Good Minds Suggest

The author of Future Home of the Living God says, "I would rather measure myself against appalling mothers who make a somewhat adequate mom, like me, look good."

"These are some books that helped me think about whether there are more hoaxes these days on my way to understanding why," says the author of Bunk.

In It's All Relative, A.J. Jacobs explores the transformation of the modern family, including the impact of DNA tests and his own tangled family tree. Here he shares his favorite "ancestor-seeking" books.

Professors Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Maria Tatar have joined forces to compile The Annotated African American Folktales. Tatar recommended some more great fables.

The author who inspired our Alexander Hamilton obsession is now focusing on the misunderstood President Grant with the aptly titled Grant. Here are his nominations for great presidential biographies.

The comedian is back with a look at midlife fatherhood, life in the state of Maine, and the perils of facial hair in Vacationland. Here Hodgman shares his vacation reading list.

Los Angeles-based mortician Caitlin Doughty is out to demystify death. She's back this month with her second book, From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death, and provides some unusual coffee table book suggestions.

The author has hit literary gold by setting his novels in the City by the Bay. Now he's sharing his favorite books that take place in San Francisco.

The South African writer has garnered fans worldwide for his bestselling Benny Griessel thrillers. In his latest book, Fever, he takes readers to a postpandemic world. Here he shares his picks for postapocalyptic books.

The Hugo Award-winning author says the sci-fi and fantasy genres are sometimes thought of as stories just for the guys. She's setting the record straight.

Walker has made a career of using psychological profiles to craft her thrillers. With Emma in the Night she explores what happens after two sisters vanish and only one returns.

For anyone who still thinks women can't write gritty, unflinching thrillers, Slaughter is here to dispel that notion once and for all.

Davis knows her way around a historical fiction venue. Here she picks her favorite historical fiction settings, for when you want to escape from the modern world.

Novelist Jackson has made a career of writing about the lives of strong Southern women. Here she shares some of her all-time-favorite Southern female characters.

Nutting's latest novel is a bawdy look at marriage and monogamy, featuring sex dolls and mind-control chips. In this spirit, the author shares her "funniest bad sex scenes."

The author of The Silver Linings Playbook is known for his complicated characters who face adversity. Here he recommends books about overcoming past traumas.

From Black Hawk Down to his new book on the Vietnam War, Bowden is known for his insightful writing about conflicts. Here is his recommended battlefield reading.

In Reid's latest novel, a classic film actress looks back at her life, her loves, and her secrets. Here Reid shares her favorite true Hollywood stories of glamour and intrigue.

The Radium Girls author chronicles a WWI account of women fighting horrific workplace abuse. Here are her favorite books about seeking justice.

The Rich People Problems author is the ultimate insider into Asia's most wealthy families. Want even more? Here are his picks for elevating your status in life.

The food writer turned memoirist in Notes on a Banana names his favorite books that helped him understand his mental illness.

The Anything Is Possible author says she learned to write by reading the great Russian novels. Here are some of her favorites.

The Hallelujah Anyway author is known for inspiring her readers. But what books inspire her? Here are her five picks.

The author of All Grown Up names her favorite female characters who live life on their own terms.

We asked the author of The Best We Could Do to share her picks for the best new graphic memoirs and nonfiction comics.

Get ready for an ugly cry: The Edgar and Lucy author gives us his list of favorite books that will break your heart.

The Never Let You Go author says obsession and revenge can be very satisfying—at least when it comes to reading.

The Pachinko author says every book is a labor of love. So here she shares the novels that—to her—are the very essence of love.

The Orphan Train author is back with A Piece of the World, inspired by the hardscrabble life of an artist's muse. Here are her picks for overcoming hardship.