The Best Books For Writers To Read

Reference Books

For aspiring writers, your bookshelf wouldn’t be complete without a few reference books. Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need is a book I’ve read over and over and over. This book tells you everything you need to know about creating story structure. How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth, is an excellent resource to help anyone uncover and craft their own stories. Write for Life: Creative Tools for Every Writer (A 6-Week Artist’s Way Program) is another of Julia Cameron’s excellent guides through the creative process.

Fiction

All writers are avid readers. There are some books that I read over and over and over again, because they inspire me. Every time I read them, I learn something new. Sometimes I rediscover elements of the story that I had forgotten, and other times I discover techniques that the author used that I hadn’t noticed before. The following books are favorites of mine that I am happy to reread often.

• East of Eden by John Steinbeck
• Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler
• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes

Mystery

Who doesn’t love to read a classic whodunit? My favorite mysteries are written in series where the characters develop over the seasons of the books.

• Michael Connelly Harry Bosch Series 10 Books Collection Set 
• The Longmire Mystery Series Boxed Set
• Before She Disappeared: A Novel (A Frankie Elkin Novel, Book 1)

Memoir

I’m drawn to memoir because it’s so personal and authentic. Reading memoir is an opportunity to walk in someone else’s shoes and journey through another persons struggles, triumphs, and growth. Memoir allows me to reflect on my own life and my own stories. The following are some of my favorite memoirs.

• Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
• Anxiously Ever After: An Honest Memoir on Mental Illness, Strained Relationships, and Embracing the Struggle by Clint Edwards
• The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
• Toil & Trouble: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs
• I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

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