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The Irresistibles: Lyrical, Luscious Reads

From a hilarious futuristic novel to a comedy of manners about a late-life love affair, you’ll want to read these literary standouts over and over again.
1.
Painter of Silence

Painter of Silence

By Georgina Harding
2.
This Is How You Lose Her

This Is How You Lose Her

By Junot Díaz
3.
Next to Love

Next to Love

By Ellen Feldman
4.
NW

NW

By Zadie Smith
5.
Stone Arabia

Stone Arabia

By Dana Spiotta
6.
This Beautiful Life

This Beautiful Life

By Helen Schulman
7.
Northwest Corner

Northwest Corner

By John Burnham Schwartz
8.
Dare Me

Dare Me

By Megan Abbott
9.
In the Shadow of the Banyan

In the Shadow of the Banyan

By Vaddey Ratner
10.
Alif the Unseen

Alif the Unseen

By G. Willow Wilson
11.
Battleborn

Battleborn

By Claire Vaye Watkins
12.
The Buddha in the Attic

The Buddha in the Attic

By Julie Otsuka
13.
The Submission

The Submission

By Amy Waldman
14.
The Foreigners

The Foreigners

By Maxine Swann
15.
The Family Fang

The Family Fang

By Kevin Wilson
16.
We the Animals

We the Animals

By Justin Torres
17.
The Art of Fielding

The Art of Fielding

By Chad Harbach
18.
A Small Hotel

A Small Hotel

By Robert Olen Butler
19.
A Good Hard Look

A Good Hard Look

By Ann Napolitano
20.
The Borrower

The Borrower

By Rebecca Makkai
21.
The Year We Left Home

The Year We Left Home

By Jean Thompson
22.
Big Machine

Big Machine

By Victor LaValle
23.
Someday This Will Be Funny

Someday This Will Be Funny

By Lynne Tillman
24.
Forgotten Country

Forgotten Country

By Catherine Chung
25.
All That I Am

All That I Am

By Anna Funder
26.
Gods Without Men

Gods Without Men

By Hari Kunzru
27.
Accidents of Providence

Accidents of Providence

By Stacia M. Brown
28.
A Partial History of Lost Causes

A Partial History of Lost Causes

By Jennifer duBois
29.
The Beginner's Goodbye

The Beginner's Goodbye

By Anne Tyler
30.
When Captain Flint Was Still a Good Man

When Captain Flint Was Still a Good Man

By Nick Dybek
31.
Other Heartbreaks

Other Heartbreaks

By Patricia Henley
32.
Perla

Perla

By Carolina De Robertis
33.
All Woman and Springtime

All Woman and Springtime

By Brandon W. Jones
34.
A Wedding in Haiti

A Wedding in Haiti

By Julia Alvarez
35.
Home

Home

By Toni Morrison
36.
The Master's Muse

The Master's Muse

By Varley O'Connor
37.
The Newlyweds

The Newlyweds

By Nell Freudenberger
38.
I Couldn't Love You More

I Couldn't Love You More

By Jillian Medoff
39.
Canada

Canada

By Richard Ford
40.
Ménage

Ménage

By Alix Kates Shulman
41.
Vandal Love

Vandal Love

By Deni Y. Béchard
42.
Radio Iris

Radio Iris

By Anne-Marie Kinney
43.
Tell the Wolves I'm Home

Tell the Wolves I'm Home

By Carol Rifka Brunt
44.
The Age of Miracles

The Age of Miracles

By Karen Thompson Walker
45.
Shout Her Lovely Name

Shout Her Lovely Name

By Natalie Serber
46.
The Red House

The Red House

By Mark Haddon
47.
The World Without You

The World Without You

By Joshua Henkin
48.
What Happened to Sophie Wilder

What Happened to Sophie Wilder

By Christopher R. Beha
49.
The Starboard Sea

The Starboard Sea

By Amber Dermont
50.
A Small Fortune

A Small Fortune

By Rosie Dastgir
51.
The Virgin Cure

The Virgin Cure

By Ami McKay
52.
Heading Out to Wonderful

Heading Out to Wonderful

By Robert Goolrick
53.
The Flight of Gemma Hardy

The Flight of Gemma Hardy

By Margot Livesey
54.
Breaking and Entering

Breaking and Entering

By Eileen Pollack
55.
Heft

Heft

By Liz Moore
56.
A Good American

A Good American

By Alex George
57.
Watergate

Watergate

By Thomas Mallon
58.
The Snow Child

The Snow Child

By Eowyn Ivey
59.
Running the Rift

Running the Rift

By Naomi Benaron
60.
The Cat's Table

The Cat's Table

By Michael Ondaatje
61.
The Taste of Salt

The Taste of Salt

By Martha Southgate
62.
The Dovekeepers

The Dovekeepers

By Alice Hoffman
63.
Last Man in Tower

Last Man in Tower

By Aravind Adiga
64.
Birds of Paradise

Birds of Paradise

By Diana Abu-Jaber
65.
The Forgotten Waltz

The Forgotten Waltz

By Anne Enright
66.
Mr. Fox

Mr. Fox

By Helen Oyeyemi
