As part of the month-long celebration in honor of its 10th anniversary, bookish social network Goodreads has asked 10 of your favorite authors to share their 10 favorite books with the rest of us. Get out your TBRs, book nerds, because you're going to have a lot of new titles to add.
I believe strongly in taking reading recommendations from your favorite writers, especially if you want to be a writer yourself. Authors, and particularly novelists, must read deeply and broadly in order to hone their craft. What better books to read can there be, then, than the ones that have inspired your heroes?
So if you love Stephen King, Khaled Hosseini, Brit Bennett, Brian K. Vaughan, Ken Follett, Colleen Hoover, Atul Gawande, Sarah J. Maas, Karan Mahajan, Danzy Senna, or Lily King, I've got 10 books below that you won't want to wait to read. Best of all, although each of those authors has only one of their choices featured here, every one of them chose 10 of their favorite books to share on Goodreads, which means there are 10 times more reading recommendations waiting for you on their lists.
Check out 10 of your favorite authors' favorite books below, and share your 10 favorite titles with me on Twitter!
'Ship of Fools' by Katherine Ann Porter, Chosen by Stephen King
Beloved horror novelist Stephen King picked this book, which focuses on a diverse group of cruise-ship passengers on their way to Bremerhaven, Germany in 1931.
'Love Medicine' by Louise Erdrich, Chosen by Tana French
After a woman's tragic death, her family convenes for the first time in a long time, and begins to recollect memories and stories from their ancestors in this lovely novel, one of In The Woods author Tana French's favorites.
'Between the World and Me' by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Chosen by Khaled Hosseini
Ta-Nehisi Coates' love-letter to his son featured prominently among The Kite Runner author Khaled Hosseini's favorite books.
'Silver Sparrow' by Tayari Jones, Chosen by Brit Bennett
Fans of Brit Bennett's The Mothers will love Tayari Jones' Silver Sparrow, which centers on a pair of teenage besties who learn that they are actually sisters.
'Invisible Man' by Ralph Ellison, Chosen by Brian K. Vaughan
Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man appeared on more than one of the authors' book lists, giving it an excellent set of credentials that will not be overlooked.
'The Mill on the Floss' by George Eliot, Chosen by Ken Follett
Although his work features much different themes, it's no wonder that historical fiction author Ken Follett named this classic George Eliot novel among his favorites.
'The Japanese Lover' by Isabel Allende, Chosen by Colleen Hoover
Every book on It Ends with Us author Colleen Hoover's list feels as if it could be a real source of inspiration for her, but I had to pick Isabel Allende's historical romance about a Polish immigrant and her Japanese gardener's son.
'The Year of Magical Thinking' by Joan Didion, Chosen by Atul Gawande
Selecting this book about whimsy in the face of tragedy is exactly what you'd expect from Atul Gawande, whose latest book, Being Mortal, deals with the state of end-of-life care.
'The Star-Touched Queen' by Roshani Chokshi, Chosen by Sarah J. Maas
Sarah J. Maas is a force to be reckoned with in today's YA market, but reading Roshani Chokshi's Hindu-inspired adventure will be a breath of fresh air for any YA readers who are tired of western-style drama.
'The God of Small Things' by Arundhati Roy, Chosen by Karan Mahajan
The Association of Small Bombs author Karan Mahajan picked this melancholy novel about two children tangled up in a broken family for his Top 10 list.
'Black Looks: Race and Representation' by bell hooks, Chosen by Danzy Senna
The perfect accompaniment to Between the World and Me above, bell hooks' Black Looks: Race and Representation is among New People author Danzy Senna's favorite books.
'Unaccustomed Earth' by Jhumpa Lahiri, Chosen by Lily King
Jhumpa Lahiri may be best known for The Interpreter of Maladies, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2000, but her 2008 collection, Unaccustomed Earth, graced Lily King's list of favorite books.
