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Writing Books Worth Reading

A tight writing books worth reading shortlist - built for quick decisions, not endless scrolling.

Last refreshed 2026-02-27. We keep tuning this list as new titles land and reader interest shifts.

  1. A Very Punchable Face

    1. A Very Punchable Face

    Colin Jost
    A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir
  2. Blue Highways

    2. Blue Highways

    William Least Heat Moon, William Least Heat-Moon
    Blue Highways: A Journey into America
  3. Girlhood

    3. Girlhood

    Melissa Febos
    Girlhood: Hardcover – March 30, 2021
  4. A History of the World in 100 Objects

    4. A History of the World in 100 Objects

    Neil MacGregor
    A History of the World in 100 Objects: Hardcover – October 27, 2011
  5. The Undying

    5. The Undying

    Anne Boyer
    The Undying: Pain, vulnerability, mortality, medicine, art, time, dreams, data, exhaustion, cancer, and care
  6. Time Was Soft There

    6. Time Was Soft There

    Jeremy Mercer
    Time Was Soft There: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co.
  7. Where I Come From

    7. Where I Come From

    Rick Bragg
    Where I Come From: Stories from the Deep South
  8. The Soul of a Chef

    8. The Soul of a Chef

    Michael Ruhlman
    The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection
  9. Elderhood

    9. Elderhood

    Louise Aronson
    Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life
  10. You'll Never Believe Me

    10. You'll Never Believe Me

    Kari Ferrell
    You'll Never Believe Me: A Life of Lies, Second Tries, and Things I Should Only Tell My Therapist
  11. The Cat Who Went to Paris

    11. The Cat Who Went to Paris

    Peter Gethers
    The Cat Who Went to Paris: Paperback – October 6, 1992
  12. If All the Seas Were Ink

    12. If All the Seas Were Ink

    Ilana Kurshan
    If All the Seas Were Ink: A Memoir
  13. Sweat the Technique

    13. Sweat the Technique

    Rakim
    Sweat the Technique: Revelations on Creativity from the Lyrical Genius
  14. North to the Night

    14. North to the Night

    Alvah Simon
    North to the Night: A Spiritual Odyssey in the Arctic
  15. The Meth Lunches

    15. The Meth Lunches

    Kim Foster
    The Meth Lunches: Food and Longing in an American City
  16. Matty Matheson

    16. Matty Matheson

    Matty Matheson
    Matty Matheson: A Cookbook
  17. How To Read A Poem

    17. How To Read A Poem

    Edward Hirsch
    How To Read A Poem: And Fall in Love with Poetry
  18. Writing for Busy Readers

    18. Writing for Busy Readers

    Todd Rogers, Jessica Lasky-Fink
    Writing for Busy Readers: Communicate More Effectively in the Real World
  19. Matty Matheson: Home Style Cookery

    19. Matty Matheson: Home Style Cookery

    Matty Matheson
    Matty Matheson: Home Style Cookery: A Home Cookbook
  20. The Anatomy of Genres

    20. The Anatomy of Genres

    John Truby
    The Anatomy of Genres: How Story Forms Explain the Way the World Works
  21. Poor Man's Feast

    21. Poor Man's Feast

    Elissa Altman
    Poor Man's Feast: A Love Story of Comfort, Desire, and the Art of Simple Cooking
  22. Red Herrings and White Elephants

    22. Red Herrings and White Elephants

    Albert Jack
    Red Herrings and White Elephants: The Origins of the Phrases We Use Every Day
  23. Let the Whole Thundering World Come Home

    23. Let the Whole Thundering World Come Home

    Natalie Goldberg
    Let the Whole Thundering World Come Home: A Memoir
  24. The Beast, the Emperor and the Milkman

    24. The Beast, the Emperor and the Milkman

    Harry Pearson
    The Beast, the Emperor and the Milkman: A Bone-shaking Tour through Cycling's Flemish Heartlands

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