The actress finds company and consolation in a familiar-feeling memoir, a collection of poetry, a darkly intense modern novel and the spare beauty of Ann Beattie
You know how some people can make you feel safer simply because they're walking around in the world? Even if you were raised differently or one of you is 15 years older, you feel they understand you completely.

Felicity Huffman is one of those people. She's not only one of the world's greatest actors but also the wisest and most loyal of friends. She once offered me a book when I was struggling in a relationship. It was a way of saying that she, too, had been down this road. That gift showed me that a book can take the place of a conversation—in this case a conversation I don't think I was ready to have and one that she didn't know how to begin.

Book-giving, book-receiving—it can be a powerful exchange. Someone hasn't just picked up some random thing. They went out and thought, This story affected me, and I want you to know about it. You remember that while reading the book, and it becomes part of the fabric of experience you both share.

Sarah Paulson stars in NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

What's on Sarah Paulson's Bookshelf? Read more!

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