Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. “The most exquisite writing you can find. I read this just to remember what the Holy Grail of writing looks and feels like.”

Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. “Sometimes, I need to connect to something bigger than me. To remember that anything good that comes to me is really from somewhere else that I can’t actually take any credit for. The Yoga Sutras humble me and remind me of this.”

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. “This book is always good. Especially when you need to get big-picture on a project. Big, universal themes that are undeniable and infinite and astutely observed.”

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. “If ever I feel like too many characters or too much plot is impossible to make work, I look at this beautiful, epic novel.”

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. “There are no words for this book. Expect perfect and true. I’ve loved it my whole life.
I cry when I think about it now.”

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott. “Anne Lamott makes the inevitably difficult, complex process of writing feel a little bit more buoyant and joyful. THAT is inspiring.”

The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler. “My go-to book for story structure. Anytime I start writing, I start here. I re-visit here. I end here. It’s perfect.”

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. “My favorite modern novel. The detail and imagination in which Franzen writes about so many different characters’ psyches is mind-blowing.”

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. “Just…laugh out loud funny. If you ever think comedy is only best as a visual medium, read his chapter on nouvelle cuisine.”