Lolly Winston is the best-selling author of Good Grief, a comic novel about a young widow.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (Vintage, $14). I love this book because it’s so dark and funny at the same time, and because the language is so extraordinary. And it has one of my all-time favorite moments: Humbert Humbert drives down the wrong side of the road; he figures he’s already violated every other law of human nature, so why not drive down the wrong side of the road and see how it feels? It’s great how this one moment captures the essence of the story and his angst.
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (Vintage, $12). I just read this book this past summer, and I’m convinced it will be one of my all-time favorites. It broke my heart and made me laugh at the same time.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt (Ballantine, $8). A thriller and a literary masterpiece all in one. What I particularly like is how we learn right up front that the character Bunny is murdered by his friends. If we already know what happens, then why keep reading? Because we need to know how and when and why.
The Hours by Michael Cunningham (Picador, $13). I usually fall in love with a book because I fall in love with the beauty of the writing, and that was certainly the case with this book. I loved it more than Mrs. Dalloway, its inspiration. Can I say that? Will someone come and take my English degree away?
The Age of Innocence
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The ‘menopause gold rush’Under the Radar Women vulnerable to misinformation and marketing of ‘unregulated’ products
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Voting Rights Act: SCOTUS’s pivotal decisionFeature A Supreme Court ruling against the Voting Rights Act could allow Republicans to redraw districts and solidify control of the House
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No Kings rally: What did it achieve?Feature The latest ‘No Kings’ march has become the largest protest in U.S. history
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Gilbert King’s 6 favorite books about the search for justiceFeature The journalist recommends works by Bryan Stevenson, David Grann, and more
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Nathan Harris’ 6 favorite books that turn adventures into revelationsFeature The author recommends works by Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McGuire, and more
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Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetimeFeature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
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Lou Berney’s 6 favorite books with powerful storytellingFeature The award-winning author recommends works by Dorothy B. Hughes, James McBride, and more
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Elizabeth Gilbert’s favorite books about women overcoming difficultiesFeature The author recommends works by Tove Jansson, Lauren Groff, and more
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Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imaginationFeature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
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Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is moreFeature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more
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Keith McNally's 6 favorite books that have ambitious charactersFeature The London-born restaurateur recommends works by Leo Tolstoy, John le Carré, and more
