Books of Adulthood
After I wrote about the books I love from childhood, a friend suggested I write about the books I love in adulthood.
Of course, I'm still reading. And I’m still an adult. (Well, sometimes I wonder. As do others.)
One of my favorite questions is about a person's favorite books. And recently, at a dinner gathering, I asked my table what they were reading. (Result: Awkward silence.) So my friend's recommendation is one I decided to take with one caveat: There might be a part two of this post somewhere down the line.
I missed many books in this compilation, I'm sure. And I culled a number off my original list, because it was just too long. (So this is a list of the favorites among the favorites.) Third, I am still voraciously reading. Who knows what I’ll encounter in coming years that I would add to the list below?
Much as with my childhood books post, I limited the list to books that socked me in the chest or the gut, that I learned from, that I still think about today, and that I'd recommend to anyone without hesitation. Juicy, meaty, books that I’m in love with—not just books I love.
Because I can't possibly order these books by value or importance, and I'm not sure of the date I read them, I've ordered them alphabetically by title:
All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque
Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner
A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving
The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein
Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall
Brick Lane, by Monica Ali
East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
Ficciones, by Jorge Luis Borges
Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, by David Simon
Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry
The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco
One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Private Life, by Jane Smiley
Property, by Valerie Martin
Sophie's Choice, by William Styron
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, by Mary Roach
Winkie, by Clifford Chase
I'd planned to write a note with each book, explaining the reason for my love, but then I realized that I might project my opinions onto yours—and sometimes it's best to approach something with a clear mind. But after you've read any of these—if you do—I'd love to discuss it.
Or if you've already read one or more, what did you think?
And what are the seminal books of your adult reading life?