Bill Scheft is a writer for The Late Show With David Letterman. His first novel is The Ringer (HarperCollins Publishers, $25). Here he lists his “six favorite books that I hope no one else has listed.”
The Poems of Catullus by Gaius Valerius Catullus (Oxford University Press, $11). The unsung lyric poet and elegist is best in Latin, but still pretty damn seminal in English. The guy who taught me the value of the word. Read poem No. 85 and get back to me.
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.
Good Times, Bad Times by James Kirkwood (out of print). The author became famous for writing the book to A Chorus Line, but this novel should be his legacy. If you went to prep school, or know somebody who did, or know somebody who looks like they did, this is required reading.
A Special Providence (Picador USA, $13); Disturbing the Peace (out of print) by Richard Yates. Can’t decide, so kill me. My favorite author and the Dean of Broken People of the 1950s. Despair, disappointment, alcoholism, courage, and all that stuff we love to get neck-deep in.
I Married a Communist by Philip Roth (Vintage Books, $14). My second-favorite Roth work, only because I was desperately afraid some poacher would list The Professor of Desire. This book is “I have to get out of the business” good. Then I realized, I ain’t in the same business as this guy.
On the Tour With Harry Sprague by Herbert Warren Wind (out of print). The only novel written by my uncle, the legendary golf writer for The New Yorker. Big-time hilarious.
Makes You Know Me, Al look like a student film. (If you get the reprint from “Classics of Golf,” don’t miss the foreword, written by my mom.)
-
Beatriz Williams' 6 timeless books about history and human relationshipsFeature The best-selling author recommends works by Jane Austen, Zora Neale Hurston, and more
-
Aysegul Savas' 6 favorite books for readers who love immersive settingsFeature The Paris-based Turkish author recommends works by Hiromi Kawakami, Virginia Woolf, and more
-
Geoff Dyer's 6 favorite books about the realities of warFeature The award-winning author recommends works by Ernie Pyle, Michael Herr, and more
-
Laura Lippman's 6 favorite books for those who crave a high-stakes adventureFeature The Grand Master recommends works by E.L. Konigsburg, Charles Portis, and more
-
Thomas Mallon's 6 favorite books from the 80's and early 90'sFeature The author recommends works by James Merrill, Calvin Trillin, and more
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native charactersFeature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
John Kenney's 6 favorite books that will break your heart softlyFeature 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 ideasFeature The book critic recommends works by Rachel Cusk, Sigmund Freud, and more
