin, and more
-
Beatriz Williams' 6 timeless books about history and human relationships
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Jane Austen, Zora Neale Hurston, and more