As I abandon my physical library for a more minimalist approach to life, I’ve missed seeing my favorite books on the shelf. Seeing the spines of those works that have touched my heart, thumbing through to my favorite passages, and revisiting the characters that became my friends and enemies was a delightful pleasure.
To that end, this regularly updated post will serve as my desert island library, the books I don’t want to forget. While serving my purposes, I hope the following will also provide you with worthy recommendations. I’ve separated the lists into four categories: fiction, non-fiction, self-development, and writing. For the benefit of anyone landing on this page, please comment below with books you love.
Fiction:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walters
Beach Music by Pat Conroy
Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
Marathon Man by William Goldman
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Bright, Shiny Morning by James Frey
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
Live by Night by Dennis Lehane
Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Plum Island by Nelson Demille
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Iron House by John Hart
House of Sand and Fog by Andrea Dubus III
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
I’d be remiss not to mention the authors whose books I consumed in my early reading life as one might tear through Doritos: John D. Mcdonald, Nelson Demille, John Grisham, Harlan Coben, Stuart Woods, and Daniel Silva.
Self-Development
Mind Magic by James R. Doty
The Power of Now by Eckart Tolle
A New Earth by Eckart Tolle
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer
The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav
Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz, MD
Good Energy by Dr. Casey Means
You Are the Placebo by Dr. Joe Dispenza
Stop Thinking, Start Living by Richard Carlson
The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten
Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
The Way of the Wizard by Deepak Chopra
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Unfu*k Yourself by Gary John Bishop
Into the Magic Shop by Dr. James Doty
How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LaPera
Non-Fiction:
Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy SEAL by Chuck Pfarrer
Radical Evolution: The Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our Minds, Our Bodies-and What It Means to Be Human by Joel Garreau
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Open by Andre Agasse
The Accidental Connoisseur: An Irreverant Journey Through the Wine World by Lawrence Osborne
Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer’s Tour of France by Kermit Lynch
Medic!: The Story of a Conscientious Objector in the Vietnam War by Ben Sherman
Writing:
Writing 21st Century Fiction: High Impact Techniques for Exceptional Storytelling by Donald Maass
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller by John Truby
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner
Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark
On Writing by Stephen King
GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict by Debra Dixon
Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert Mckee
2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love by Rachel Aaron
Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
Intuitive Editing: A Creative and Practical Guide to Revising Your Writing by Tiffany Yates Martin
Screenplay by Syd Field
Story Genius by Lisa Cron
Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland
Damn Fine Story by Chuck Wendig
Gentle Writing Advice by Chuck Wendig
60 Responses
Hi Boo,
I like your list. I’ve read most and will explore others including yours!
My list would also include:
A Man Called Ove
Life of Pi
Cold Mountain
Hillbilly Elegy
Running with Scissors
Educated
Les Miserable
The Princess Bride
Outlander
I look forward to reading your books. Could you suggest which one I should start with?
An entry for your Non-Fiction section: A Chance in the World by Steve Pemberton. Powerful, unbelievable stuff. Could not put it down. He is an incredible human being.
Stumbled across your book Lowcountry Punch… loved it. Well, my OCD kicked it and of course, I had to read all if your books. Working on that now. Some of your faves are also mine, but I must add I absolutely loved Sean Keefer’s books! Keep on writing…you have many loyal readers and we appreciate you, and your books. Also another favorite of mine is your A Spanish Sunrise….. however, I learned way more about olives and olives trees than I need to know at my age! 😂
Hey Boo, I’ve never written to an author before but now I feel I must! I started with The Singing Trees; loved it so much. Then I looked you up and saw we have so many things in common that I felt this need to connect!
I grew up on Lookout Mountain, overlooking Chattanooga, so I already knew you were a fellow Southerner at heart with a name like Boo! I now live on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle and have dear friends in the wine business, so when I read the Red Mountain series, which I really loved, I knew you knew Eastern Washington and this area well. You have a special knack for place, (as well as lovely characters!) and stories guaranteed to provoke laughter and heart opening tears. I can tell you must be a kind and thoughtful person who loves life. Lucky you!!
