Ann Patchett's Bookshelf

Lolita
Lolita
By Vladimir Nabokov

Yes, it is about a man's affair with his stepdaughter, and yes, the content is devastating, but it is also perhaps the most thrilling celebration of words I've ever encountered. English was Nabokov's third language after Russian and French, and it is said this book was in fact about his passionate love affair with the English language. For as many times as I've read this novel, I discovered a whole new level of nuance when I listened to Jeremy Irons reading it on tape.