James Brady
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.
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.
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
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
-
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