67.
The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt

By Caroline Preston
68.
My Name Is Victoria

My Name Is Victoria

By Victoria Donda
69.
The Sisters

The Sisters

By Nancy Jensen
70.
Ed King

Ed King

By David Guterson
71.
Lost Memory of Skin

Lost Memory of Skin

By Russell Banks
72.
The Leftovers

The Leftovers

By Tom Perrotta
73.
Ten Thousand Saints

Ten Thousand Saints

By Eleanor Henderson
74.
Rules of Civility

Rules of Civility

By Amor Towles
75.
Blueprints for Building Better Girls

Blueprints for Building Better Girls

By Elissa Schappell
76.
Love and Shame and Love

Love and Shame and Love

By Peter Orner
77.
American Dervish

American Dervish

By Ayad Akhtar
78.
The Odditorium

The Odditorium

By Melissa Pritchard
79.
The World We Found

The World We Found

By Thrity Umrigar
80.
The Last Nude

The Last Nude

By Ellis Avery
81.
The Book of Life

The Book of Life

By Stuart Nadler
82.
Swimming Studies

Swimming Studies

By Leanne Shapton
83.
The Sweet Relief of Missing Children

The Sweet Relief of Missing Children

By Sarah Braunstein
84.
Open City

Open City

By Teju Cole
85.
Swamplandia!

Swamplandia!

By Karen Russell
86.
An Object of Beauty

An Object of Beauty

By Steve Martin
87.
V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
88.
Annabel

Annabel

By Kathleen Winter
89.
Bright Before Us

Bright Before Us

By Katie Arnold-Ratliff
90.
What You See in the Dark

What You See in the Dark

By Manuel Munoz
91.
Say Her Name

Say Her Name

By Francisco Goldman
92.
The Great Night

The Great Night

By Chris Adrian
93.
22 Britannia Road

22 Britannia Road

By Amanda Hodgkinson
94.
The Fates Will Find Their Way

The Fates Will Find Their Way

By Hannah Pittard
95.
Faith

Faith

By Jennifer Haigh
96.
Lyrics Alley

Lyrics Alley

By Leila Aboulela
97.
Wingshooters

Wingshooters

By Nina Revoyr
98.
Sing You Home

Sing You Home

By Jodi Picoult
99.
The Paris Wife

The Paris Wife

By Paula McLain
100.
The Tiger's Wife

The Tiger's Wife

By Tea Obreht
101.
The Free World

The Free World

By David Bezmozgis
102.
Please Look After Mom

Please Look After Mom

By Kyung-sook Shin
103.
The Civilized World: A Novel in Stories

The Civilized World: A Novel in Stories

By Susi Wyss
104.
That Old Cape Magic

That Old Cape Magic

By Richard Russo
105.
Unaccustomed Earth

Unaccustomed Earth

By Jhumpa Lahiri
106.
Brooklyn

Brooklyn

By Colm Toibin
107.
Olive Kitteridge

Olive Kitteridge

By Elizabeth Strout
108.
Netherland

Netherland

By Joseph O'Neill
109.
Don't Cry

Don't Cry

By Mary Gaitskill
110.
2666

2666

By Roberto Bolano
111.
Home

Home

By Marilynne Robinson
112.
Lowboy

Lowboy

By John Wray
113.
Indignation

Indignation

By Philip Roth
114.
A Mercy

A Mercy

By Toni Morrison
115.
Inherent Vice

Inherent Vice

By Thomas Pynchon
116.
Great House

Great House

By Nicole Krauss
117.
Super Sad True Love Story

Super Sad True Love Story

By Gary Shteyngart
118.
The Invisible Bridge

The Invisible Bridge

By Julie Orringer
119.
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

By Helen Simonson
120.
A Visit from the Goon Squad

A Visit from the Goon Squad

By Jennifer Egan
121.
The Surrendered

The Surrendered

By Chang-rae Lee
122.
Summertime

Summertime

By J.M. Coetzee
123.
The Original of Laura

The Original of Laura

By Vladimir Nabokov
124.
Generosity: An Enhancement

Generosity: An Enhancement

By Richard Powers
125.
The Year of the Flood

The Year of the Flood

By Margaret Atwood
126.
A Gate at the Stairs

A Gate at the Stairs

By Lorrie Moore
127.
The Museum of Innocence

The Museum of Innocence

By Orhan Pamuk
128.
Chronic City

Chronic City

By Jonathan Lethem
129.
Big Ray

Big Ray

By Michael Kimball
130.
The Round House

The Round House

By Louise Erdrich
131.
May We Be Forgiven

May We Be Forgiven

By A.M. Homes
132.
A Working Theory of Love

A Working Theory of Love

By Scott Hutchins
133.
Familiar

Familiar

By J. Robert Lennon
134.
Accelerated

Accelerated

By Bronwen Hruska
135.
Sutton

Sutton

By J.R. Moehringer
136.
San Miguel

San Miguel

By T.C. Boyle

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