What books inspire writers? We asked novelist Renee Rosen, author of Every Crooked Pot, to tell us what she's been reading. She graciously sent us these picks:

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. "This book is such a rare gem, it was perhaps my favorite novel of last year. A departure from Gruen's previous novels, Riding Lessons and Flying Changes (which I also highly recommend), Water for Elephants is set against the backdrop of a traveling circus during the Depression. It's part love story, part historical and altogether engaging. It's a story that will make you laugh and cry. Gruen's skill and immense talent is evident on every page. Her prose is stunning and her eye for telling details is always spot on! It's easy to see why this book has captured the hearts of readers around the world. Truly, this is one of those books that you'll never forget."

We asked author Kristy Kiernan, whose latest novel is Catching Genius, about books that inspire her writing. She graciously sent us these picks: (Thanks, Kristy!)

1 Dead in Attic by Chris Rose. "This is non-fiction from a journalist in New Orleans. It's a compilation of his columns from right after Katrina. The introduction gave me chills because I'm a writer; the rest of the book gave me chills because I'm human."

A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander. "Okay, I'm cheating on this one a little. I was lucky enough to get an Advance Reading Copy and the book isn't available until Feb. 1, 2008. However, this gives you time to pick up her first two books, And Only to Deceive and A Poisoned Season, and get hooked on these historical suspense novels set in Victorian England, featuring the most likable heroine I've ever read in a series, Lady Emily Ashton."

We asked Shannon Reed, who contributed a recent "Teachers at Work" column on choosing colleges, to recommend books about the college admissions process. Here are her picks: (Thanks, Shannon!)

Fishing For a Major: What You Need to Know Before You Declare "I confess, I've never read this, but my students tell me it truly helped them. They like that it's written in a student-to-student style, which uses language they understand."

Profiles of American Colleges with CD-ROM "I do not believe the results of any survey, ever. And that includes all of those college ranking books. Plus, I don't need my students to mope through the rest of their senior year because their future university ranks only 38th on the "party schools" list. This guide suits my style far better, with detailed information on over 1600 schools in book and CD-ROM format. Hey, remember CD-ROMs? Never mind, we'll save that discussion for another day."

Anu Garg, the creator of the popular Word.A.Day email we interview in this week's "Behind the Dictionary" feature, recommends these books on words and language:

Word Origins by Anatoly Liberman

Limits of Language by Mikael Parkvall

The Oxford Guide to World English by Tom McArthur

The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots by Calvert Watkins

Jeff Prucher, the science fiction dictionary editor we interview in this week's "Behind the Dictionary" feature, recommends these books on the intersection of language and science fiction:

Critical Terms for Science Fiction and Fantasy by Gary K. Wolfe

Science Fiction Quotations by Gary Westfahl

Slayer Slang: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Lexicon by Michael Adams ("A landmark in the study of the language of the fantastic.")

In the latest in our occasional series of inviting writers to tell us about what they read for inspiration -- and why -- we asked Leslie Schnur, author of Late Night Talking, to tell us about her favorite books:

"The best book by far that I've read lately is Away, by Amy Bloom. I couldn't put it down. The writing is unselfconscious and gorgeous, the characters vivid, the history fascinating, the narrative so compelling that the novel is a page-turner. Lillian Leyb's journey to find her daughter is heartbreaking and ultimately satisfying. I laughed and I cried, and had the most wonderful time. I rarely re-read a contemporary novel, but I look forward to experiencing this book again.

When we asked Patricia Wood, author of the novel Lottery, what she reads to inform her writing, she replied: "It is so difficult for me to choose -- I have so many favorites that continually rotate depending on what I need as a writer." Patricia graciously suggested these books: (Thanks, Patricia!)

The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux. "About a man who takes his family to the wilds of Central America as told by the young son. A great story using an unforgettable narrator. As a writer, I study this book repeatedly for characterization."