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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."
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When I began to write Matrimony, I was thirty-three and living in Ann Arbor, where I had gone to graduate school; my first novel, Swimming across the Hudson, had recently been published. I had also just met the woman I would eventually marry, and though our relationship would be long-distance for the first two years and we wouldn't get married for several years after that, I knew from the start that this was the person I would spend my life with. And I sensed, in knowing this, that big changes lay ahead, changes I couldn't yet comprehend.
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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.
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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."
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I like to call my budding writing career a "Menopausal Epiphany." I had not written a single creative word (other than school and college essays) until I hit 50 -- a landmark year that brought home the ravages of menopause and then some. Fighting Mother Nature was a losing battle, so I decided to put those yo-yoing hormones to creative use instead.
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