I write books in order to earn money to buy more books that’ll inspire me to write more books. It’s an insane cycle. You know you want in. Here’s a few that’ve stuck with me far longer than it takes to read and digest. Take two and call me in the morning.

THE WINTER PEOPLE by Jennifer McMahon

I’ve read several books by this author. All are pretty awesome. But THE WINTER PEOPLE struck me in a way that none of her others have. It’s creepy, yes, but the language is something out of an award-winning literary novel. McMahon has the ability to transport you with a sentence. A word. A syllable.

UNDER THE SKIN by Michael Faber

There’s sci-fi, and then there’s Michael Faber. The man’s imagination is twisted and delightful. Angry and delicious. UNDER THE SKIN takes what, in anyone else’s hands, would’ve been a sub-par story about an alien race that indulges in human flesh and makes it a frightening reality.

SMASHED by Koren Zailckas

Not fiction, but a book every reader should get their hands on. It’s brave and insightful and illuminates what you may not want to see in yourself, but need to see.

FURIOUSLY HAPPY by Jenny Lawson

More affectionately known as The Bloggess, Jenny Lawson is a beacon of positivity, in spite of her self proclaimed eccentricities. FURIOUSLY HAPPY illustrates what it means to be mentally different and how to embrace it. This book has single-handedly ushered me through a pretty deep bout of depression. I can never be too thankful.

MAY WE BE FORGIVEN by A.M. Homes

Homes is one of my favorite writers of all time. This book is one of my favorites, second only to THE END OF ALICE. The reason for including this book rather than ALICE is that it is the most real portrayal of life I’ve ever seen in a novel. Homes gives you real and shows you how completely unreal it can be.

STARDUST by Neil Gaiman

I have a special love for fairy tales. Gaiman is the king of the modern fairy tale, and STARDUST is the creme de la creme. Fairies, witches, a town bordered by magic, pirates… This book has it all, and then some. I would kill for the kind of imagination that gave us this book.

HORNS by Joe Hill

Some people know him as the son of legendary horror author, Stephen King. Regardless of his parentage, Joe Hill holds his own. He combines subtle horror with vivid imagery and, God, the story. I will buy anything Hill publishes.

A DIRTY JOB by Christopher Moore

Christopher Moore was the first author whose work I fell completely in love with. His list is full of hilarious, poignant, different work, but A DIRTY JOB is, in my opinion, his best to date. Protagonist Charlie Asher speaks to every person who’s ever been forced into something bigger than themselves.

NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern

Rarely do I read a book more than once or twice, even my favorites. I’ve read NIGHT CIRCUS four or five times, and each time I find something new to love about it. Magic, an intense but subtle romance, gorgeous imagery, and characters that are unmatched… This novel will always be a favorite.

SHARP OBJECTS by Gillian Flynn

Everyone knows GONE GIRL, but you’ve not experiences Flynn’s real talent until you’ve read SHARP OBJECTS. Never have I read a book that so perfectly captures the meanness that festers between girls–women–who feel they have to compete with one another. Good fiction tells a story, but great fiction shows us reality in a way that makes sure we can’t look away. SHARP OBJECTS is completely, utterly, great fiction.