Cindy Chupack
Cindy Chupack, an Emmy-winning writer and executive producer for HBO’s Sex and the City, is the author of The Between Boyfriends Book: A Collection of Cautiously Hopeful Essays.
Barrel Fever and Other Stories by David Sedaris (Back Bay Books, $13). Hands down one of the funniest essay and short-story collections ever written. My favorites are “SantaLand Diaries”—Sedaris’ strange-but-true experiences as an elf at Macy’s—and “Seasons Greetings to Our Friends and Family!”—an upbeat Christmas letter from a woman clearly in crisis.
On Writing by Stephen King (Pocket Books, $8). This great memoir is a very useful tool for anyone who writes or has aspirations to do so. King gives many helpful tips and tells an inspiring personal tale that will make you want to write more, read more, and love more.
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.
How to Be Hap-Hap-Happy Like Me by Merrill Markoe (out of print). I became a fan of Markoe’s magazine essays when I was just out of journalism school and living in New York. She approaches writing as a social anthropologist, hap-hap-happy to throw herself into ridiculous situations for the sake of the story.
Fraud by David Rakoff (Broadway, $13). Another must-read, by David Sedaris’ friend and sometime collaborator. Once you read the first piece, “In New England, Everybody Calls You Dave,” you’ll be hooked.
About a Boy, High Fidelity, and How to Be Good by Nick Hornby (Riverhead, $13 each). Nobody captures today’s single man as honestly, sympathetically, and humorously as Hornby in High Fidelity and About a Boy. And How to Be Good is a hilarious portrait of a troubled marriage.
Monkey Dancing
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
Newsweek
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Crossword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff
-
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