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favorite books - a personal canon

riot days by maria alyokhina

Riot Days

Maria Alyokhina // 2017 // political memoir

outline by rachel cusk

The Outline trilogy

Rachel Cusk // 2014 // literary

the haunting of hill house by shirley jackson

The Haunting of Hill House

Shirley Jackson // 1959 // Gothic horror

island of the blue dolphins by scott o'dell

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Scott O'Dell // 1960 // juvenile fic, survival

drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

Olga Tokarczuk // 2009 // mystery

malina by ingeborg bachmann

Malina

Ingeborg Bachmann // 1971 // literary

our share of night by mariana enriquez

Our Share of Night

Mariana Enriquez // 2019 // horror

the metamorphosis by franz kafka

The Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka // 1915 // surreal fantasy

the memory police by yoko ogawa

The Memory Police

Yoko Ogawa // 1994 // dystopian

deathless by catherynne m. valente

Deathless

Catherynne M. Valente // 2011 // historical fantasy

autobiography of red by anne carson

Autobiography of Red

Anne Carson // 1998 // narrative poetry

kaddish and other poems by allen ginsberg

Kaddish & Other Poems

Allen Ginsberg // 1961 // poetry collection

hurricane season by fernanda melchor

Hurricane Season

Fernanda Melchor // 2017 // literary

a tale for the time being by ruth ozeki

A Tale for the Time Being

Ruth Ozeki // 2013 // literary

the fairyland series by catherynne m. valente

Fairyland series

Catherynne M. Valente // 2011 // children's fantasy

the bloody chamber and other stories by angela carter

The Bloody Chamber & Other Stories

Angela Carter // 1979 // Gothic fairy tales

poor things by alasdair gray

Poor Things

Alasdair Gray // 1992 // satirical sci-fantasy

lapvona by ottessa moshfegh

Lapvona

Ottessa Moshfegh // 2022 // historical fic

the bell jar by sylvia plath

The Bell Jar

Sylvia Plath // 1963 // autofiction

annihilation by jeff vandermeer

Annihilation

Jeff VanderMeer // 2014 // sci-fi horror

the awakening by kate chopin

The Awakening

Kate Chopin // 1899 // literary

i who have never known men by jacqueline harpman

I Who Have Never Known Men

Jacqueline Harpman // 1995 // dystopian

after dark by haruki murakami

After Dark

Haruki Murakami // 2004 // magical realism

wide sargasso sea by jean rhys

Wide Sargasso Sea

Jean Rhys // 1966 // historical fic

slaughterhouse-five by kurt vonnegut

Slaughterhouse-Five

Kurt Vonnegut // 1969 // sci-fi satire

piranesi by susanna clarke

Piranesi

Susanna Clarke // 2020 // fantasy-mystery

the wall by marlen haushofer

The Wall

Marlen Haushofer // 1963 // dystopian

the wind-up bird chronicle by haruki murakami

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Haruki Murakami // 1994 // magical realism

frankenstein by mary shelley

Frankenstein

Mary Shelley // 1818 // Gothic horror

braiding sweetgrass by robin wall kimmerer

Braiding Sweetgrass

Robin Wall Kimmerer // 2013 // ecology essays

Favorite Writers

Ray Bradbury, Rachel Cusk, Mariana Enriquez, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Kazuo Ishiguro, Shirley Jackson, Franz Kafka, Han Kang, Natsuo Kirino, Fernanda Melchor, Haruki Murakami, Yoko Ogawa, Catherynne M. Valente, Kurt Vonnegut.