David Ferrell
David Ferrell is a Pulitzer Prize–winning staff writer for the Los Angeles Times. His first novel, Screwball (William Morrow & Co., $24), a black comedy about baseball, is out this month.
Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow (Warner Books, $8). No suspense thriller is better than this one. A prosecutor finds himself suspected of murdering his former mistress and colleague. Wonderful writing and this chilling moment: When he examines a picture of the deceased, he feels a rising bubble of satisfaction.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey (New American Library, $7). Kesey’s genius is not only knowing the rules but how to break them. His prose in this classic reaches levels of sophistication that few writers can touch. That it’s told from the point of view of a mute, insane, hulking American Indian is the literary coup de grace.
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.
The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn (HarperCollins, $15). With more than a few “lines on the transpontine madness,” Kahn lyrically celebrates the old Brooklyn Dodgers and his own coming of age as a young sportswriter.
The Dancing Wu Li Masters by Gary Zukav (Bantam Books, $8). Inspired by discussions at Esalen, in Big Sur, Calif., this nonfiction look at the nature of reality is an intellectual feast. It fuses New Age philosophy with cutting-edge physics to show us that the universe is far more complex than we imagine.
The Sporting World of Jim Murray by Jim Murray (out of print). I read this hilarious collection of columns at least 11 times while growing up, long before Murray’s Pulitzer Prize. One-liners are scorched into my memory. On the Indy 500, for example, he groused that drivers go 200 mph on a straightaway so they can go 15 mph in a hearse.
House of Leaves
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
-
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
-
Jason Isaacs's 6 favorite books that changed his perception on life
Feature The British actor recommends works by George Orwell, C.S. Lewis, and more
By The Week US