Tana French's Reading List

The author of "The Trespasser" likes crime writers who see "genre conventions as starting points rather than limitations, who refuse to recognize that supposed boundary between genre and literary."

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By the Book: Tana French (2016)

NYT By the Book column (2016-09-28).

Source: www.nytimes.com

The Spinning Heart

Donal Ryan · Buy on Amazon

"It's furious, it's moving, it's darkly funny, it punches you right in the gut, the writing is effortlessly wonderful, and every one of the wide variety of voices rings utterly true."

The Poisonwood Bible

Barbara Kingsolver · 1998 · Buy on Amazon

"My all-time favorites include some literary fiction (Barbara Kingsolver's "The Poisonwood Bible")."

The Mistress of Spices

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni · Buy on Amazon

"some magic realism (Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's "The Mistress of Spices")."

A Countess Below Stairs

Eva Ibbotson · Buy on Amazon

"It's the literary equivalent of a really good ice cream: all the comfort factor of junk food, but way tastier and more satisfying. It's a quirky, lovely, extravagant, funny romance."

The Once and Future King

T. H. White · Buy on Amazon

"I love T. H. White's King Arthur in "The Once and Future King" … White makes him utterly human, and makes his greatness and heroism lie within that flawed humanity."

The Butcher Boy

Pat McCabe · Buy on Amazon

"Favorite antihero has to be Francie Brady in Pat McCabe's "The Butcher Boy." … you watch his mind gradually warp into madness … and yet you can't help aching for him."

The Playmaker

Thomas Keneally · Buy on Amazon

"It's a damn good read that I believe should be read by everyone in politics."

Einstein's Dreams

Alan Lightman · 1992 · Buy on Amazon

"I love his "Einstein's Dreams"; it's one of my all-time favorites."

The Diagnosis

Alan Lightman · Buy on Amazon

"He's one of those writers who somehow make both beautiful, deeply sensory writing and startlingly original ideas look effortless."

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