I thoroughly enjoy the newsletter (and the logo pic is priceless!) Then I read today your favorite books… that cinched my need to write. Mine is also The Gentleman from Moscow, and the rest of your favorites are at least 90% mine! That cinched it! We must be twins separated at birth!
If you’re ever here in the Northwest again, you should look me up. We should meet and chew the proverbial fat over some great wine about books and writing and food and life and your many travels. I extend a most serous and heartfelt invitation to you and your family!
An aside: I saw your pandemic related comments about missing restaurants; I’m immunocompromised and had to let that part of my life go; it has left a huge hole in my life. I love the reader’s comment about taking the RV to restaurant parking lots! My life may be about to open up a bit! I’ve gotten very good at reproducing those meal experiences at home, but you’re right about being able to leave the dishes, and I also miss chatting with the staff and chefs.
All this to say, we are cut from the same cloth, you and I. I am a writer too who doesn’t write much but loves to read and read about writing. (The books about writing that you noted are also some of my favorites, and I’ll check out those I’m unfamiliar with, so thank you for the recommendations. Maybe they’ll spur me to get back to writing!
As I reread this, I realize I sound like a deranged stalker (!) but am just a happily partnered retired oncology/hospice RN who has become such a fan. Bring your family to beautiful Whidbey Island! And better yet, come teach a class! There are many creative people and writers here who would embrace that!
So, thank you for the joy you’ve brought me with your beautiful storytelling, and for sharing your life with your readers, my dear friend I’ve never met! I do hope that someday we will meet. In the mean time I will gladly read your books I haven’t gotten to yet.
A very Merry Christmas and holidays to you, and stay warm! As we approach the Winter Solstice, I wish you and yours a season full of light and love and peace. With a little quiet thrown in!
What a note to wake up to! Not a stalker at all…. just like-minded. So awesome. Thank you so much for writing. We are kindred spirits. My wife and I were just visiting her best friend on Bainbridge recently and get this… my agent lived on Whidbey for a long time before moving to North Carolina recently. I do hope you’ll stay in touch, sign up for my newsletter, and email me when you can.
Books I love:
Quiet chaos , Sandro veronesi
Untameable, Guillermo arriaga and also ‘salvar el fuego’ but I dont think thats available in english language yet.
I may have written before and, if so, please know that writing to an author is the very first for me – ever. I have been reading all of my life (well over 40+ years). Many, many authors, many different genres and tons and tons of excellent books have passed during my journey thru this beautiful life. My favorites are those that hold at least 350+ pages. There is nothing better than getting into a story and watching it unfold, knowing that you are going to be a part of the “journey” for a while. And that is why I found the Red Mountain Chronicles to be one of my favorite stories of all time. In fact, when the end was approaching, I rationed my reading so that I could savor the story just a little bit longer.
You are a master storyteller and, so, you have become one of my all-time favorite writers. I read “Am Unfinished Story” first and – immediately – knew that whatever books were to follow would be an adventure of the mind. Little did I know that the Red Mountain Chronicles would become one of my lifetime favorites. And, now on to “The Singing Trees”. Since I am only on page 42, I have yet to become a part of the story. and, I have already “pre-ordered” “A Spanish Sunrise”. How can I go wrong!
Someday – down the road, I hope you pick up with a continuation of some sort of “Red Mountain” . The people in the story – every one of them – still have so much more life left in them. I would just love to read where their journeys take them.
Thank you for sharing your gift, your time and your imagination. I just love reading your marvelous stories.
I am so honored by your note, you have no idea. Thank you! You make me feel good inside. I think Red Mountain could truly go on forever. Stay in touch!
I truly hope Red Mountain does go on forever. I wanted Spanish sunrise to go on forever. I read about 7 to 10 books a week and as I am in my seventies that makes for a lot of books read. Spanish Sunrise became an instant favorite. So much so that after I read it I had to purchase a copy also. You are that rarity in modern authors who do not formulize their stories and make the reader fell that they just need to by a ticket to go meet these people and share stories back and forth. I have read many of your favorite and they are on my list also. Pillars of the Earth is one of them. You have a gift and you read the authors I have long loved (including John D Macdonald).
