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
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Exploring Georgia's southern highlands
The Week Recommends Visit Javakheti, Georgia's 'lake district', and meet the last-remaining 'spirit wrestlers' in the region
-
Delivery drivers face continuing heat danger with Trump's OSHA pick
The Explainer David Keeling is the former head of UPS and also worked at Amazon
-
Is that the buzzing sound of climate change worsening sleep apnea?
Under the radar Catching diseases, not those ever-essential Zzs
-
Thomas Mallon's 6 favorite books from the 80's and early 90's
Feature The author recommends works by James Merrill, Calvin Trillin, and more
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native characters
Feature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
John Kenney's 6 favorite books that will break your heart softly
Feature The novelist recommends works by John le Carré, John Kennedy Toole, and more
-
Andrea Long Chu's 6 favorite books for people who crave new ideas
Feature The book critic recommends works by Rachel Cusk, Sigmund Freud, and more
-
Bryan Burrough's 6 favorite books about Old West gunfighters
Feature The Texas-raised author recommends works by T.J. Stiles, John Boessenecker, and more
-
Tash Aw's 6 favorite books about forbidden love
Feature The Malaysian novelist recommends works by James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and more
-
Richard Bausch's 6 favorite books that are worth rereading
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and more
-
Marya E. Gates' 6 favorite books about women filmmakers
Feature The film writer recommends works by Julie Dash, Sofia Coppola, and more