Helene Stapinski
Helene Stapinski is the author of Five-Finger Discount and a second memoir, Baby Plays Around, which was published this month by Villard.
The Liars’ Club by Mary Karr (Penguin, $14). This book, my favorite memoir, is poetry disguised as literary nonfiction. Mary Karr’s story of growing up in East Texas was the first and best of the rash of memoirs that came out in the 1990s. Each and every sentence is a pleasure.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (Vintage, $13). Years of fiction writing were simply practice for what Truman Capote called his “nonfiction novel.” Capote saw a small story in a newspaper about the brutal murder of a Kansas family and took it from there. The first book of its kind, it brought the “new journalism” to new heights. In Cold Blood rocked the world in 1965 (the year I was born) and rocked me in 1989. It continues to do so. It’s so good, I can forgive Capote for taking a little “creative license” near the end.
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.
Naked by David Sedaris (Back Bay, $15). Whenever I’m miserable, all I need to do is take down this David Sedaris collection and the dark clouds part. The man taught me to have no mercy.
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby (Riverhead, $14). I can’t leave Nick Hornby’s rock ’n’ roll novel off my desert-island top six. An incredibly smart, hysterically funny, and surprisingly touching story of a music geek in love, it’s required reading for all Elvis fans (Costello, not Presley).
Coming Through Slaughter by Michael Ondaatje (Vintage, $11). The writer Luc Sante turned me on to this little-known, luminescent gem, Michael Ondaatje’s impressionistic fictional account of the tragic life of New Orleans jazz cornet player Buddy Bolden. It may be the only book to ever nail down what music actually sounds like—and where it comes from.
To Kill a Mockingbird
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
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
The new powers to stop stalking in the UK
The Explainer Updated guidance could help protect more victims, but public is losing trust in police and battered criminal justice system
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Criminal trail?'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Grindr 'shared user HIV status' with ad firms, lawsuit claims
Speed Read LGBTQ dating app accused of breaching UK data protection laws in case filed at London's High Court
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Published
-
Sarah Langan recommends 6 women-centric horror books
Feature The horror novelist recommends works by Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Amanda Montell's 6 favorite books that will expand your knowledge
Feature The linguist recommends works by Mary Roach, Alice Carrière, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Rowan Beaird recommends 6 compelling books from the 1950s
Feature The author recommends works by Patricia Highsmith, Shirley Jackson, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Stephen Graham Jones' 6 scary books with deeper meanings
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Stephen King, Sara Gran, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Keith O'Brien's 6 must-read books about significant moments in sports history
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Laura Hillenbrand, Jonathan Eig and more
By The Week US Published
-
Lauren Oyler's favorite collection of essays that will leave you deep in thought
Feature The author recommends works by Elif Batuman, Mark Greif, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Rebecca Serle's 6 favorite books about interpersonal relationships
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by J.D. Salinger, Dolly Alderton, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Cristina Henríquez's 6 popular books with historical themes
Feature The novelist recommends works by Min Jin Lee, Kurt Vonnegut, and more
By The Week US Published