Ann Patchett Picks Her Favorites

The election results tonight is a nail-biter, and I have been trying to distract myself by looking for book lists. A list of favorite books by a favorite author – Ann Patchett – caught my eye.  Patchett, author of Commonwealth, also owns an independent bookstore in Tennessee – Parnassus Books.  Parade magazine asked her to pick seventy-five of her favorite books from each decade for the past seventy-five years. You can see the complete list at Ann Patchett’s Seventy Five Books.

unknownI picked one book from each decade from her list:

  • 1940’s – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
  • 1950’s – Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
  • 1960’s – Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child
  • 1970’s – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
  • 1990’s – The Secret History by Donna Tartt
  • 2000’s – Old Filth by Jane Gardam
  • 2010s – The Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St. Aubyn

I did not forget the 1980’s; none of the books listed were among my favorites. I would have picked Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively.

Need more lists?

Real Simple Magazine has 31 authors pick their favorites:  Authors Pick Their Favorites

The Strand Bookstore has The Author’s Bookshelf: The Author’s Bookshelf 

9780143034759_p0_v6_s192x300   Right now I am reading Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton, the book that inspired the Broadway musical.  Hopefully, its 731 pages will get me through this night.

 

 

 

1 thought on “Ann Patchett Picks Her Favorites

  1. I just finished Commonwealth. Really liked it. Didn’t like the ending because I wanted more. >

Comments are closed.