May you live long and gift me with many more of your stories and communities.
You are so sweet. Thank you.
Just finished reading “An Unfinished Story” and stumbled onto your blog… loved the novel and found myself identifying with Whitaker (as a frustrated writer). As I scrolled through some of your posts, I felt a kindred spirit. This writing game is challenging! I have an unfinished story waiting for my attention, and I’m hoping a move to Mallorca in a few months will kickstart the process. Thanks for the inspiration!
Love your book list – “All the Light We Cannot See” and “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry” are two of my faves! Here are a few more you may like:
A Tangled Mercy, Joy Jordan Lake
Frog Music, Emma Donoghue
Forever, Pete Hamill
Looking forward to reading more of your work.
I’m so tired of living alone. Lost job in pandemic. Husband and son in heaven. I’m a foreigner in a foreign country. Kinda “left behind”. Wondering if reading will fill some hours before I graduate to the great beyond. There are SO MANY BOOKS… where does a non-reader begin? I don’t want a “fix me up” kind of beginning. Any suggestions from the many you have read? Helen
Hey there, I’m so sorry to read your note. Please email me and we can chat. I think you’d be a great beta reader. me@boowalker.com
Boo. I appreciate your list, thus adding a number of titles to my “to read” list. I have also found interesting some of the books your readers added. I have been a “hooked on Boo reader” since I discovered you with “Red Mountain.” (love wine, love that part of Washington, although I have to say the Chelan Valley Malbec by Wine Girls tops my list of favorite red wines, and I love the recipes you shared from those Red Mountain Chronicles.)
The following are four of my most recent favorite reads and not duplicated in the posts above.
The Great Alone (Kirstin Hannah)
The The Underground Railroad (Colson Whitehead)
The Perfect Horse (Elizabeth Letts)
When the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens)
I ordered your Book Red Mountain on Amazon because I liked the cover 😊.
I had never heard of you! I just finished Red Mountain and have ordered the next book in the series. I have never been much of a reader but at age 80 I have found that I love to read, especially your book! You have a real talent of bringing your characters to life (I felt like I knew them). I look forward to reading the rest of this Series plus other things you have written. May God bless you with many more years of writing. Sincerely, Pat Grim
Thank you so very much.
As I started to respond with one of my favorite books, I checked your list and see that we share a few, namely; “All the Light We Cannot See,” “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” and “The Nightingale.”
To these I would add “The Storyteller’s Secret” by Sejal Badani and “The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah. “The Couple Next Door” by Shari Lapena kept me guessing to the very end.
As you know, I’m a big fan of the Red Mountain series and the characters have stayed with me. I look forward to “The Singing Tree.”
Ken
Thanks, Ken! Adding yours to my to read pile!
You pretty much covered my current favorites list but here are a few more:
Anything by Ivan Doig
The Plainsong trilogy by Kent Haruf – one of my favorite authors
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
For the Writing section an old favorite –
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
So glad to see A Gentleman in Moscow on your list. I love that book.
Loved Cutting for Stone. Haruf and Doig are high on my tbr list! Thanks for sharing. Oh, and I did love Writing Down the Bones too.
Greetings Boo, I first want to say thank you for sharing your gift of writing to the world. I fell into the rabbit hole of Kindle and accidentally discovered the Red Mountain Series. I devoured them all in a few settings. I’m thrilled to have found you. I looked you up and almost fell out of my chair when I saw your desert-island library. Every single book you listed are great loves of mine as well. Choosing your favorite book is like choosing your favorite child, or choosing which meal you would like to eat for the rest of your life! Shantaram and Beach Music are most definitely in my top five. I thumbed through some of the memorable books in my library that were not on your list.
