Marianne Faithfull's Reading List

Notable reader profiled on radicalreads.com. 10 favorite books recommended in their radicalreads feature.

Favorite books (2021)

Favorite books recommended by Marianne Faithfull, as compiled by radicalreads.com. Source article: https://radicalreads.com/marianne-faithfull-favorite-books/.

Source: radicalreads.com

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

Pema Chödrön (also rec’d by Laurie Anderson ) · Buy on Amazon

"I get a lot of help from Pema Chodron. She is the student of Chögyam Trungpa, who was Allen Ginsberg’s guru, and it was Allen who taught me to meditate, along with many other lessons from Buddhism."

Just Kids

Patti Smith (also rec’d by Annie Clark , Carrie Brownstein , Florence Welch , Malcolm Gladwell, Marina Abramovic & Michael Stipe ) · Buy on Amazon

"Simply brilliant. I am a friend of Patti’s, and a huge fan, and I loved it."

Memoirs of Hadrian

Marguerite Yourcenar (also rec’d by Elena Ferrante ) · Buy on Amazon

"A difficult book to read—it’s incredibly tragic—but I sort of managed it, and very nearly at the end now."

Rabbit Series

John Updike (also rec’d by Ann Patchett ) · Buy on Amazon

"They’ve just been a delight to me as long as I’ve known about them. I’ve just read the last one, John Updike is brilliant."

The Death of Bunny Munro

Nick Cave · Buy on Amazon

"One of Nick Cave’s many novels—very dark, of course, rather like his songs, but very good."

The Pursuit of Love

Nancy Mitford · Buy on Amazon

"Nancy Mitford is one of my favorite writers. This is the first of her books that was successful. It’s delightful, it’s funny, it’s charming, and really witty! I read it again and again."

The Gambler

Fyodor Dostoyevsky · Buy on Amazon

"It’s one of my favorite of Dostoyevsky’s stories, really frightening but it’s an incredible book."

Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare

Stephen Greenblatt · Buy on Amazon

"I love Shakespeare, and this is perhaps the best book that’s ever been written about him. It’s a fantastic way of talking about Will, and his whole life and career. Completely fascinating."

Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights

Salman Rushdie · Buy on Amazon

"Salman is brilliant at fantasy (he’s also brilliant at reality), but I think this is my favorite fantastical magical book he’s ever written, but who knows what’s coming?"

Brave New World

Aldous Huxley (also rec’d by Janelle Monáe & Susan Sontag ) · Buy on Amazon

"Obviously I read this when I was very young, with Heaven and Hell, and then years later, a friend of mine in Paris—a rare book dealer and musician—turned me on to all his other books, and I was just knocked flat. They are so good."

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