Bookshelves are like a vast walk-in closet, a limitless wardrobe, teeming with cotton t-shirts, vibrant knit scarves, pressed tuxedos, and polyester pajamas. And depending on your mood, a good book should slip over your skin like delicate silk. But like many things that have the power to remove us from reality, books, particularly those that find solace on our shelves, can be sacred.
For me, sometimes this ethereal closet, my books, can feel so sacred that they’re nearly untouchable. They sit on my black, wooden shelf collecting dust, like expensive jewelry locked up in a glass case.
This feeling of not being able to read the books on my shelf does not stop me, however, from buying more books. I buy them nearly everywhere I go. I can barely fit more on the shelf if I try. But like the others, each new novel watches as I continuously glance past them, choosing instead to check out book after book from the public library. And so, in a sense, the entire world has become my metaphorical bookshelf. Well, at least as far as my library card can take me.
Regardless, from my physical and metaphorical bookshelf, here are some stories that have changed my life, and should be added to your wardrobe immediately.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett: This book made me yearn for a summer love I never lost. It’s the first piece of “COVID lit” (as in, a book that takes place during the COVID-19 pandemic) that I thoroughly enjoyed, as I often feel that novels centering this period can be redundant. The book is set on a cherry farm in rural Michigan in the summer of 2020, where we are introduced to Lara, a mother of three teenage/adult-ish girls. Throughout the story, the girls beg their mother to recount her summer, many decades ago, when she worked as an actress at a community theatre company called Tom Lake. It was there, in the throes of her youth and ambition, that she fell in love with a witty yet troubled future movie star, who eventually met an untimely death. While I don’t say this lightly, this book was close to perfection and the essential summer read. Patchett is known for her lyrical writing, and this novel is no exception. She was able to effortlessly move back and forth in time while making me feel deeply connected to each character, whether they were a protagonist or a simple guest on the page. Patchett mastered the essence that beauty and suffering can coexist, and through hardships come generational wisdom and quiet strength. There’s a reason this lovely, floral book cover is often on display in bookstore windows; it’s worth picking up.
We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry: Was one of your childhood fixations the Salem Witch Trials of 1692? This novel, set in 1989 Danvers, Massachusetts—the town adjacent to Salem—follows a group of high school seniors with ambitions of winning their school’s first-ever field hockey championship. When a summer training camp accidentally invites in some dark magic, it soon takes over the entire team. Laced with the town’s spooky history and tales of modern femininity, this story’s omniscient narrator takes the reader through a school year full of teenage angst, sacrificial offerings, and high school sports. All elements that make for an enticing read. As a Boston resident, I found this book’s connection to real history to be addictive, presenting a new spin on the historical fiction genre. Though surprisingly dense with lots of required attention to detail, Barry perfected the complexities in the pursuit of perfection at any cost, especially in girlhood. This story is especially perfect as we approach the autumnal months.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood: How can I call myself a global citizen and publishing enthusiast without having this masterpiece on my bookshelf? This dystopian novel has found its home on the New York Times bestseller list for decades, and rightfully so. It follows a character named Offred, one of thousands of women who have had their rights stripped away and forced into reproductive servitude in a totalitarian theocracy. Atwood is one of the most impactful authors of our time, and each word in this book is extremely intentional. A prominent reason why this book will always find a home on my shelf is not only because it’s a banned book, but it is one of the best examples of how literature and publishing can be an act of resistance against injustice. There is power in education, the written word, and writing our greatest fears on the page. Don’t let this book be only a classic that you were forced to read in high school English class. It deserves so much more.
Come & Get It by Kiley Reid: This story, Kiley Reid’s second novel, released in 2024, is the true definition of women-centered fiction. Spanning several points of view, the book centers on three main characters at the University of Arkansas (hence the large pig on the front cover): Millie, an RA; Agatha Paul, a visiting writing professor; and Kennedy, a new transfer student with a complex past having trouble fitting in on campus. This novel tackled complex topics like gender and sexual orientation exploration, feelings of despair and loneliness, heartbreak, and more. How Reid explores each character inside and out makes her writing something to behold. While reading it, there were several “I never knew other people thought or experienced this” moments for me, which is my mark of an impactful book. As many writers know, by writing the specific, this book is totally universal, and a worthwhile read for all ages.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach: With recognizable cover art and a place on at least one celebrity book club’s list, I was expecting this recent summer read to fall flat for me, as several other overly hyped popular fiction books tend to me. But I was gladly mistaken. After a particularly horrible day, after a series of particularly horrible months, Phoebe Stone jets off to the scenic and charming town of Newport, Rhode Island, intending to end her life. However, when she discovers that her hotel is hosting the million-dollar wedding of a particularly outspoken bride, she is unexpectedly swept into the extravagant week-long preparation and activities. Interspersed with elements of romance, this book explores identity and learning how to love yourself and the world all over again. Like an addictive TV drama, this was a story I did not want to end. I adored how the main character, Phoebe, was so flawed and raw; it made her relatable and lovable all the same. The power of setting is shown through, almost as if Newport were completely its own character, which added to the holistic nature of the story. My only warning: this book may make you yearn for a completely unrealistic and unaffordable wedding in Rhode Island. Read at your own risk!
So, while it’s true that I read more books with a library barcode laminated across the cover than those I’ve spent $28.99 on, it doesn’t make my physical bookshelf any less sacred to me. In the corner of my room, it sits like a hand-painted mural; it’s my muse when I think about my career in publishing, a breath of relief when I need to be grounded. And these five stories are permanent staples in my “closet.”
Elizabeth “Lizzy” DiGrande is a graduate student in Emerson College’s Publishing and Writing program, where she also serves as a Transformational Leaders Fellow and Writing Assistant for the Emerson Grad Life Blog. She is on the board of the Women’s National Book Association, Boston chapter, and is passionate about amplifying women’s voices in publishing. Originally from New Jersey, she now resides in Boston and can often be found perusing the city’s public libraries or exploring new restaurants. She hopes to build a career as both a food writer and literary agent championing female-identifying authors.