Books I love In No Particular Order:
The Charm School Nelson Demille
Genghis Conn Iggulden
The Gift of Rain Tan Twan Eng
City of Thieves David Benioff
The White Tiger Aravind Adiga
The Tender Bar J.R. Moehringer
The Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway
Clan of the Cavebear Jean M. Auel
The Third Twin Ken Follett
The Night Circus Erin Morgenstern
The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed
Out the Window and Disappeared Jonas Jonason
The Edge of Lost Kristina McMorris
Mitch Albom The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto
The Rent Collector Camron Wright
The Pearl That Broke it’s Shell Nadia Hashimi
Where the Crawdads Sing Delia Owens
The Alchemist Paulo Coelho
The Huntress Kate Quinn
My guilty pleasures…anything by Adriana Trigianni
Your writing has been a comfort to my soul, and has allowed me to escape for a few brief hours each day the perils of 2020. I can’t think of a better author to end my year with. Don’t stop believing,…Never stop writing!
You are so kind, Gina. Thank you. And you’re in trouble, because I’m going to look up every one of these books and check them out, probably buy half of them. I also LOVED The Charm School. Heck, I loved so many of his. I just bought City of Thieves. I think we’re on the same page. Thanks so much for writing!
My absolute all-time favorite book/trilogy is THE BRONZE HORSEMAN by Paulina Simon. It’s a beautiful love story, with a huge twist, about a Russian family, their youngest daughter and the Soviet soldier she fell in love with. It spans 50+ years. I learned so much about the devastation and tragedy the Soviets endured during the siege of Leningrad during WWII. I loved the story so much, I traveled to St. Petersburg (Leningrad) to see the actual streets, the statues (the Bronze horeseman), the museums, the River running through the city, and the actual apartments still standing after the war where soviet families lived together with no heat and no food..
I love the OUTLANDER saga as well, by Diana Gabaldon. The history is so rich , and the romance is beautiful. Everything I love.
These are a few of my favorites:
1) Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
2) This Tender Land by William Kent Kruger
3) Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
4) The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
5) Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
6) Any book written by Ivan Doig
7) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Oh wow, these are good! I just added a couple to my stack. Thanks for chiming in. I keep hearing about Ivan Doig.
Sundog. Jim Harrison
I’m so excited to discover your books! Just read An Unfinished Story and downloaded Red Mountain to my Kindle. Growing up in Pinellas County, I went to undergrad in St. Pete, hitchhiked over the Bayway to the Pink Palace….lots of great memories. I’ve read most of the books on your favorites lists of fiction and self-development, but I added from your suggestions and the others’ to my To-Read list. I grew up in a big family of readers; if you put your book down before you finished it, someone might steal it! I read voraciously and I’m always looking for new books -most genres appeal to me. I taught reading and was a reading specialist, so I read widely (including YA) so I could make legitimate recommendations to my students-and now always looking for favorites for my 11 grandkids. My favorite books are the ones that stick in my memory and that I wish would not end.
These suggestions are just a drop in the bucket of my favorite fantasy authors: Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey, Octavia Butler, Ursula K. LeGuin.
I bookmarked your blog, so I’ll revisit. Always love to obsess about reading.
Thanks for chiming in, Lila. It’s so good to meet you. And thanks for the great tips.
anything by Harlan Coben (especially the Myron series) and also Carl Hiassen (Sick Puppy is the best – but love them all)
Agreed! I have read LOTS of Harlan.
Robert Bailey’s “McMurtrie” series
I just finished American Dirt by Jeanine Cummings. So good! Since we read the same books, I think you’ll enjoy! I also enjoyed John Grishman’s , The Reckoning…. excellent!
That is one controversial book right now! Not sure if you’ve read about the author being attacked. But I’m dying to read it. I, for one, hope authors will always take chances by creating characters that aren’t like themselves.
I finished American Dirt a couple months ago and it was very good, very informative if you want to see both sides and know the truth about what has and is still happening. It hit on all my emotions at certain points. A good book. I’m glad I read it. I recommend it!
I can also vouch for American Dirt!
Going on my list!
Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Great ones!
Galilee–Clive Barker
Like Water for Chocolate–Laura Esquivel
Even this I get to Experience–Norman Lear
Einstein’s Dreams–Alan Lightman
I loved We’re all Damaged and A Gentleman in Moscow, excellent books. Check out James Anderson, he is a wonderful storyteller and Follow the River by James Alexander Thom is at the top of my all time favs. Life after Life by Kate Morton is so dang intriguing!
