march30–april12, 2020 | newyork 59
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Twelverecentlypublishedauthorstellus about the books they’re reading
sincethey can’tgoonbooktour. ASTOLD TO LOUIS CHESLAW
TheGoldenApples
By Eudora Welty
“WhenI firstreadthis,I wasa
teenagerinmid-1950sNorth
Carolina. Thelinkedstories
abouttheinhabitantsofa small
towninMississippimademefeel
rightathome;I recognizedthese
people,andnoneofthemsur-
prisedme.Rereadingthebook
now,though,I’mstruckbytheir
great distancefromeverythingthat preoccupiesme
in2020.They stillmake mesmile,buttheirinno-
cencebreaksmy heart.”
—AnneTyler,authorofRedhead
bytheSideoftheRoad
A MoveableFeast
By Ernest Hemingway
“I havethisonmy bedsidetable.
Asa writerinCalifornia,I like
reading thismemoir ofan
AmericanwriterinParis,imag-
ininghimmovingsofreelywith
hispen—despite hislackof
funds—intocafésandbarsand
restaurants,friends’apartments,
hotels, aroundEurope, and
throughlife.I boughta neweditionofthisbookto
readinadvanceofa booktourthat includeda stop
inParis,a tripthat hasnowbeencanceleddueto
thepandemic.Soreadingitnowiskindofa
replacementexperience.”
—OttessaMoshfegh,
authorofDeathinHerHands
Oranges
By John McPhee
“Intimesthat feeldisastrous
andhuge,I like toreadabout
thingsthatare smallandbeau-
tiful.Inthisslimbook,McPhee
describesthe botanyandhistory
of oranges, from lovers in
ancientItalywhowashedthem-
selvesinorange-flowerwater,to
presentstreetvendorsinTrini-
dadandTobago whosellglis-
teningorange halvessprinkledwithsalt.Eachof
thebook’sprecise,reverentchaptersfeelslike
a meditation.”
—ElisabethThomas,authorofCatherineHouse
TheLonelyCity
By Olivia Laing
“It’s abouttheart ofloneliness,
andlonelinessitself,anda medi-
tationona group ofartists—like
omi,
ade
lonelinesstheirsubject.Amaz-
ingly, Laing’sbooknotonlyis
thoughtfulandentertainingbut
makessolitudeseemlike a stateofheightened
receptivity andgrace.”
—AlexHalberstadt,authorofYoung
HeroesoftheSovietUnion
WeHave Always
Livedin theCastle
By Shirley Jackson
“Rightnow,inneedofcomfort
anddelightatonce,I’mturning
tothisnovel.It ’s clever,engaging,
andalmostfolkloricinitspower,
butI reallyreadit forMerricat
[the18-year-oldmaincharac-
ter],whocharmsmeinstantly,
every time,withherweirdness
andherunabashedsingularity.
Doesit saysomethingbadaboutmethat I finda
novelabouta girlwhopoisonsherwholefamily
incredibly...cozy?Ohwell.”
—EmilyTemple,authorofTheLightness
MissJane
By Brad Watson
“Thisis oneof the quieter,
more beautifulbooksI’veread
inyears.Setin ruralMissis-
sippi,it’sa storyof an isolated
womanwhomakesmeaning
andfindsbeautyinher cir-
cumscribedworld.”
—EmilyNemens,
editorofTheParisReview
andauthorofTheCactusLeague
DearFriend,FromMyLife
I Write to Youin YourLife
By Yiyun Li
“YiyunLi shouldbeonany
shortlist ofthegreatestwriters
inEnglishrightnow,andI keep
thisbookofessayspermanently
withinarm’s reach.Struggling
withhermentalhealthina
periodofmultiplehospitaliza-
tions,Liturnstothewritersshe
loves,manyofthem—Elizabeth
Bowen,JohnMcGahern—slightlyoutoftheway
formostAmericanreaders.”
—GarthGreenwell,authorofCleanness
EverythingIs UnderControl
By Phyllis Grant
“It’s billedasa memoirwithreci-
pes,butGrant’s pointofviewis
uniquelysensualandgrounding.
ThinkJamesSaltermeetsRuth
ReichlmeetsMargueriteDuras.
Grantwasa promisingmodern
dancerwhobeganherfreshman
yearatJuilliardinthe1990s.
Luckyforus,shetooka detouranddiscovered
cookingwithanintensitythat rivalsAnthony
Bourdain’s. She writes with grace and passion
not only about cooking but feasting, family, fall-
ing in love, and falling apart. When I finished
this book, I felt more alive.”
—Joanna Hershon, author of St. Ivo
Our Souls at Night
By Kent Haruf
“I am thinking about reread-
ing this slender novel about
two elderly neighbors, widow
and widower, who agree to
spend their nights together,
notout of lustbutrather lone-
liness.Sideby sidein the dark,
they tell their lives to each
other in ways that evoke comfort, solace, and
self-forgiveness.”
—Lois Lowry, author of On the Horizon
A Year in Provence
By Peter Mayle
“This book, about an English
couple that moves to Provence,
is told in these little vignettes
about life in the south of France
that are completely charming
and low stakes. Probably the
most stressful part of the book
is when they spend a chapter
trying to get a massive stone
table moved into the courtyard of their 200-year-
old home.”
—Marisa Meltzer, author of This Is Big
Golden Gates
By Conor Dougherty
“For me, it’s more soothing to
read something that feels deeply
reported and complete—even if
it’s something as bleak as Amer-
ica’s housing crisis. But in
Conor Dougherty’s Golden
Gates, the beat-by-beat develop-
ments of California’s decades-
long growth of income inequal-
ity are presented with sharp detail and an even,
measured tone.”
—Kevin Nguyen, author of New Waves
The Western Wind
By Samantha Harvey
“I’m so glad I picked this up
when I still could at a local
bookstore. It’s a medieval
whodunit, taking place in the
four holy days leading up to
Ash Wednesday. It’s narrated
by—who else?—the local
priest, and it’s riveting, escapist,
and utterly comforting.”
—Amber Sparks, author of
And I Do Not Forgive You
Or Just Escape
PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OF VENDORS
