Susan Orlean's Reading List

The author, most recently, of "The Library Book" says visitors might be surprised to see a copy of "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, 4th Edition" on her shelves: "I recommend it over the third edition."

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By the Book: Susan Orlean (2018)

NYT By the Book column (2018-10-11).

Source: www.nytimes.com

Transcription

Kate Atkinson · Buy on Amazon

""Transcription," by Kate Atkinson (who is one of those can-do-no-wrong writers, in my opinion)."

South and West

Joan Didion · Buy on Amazon

""South and West," by Joan Didion (I'm never very far from a copy of one of her books)."

Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan's Disaster Zone

Richard Lloyd Parry · Buy on Amazon

"Parry is the Asia editor of The Times of London, and he's a dazzling reporter who is also a writer of immense humanity and a crazy-good cobbler of sentences. I'm a total fan."

A God in Ruins

Kate Atkinson · Buy on Amazon

"At the end of "A God in Ruins," by Kate Atkinson, I was crying so hard that I nearly choked. But I was also really happy to be so transported by a piece of writing."

Regeneration

Pat Barker · Buy on Amazon

"Pat Barker, whose "Regeneration" trilogy changed my life."

In Patagonia

Bruce Chatwin · Buy on Amazon

"Many years ago, someone gave me a signed first edition of "In Patagonia," by Bruce Chatwin. I loved the book and developed a real crush on Chatwin."

Pachinko

Min Jin Lee · 2017 · Buy on Amazon

""Pachinko," by Min Jin Lee. I know almost nothing about it except that it's really good and it's epic, and I'm in that kind of mood."

Favorite books (2023)

Favorite books recommended by Susan Orlean, as compiled by radicalreads.com. Source article: https://radicalreads.com/susan-orlean-favorite-books/.

Source: radicalreads.com

Misty of Chincoteague

Marguerite Henry · Buy on Amazon

"Marguerite Henry’s children’s book about two kids living on an island alongside the Chincoteague wild ponies is probably responsible for my passion for animals, and horses in particular. The story was written more than 70 years ago but it’s absolutely timeless."

My Dog Tulip

J.R. Ackerley · Buy on Amazon

"Another older book that has aged gracefully, this memoir is about resisting, and then completely surrendering to, the love of a dog. There are aspects of the book that are very sad, and some that are a bit strange, but it stands as one of the models for writing about the human-animal relationship."

Unlikely Friendships

Jennifer Holland · Buy on Amazon

"I originally bought this book, subtitled 47 Remarkable Stories From the Animal Kingdom , to read to my son. But soon I was enthralled as well. All of its stories are about cross-species relationships, and it’s just wonderful."

H Is for Hawk

Helen Macdonald · Buy on Amazon

"In this gorgeous memoir, Helen Macdonald, a naturalist and falconer, describes making peace with the grief of losing her father while she trains a young goshawk."

The Soul of an Octopus

Sy Montgomery · Buy on Amazon

"This is the only one of these books that completely changed my attitude toward a species. In this case, I went from being neutral about octopuses to being awed by them and their remarkable, sophisticated intelligence. I never imagined I would feel so moved by an eight-legged creature!"

Moby-Dick

Herman Melville (also rec’d by Bob Dylan , Bruce Springsteen , John Irving , Norman Mailer , Patti Smith , Penn Jillette , Ray Bradbury , Steve Jobs & Tilda Swinton ) · Buy on Amazon

"I had to save the best for last, of course. Also, it seemed only fair to save the book that is the counter-example to the rest of the list; it doesn’t celebrate animals and it doesn’t marvel at our relationship to them. It rages madly against them, or at least against the ultimate antagonist, the dread white whale Moby Dick. All the while, it confirms the potency of our connection to animals. Whether we fear them, eat them, train them, or dream about them, they’re central to our lives."

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