How many books do you read a year?
I’ve just added yours to my list! Thanks, Margaret. Before my son, I used to read so much more. Now, writing gets most of my free time but I average reading 3-4 books a month.
Songs for love and war, I am pilgrim,
I’ve heard I need to read I am Pilgrim. Haven’t heard of Song for Love and War. Who wrote it? Not seeing it on Amazon.
Under the Self-Development category, read any of Brene Brown’s books, but start with The Gifts of Imperfection. It’s been out for several years now, but is still selling well in bookstores. Heresy though it may be to do this, but I underline copiously in the books that touch my soul; this book is copiously underlined!
Yes, I loved The Gifts too. Thanks for chiming in.
I’ve read a few in your list and now have more to check out thanks to your list and others that have posted.
A few of my favorites are: Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrah, a love story See You by Dawn Lee McKenna, Mead Mountain by BK Dell. Red Mountain is on my short list and eagerly look forward to December 7th. Kellie
Thanks for the list. So many of my own fiction favorites. Incredible that you include “The Music Lesson. ” Victor is a friend of mine, and an amazing person in so many ways!
Wow! Like-minded readers. Looking forward to reading your new book, Boo.
When we moved from California to Costa Rica thirteen years ago, I was invited to join an intimate international English speaking book club; it has celebrated over 30 years together with a few of its original members. Thus, even a partial list would be far too long to add so I’ll recommend favorites of recent:
Cutting for Stone – Abraham Verghese
The Big Open – Rick Ridgeway
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight – Alexandra Fuller
Half Broke Horses – Jeanette Wallis
Euphoria – Lily King
Educated – Tara Westover
Ordinary Wolves – Seth Kantner
Happy reading, all!
Thanks for these!
Yes! Double down on Lily King. Her new book Writers and Lovers is terrific. Love Alexander Fuller as well. Kruegers This Tender Land was wonderful but his Cork O’Connor mysteries are super fun-all 17 of them. Finally, loved the Red Mountain series!
Muchas gracias!
Many of the books you mentioned, Boo, (I love Bird by Bird), plus::
All the Light We Cannot See, and The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
Follow the River by James Alexander Thom (If ever I cannot sleep, I just remember Mary Ingles)
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
Peace Like a River and Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Clockmaker’s Daughter and all other books by Kate Morton
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Local Wonders by Ted Kooser
I could go on and on, but I need to read now.
Pat Conroy was my favorite and I was privileged to get to meet him at a book signing in Charleston when “Slightly North of Broad” was released. He was so gracious to this fan.
My wife was at that same signing and had a book signed for my birthday. How cool!
I have read many of the books on your list. I love Ken Follett and Pat Conroy. So sorry Pat is no longer with us to write more of his great books. I’ll be glad when you release your next book. Anxiously awaiting.
Thanks for your list! Below are a couple that I highly recommend.
The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert
Beneath a Scarlet Sky, Mark Sullivan
Finding Grace – Sarah Pawley
The Rosie Project – Graeme Simsion
Love the list. I’ve read may of them and will get to the others. Meanwhile:
The Grand Inquisitor Manual by Jonathan Kirsch is a frightening look at how easy it is to train any of us to become cruel killers
Likewise
A Long Way Gone
Earth’s Children-all 6 books in the series-Jean Auel
Jonathan Livingston Seagull-Richard Bach
Gifts from the Sea-Anne Morrow Lindbergh
The Silver Chalice-Thomas B. Costain
The Secret of Santa Vittoria-Robert Crichton
The City of Fallen Angels-John Berendt
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil-John Berendt
Those are my favorites each read more than once.
Janet I loved The Silver Chalice also. Read it as a pre teen and an adult to see if it would have the same impact and it did. Thank you for bringing back a great memory. Lynette
Love your list! Thanks for the inspiration and for adding to my never-ending list of “To Read” that I keep on my iPhone! One of my favorites made your list – “Beach Music”, and several others that you listed I enjoyed so much, as well. Two that I didn’t see on your list but I enjoy going back to are “East of Eden” and The Goldfinch”. Highly recommend. BTW, can’t wait for Dec. 7th!