Well Read - The Tension Issue

We asked some friends and contributors to share a book they enjoy – a read that stayed with them long after they turned the last page. If you’re looking for a great recommendation for what to read next, see why these were the titles they chose.

Jen Murphy's pick
Barbarian Days
by William Finnegan

“It's a beautiful memoir about one man's obsession with surfing and the quest to find the perfect wave.”

Amanda Faison's pick
Circe
by Madeline Miller

“Stories of the Greek gods aren’t usually something I chase after but this epic and beautifully written tale about the exiled goddess Circe grabbed me from chapter one. The book so enraptured me that as soon as I finished the last sentence, I turned back to page one and started all over again.”

Brian Lee's pick
The Silver Palate Cookbook
by Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso

“I love to read cookbooks, and this is my go-to for de-stressing. It helps make my brain slow down and process differently.”

John Kessler's pick
The Book of Salt
by Monique Truong

“I'm late to the party, but I've fallen hard for Monique Truong's first novel. It switches up the focus to tell a story of 1930s Paris through the voice of Binh, the Vietnamese cook employed by Alice B Toklas and Gertrude Stein. It's about colonialism, identity, seduction and food – and the food writing is A++.”

Mary Celeste Beall's picks
Untamed
by Glennon Doyle

The Great Blue Hills of God
by Kreis Beall