Sloane Crosley's top books

Vintage shelving at the 77th Foire Nationale aux Antiquites a la Brocante et aux Jambons, currently underway at Chatou, France.

In The Week, New York writer Sloane Crosley - author of the wonderful collection of essays "I Was Told There'd Be Cake" - recommends six memorable books, old and new. Among them:

Birds of America by Lorrie Moore (Picador, $14). This was one of those groundbreakingly hip story collections that make a mark every few years, and it had a huge impact on me. It’s a wonderfully dark book that showcases Moore’s trademark trick of grabbing your heart with one hand and keeping you at arm’s length with the other.

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (Vintage, $14). This is a magnificently subtle take on the classic tale of first love. It may lack the creepy trademark cat images and general whimsy of Murakami’s later books, but in many ways it’s his most memorable and sexy work of fiction.

On the Edge of Reason by Miroslav Krleza (New Directions, $18). A droll philosophical novel about a Croatian man who, one day, decides to speak his mind during a dinner party and conversational and social chaos ensue. Imagine Larry David but not funny and involving war and exile. Massively quotable.

For Crosley's other reading suggestions, go here to The Week's Arts & Leisure section. And check out Crosley's website, which is almost as hilarious as her book.

Comments

[Yoi]

Beautiful Image and thanks for the selections girl!

[La Belette Rouge]

I have read both Murakami and Moore. I have not read "On the Edge of Reason." Thanks for this post. I just recently read Sloane's book and I look forward to discovering some of her favorites.