Book Recommendations

A gosh-darn romp to get you back into reading, this book is absurd while also providing interesting commentary on our world, technological advancement, and food. I recommend this book to everyone and it has a 100% success rate. 

(It is SO FUN!)

My favorite Irby yet, this book is laugh-out-loud funny and left me rethinking my use of punctuation (!!)

A compilation of early works from Roddy Doyle, these three novels explore the world of a band in working class Ireland and the family of its manager. I found The Van particularly delightful; the story follows the entrepreneurial venture of two pensioners breaking into the food truck scene. Hilarious.

Listen to this as an audiobook (especially good for long drives) and you will find yourself enjoying several hours of Seinfeld performing his catalogue of stand-up material. Loveeee when the authors read their own work and Seinfeld clearly kills.

This book has a similar layer of absurdity to Sourdough but with Wilson's iconic Tennessee twang. I read this over a Christmas trip in Kentucky and found it fitting for the occasion and engaging as a story.

Potentially my all-time favorite book! This gives me cozy, Gilmore-Girls-like childhood nostalgia and makes me think of sitting on the beanbags in my elementary school library.

A clever and charming book of essays from a fellow Davidson alum! Perfect for the type-A people in your life.

I really enjoyed the characters and themes of this story as well as the southwestern US setting. Can you BELIEVE this is Kingsolver's debut novel? This book is sweet, simple, easy-reading.

Medical-oriented but following the general theme noted in the title essay, this collected will probe your perceptions of what it means to understand others. Jamison's writing is exquisite.

For folks who like musing on theories of how neighborhoods work (or don't) in urban environments. Jacobs is urban planning canon!

If you've read any Borges or were an English-major-type at any point, you will find this book delightful. If you absolutely were not an English-major-type ... it's still a fun story about an intergenerational roadtrip through Scotland.

A quiet book for the introspective readers who wish they were an aging artist living in New York. Patti comes off as quirky in the most delightful way, and this book left me hungry to read more of her work.

I would read Solnit's grocery list.

Fun back story: my dad gifted me this book when I was in 2nd grade and I read ~3 pages each night for my reading homework until I got too bored and frustrated to finish it. Adult me was SO thrilled to find this thoughtful and powerful collection of essays on my childhood bookshelf.

A bestseller and highly regarded book for a reason! This memoir will have you wishing to catalogue your own family history. A great gift for moms.

The best nature writing I've ever encountered, this book captures so many things I love about Colorado in such beautiful writing. 

While the details of this book have already escaped me, I remember being deeply struck by how human the story is. You'll finish this book reflecting on the ideas of family, class, art, and what we owe one another.

A regular re-read of mine, this book is spare but dreamy. Perfect for calm summer days and dwelling on thoughts of childhood and family.

A little tough to get into, but well worth it, this book is a moving meditation on class, friendship, and resilience.

This book is heavy and intense but epic and immersive. The book tells the story of a single mother and the devolution of her relationships with her children as they move through public housing in Scotland. Booker Prize (2020) winner!