Jamie Loftus recommends 6 works with creative conceits
The Emmy-nominated writer suggests stories by Lemony Snicket, Melissa Lozada-Oliva, and more

Jamie Loftus is an Emmy-nominated writer and comedian and the creator and host of several acclaimed podcasts, including "My Year in Mensa" and "Aack Cast." Her first book, "Raw Dog," is a new cultural and culinary history of hot dogs.
When you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (1999)
My favorite book ever. Lemony Snicket exploded my world as a kid. I'd never encountered unreliable narrators, or kids in a world where adults didn't care, who had nothing but each other and their passions to get through. How do you manage to get a third-grader excited about Isadora Duncan and Damocles? Unbeatable. Buy it here.
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.
A Right to Be Hostile by Aaron McGruder (2003)
This collection of original "Boondocks" comics aimed precise and hilarious rage at white liberal America in the late '90s and early 2000s. It's extra special reading "Boondocks" strip by strip, knowing Huey Freeman was demolishing the Bush administration every day, right beside another toothless "Family Circus." Buy it here.
Dreaming of You by Melissa Lozada-Oliva (2021)
This novel in verse is a modern ghost story in which singer Selena Quintanilla comes back to life, with Lozada-Oliva, the book's author, as her only guide. It's a partial answer to the question: How do you reconcile your connection to a celebrity whom the world won't let rest? Buy it here.
Carnival Strippers by Susan Meiselas (1976)
I once worked at a Sunset Strip bookstore where Ellen DeGeneres yelled at me, Keanu Reeves bought sudoku, and a fellow staffer introduced me to this book. It's all photos of strippers who performed in traveling carnivals in the 1970s, plus quotations from the subjects. They're funny and moving — all sexy, weirdo aliveness. Buy it here.
Escape From Incel Island by Margaret Killjoy (2023)
A recent favorite from an anarchist genius, this is the single most cathartic way to spend an afternoon. It's set in a future where men who feel entitled to women are sent by the government to a remote island — not as a punishment, but to get what they want. Killjoy's vengeful protagonists gave me a lot of new ideas about how to kill men. Which is saying a lot. Buy it here.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily by Dino Buzzati (1945)
I'll be honest: I read this because Lemony Snicket recommended it in an interview, when I was in middle school. This book is about a militia of Italian bears, which is a metaphor for something. But I'm there for bears with guns. Buy it here.
This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?
In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
Sudoku medium: August 23, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Sudoku hard: August 23, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
Garrett Graff's 6 favorite books that shine new light on World War II
Feature The author recommends works by James D. Hornfischer, Craig L. Symonds, and more
-
Helen Schulman's 6 favorite collections of short stories
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by Raymond Carver, James Baldwin, and more
-
Beatriz Williams' 6 timeless books about history and human relationships
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Jane Austen, Zora Neale Hurston, and more
-
Aysegul Savas' 6 favorite books for readers who love immersive settings
Feature The Paris-based Turkish author recommends works by Hiromi Kawakami, Virginia Woolf, and more
-
Geoff Dyer's 6 favorite books about the realities of war
Feature 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 adventure
Feature 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'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