Nina Stibbe's Reading List

The British author, whose latest novel is "Reasons to Be Cheerful," says that "fictional animals were fundamental to my early reading and continue to score high, emotionally."

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By the Book: Nina Stibbe (2019)

NYT By the Book column (2019-07-31).

Source: www.nytimes.com

Commonwealth

Ann Patchett · 2016 · Buy on Amazon

"It's the kind of book I love — precisely drawn characters in a family saga that shifts and turns on watershed moments."

Fleishman Is in Trouble

Taffy Brodesser-Akner · Buy on Amazon

"Just finished and very much enjoyed."

Middle England

Jonathan Coe · Buy on Amazon

"It's funny, compassionate and completely clearsighted. Sometimes you want to thank an author for writing a certain book, and this is one of those times."

The Country Girls

Edna O'Brien · Buy on Amazon

""The Country Girls," by Edna O'Brien, gently, beautifully captures the truth of growing up."

The Long View

Elizabeth Jane Howard · Buy on Amazon

""The Long View," by Elizabeth Jane Howard, is a brutal novel that requires experience to fully appreciate it."

Lolly Willowes

Sylvia Townsend Warner · Buy on Amazon

""Lolly Willowes," by Sylvia Townsend Warner, is a satirical, magical comedy of manners."

Priestdaddy

Patricia Lockwood · Buy on Amazon

"I'd enjoyed her memoir, "Priestdaddy," and was first intrigued and then delighted."

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

Karen Joy Fowler · 2013 · Buy on Amazon

"I fell for the twist, and enjoyed the themes."

Hilary Mantel's Giving Up the Ghost

Hilary Mantel · Buy on Amazon

The Old Wives' Tale

Arnold Bennett · Buy on Amazon

"I love "The Old Wives' Tale," by Arnold Bennett, which takes two sisters in opposite directions."

My Side of the Mountain

Jean Craighead George · Buy on Amazon

""My Side of the Mountain," by Jean Craighead George, where the young protagonist runs away to the Catskills, lives in a hollowed-out tree and tames a bird."

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