James Brady regularly writes for Parade magazine, profiling celebrities. He has authored a dozen books, including The Coldest War, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Penguin, $14). Maybe the greatest novel ever. Pierre, Natasha, Prince Andre, even Bonaparte, “the Monster.” Who but a genius like Count Leo Tolstoy could have created a hero like fat, bespectacled, awkward, illegitimate—and lovable—Pierre Bezukhov?
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Simon & Schuster, $13). Surely our “great American novel.” Nick Carraway as the coolly detached but caring narrator very nearly steals the yarn. As for Daisy Buchanan, she isn’t good enough for Jay and never was.
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.
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger (LB books, $6). The longest, funniest, the most wonderful bathtub scene in American lit. The best of several Salinger books about the Glass family. Why, oh why, did this glorious writer quit and go into seclusion?
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh (Little, Brown, $14). The great English novelist’s masterwork. I love this book—snobbish, moving, fun—from the very first chapter and its thrilling opening line by Charles Ryder: “‘I have been here before,’ I said; I had been there before; first with Sebastian more than 20 years ago on a cloudless day in June…”
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (Simon & Schuster, $12). Why generations of American boys grew up wanting to become foreign correspondents and live in Paris; why too many of them made fools of themselves running with the bulls at Pamplona.
The Killer Angels
-
Taking aim at Venezuela’s autocratFeature The Trump administration is ramping up military pressure on Nicolás Maduro. Is he a threat to the U.S.?
-
Comey indictment: Is the justice system broken?Feature U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying and obstructing Congress
-
Government shuts down amid partisan deadlockFeature As Democrats and Republicans clash over health care and spending, the shutdown leaves 750,000 federal workers in limbo
-
Lou Berney’s 6 favorite books with powerful storytellingFeature The award-winning author recommends works by Dorothy B. Hughes, James McBride, and more
-
Elizabeth Gilbert’s favorite books about women overcoming difficultiesFeature The author recommends works by Tove Jansson, Lauren Groff, and more
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imaginationFeature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is moreFeature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more
-
Keith McNally's 6 favorite books that have ambitious charactersFeature 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 IIFeature The author recommends works by James D. Hornfischer, Craig L. Symonds, and more
-
Helen Schulman's 6 favorite collections of short storiesFeature The award-winning author recommends works by Raymond Carver, James Baldwin, and more
-
Beatriz Williams' 6 timeless books about history and human relationshipsFeature The best-selling author recommends works by Jane Austen, Zora Neale Hurston, and more
