The Best Books, According to the Class of '23
What makes these books the "best" varies a great deal from one recommender to the next. One 2023 graduate wrote that "these books all capture parts of life that are beautiful, painful, and unfinished," and that their characters "have helped me to understand parts of myself that are difficult or imperfect...an experience I feel has been an essential part of growing up over the past few years." Another reflected that the two books were foundational to their experience in their major, "an integral part" to their current thinking about that field. And some books were chosen for the sheer pleasure they afforded.
The class of '23 also had a chance to name books for students in their own majors. Those are listed separately under the Recommendations by Major tab.
Books that are not available immediately at Watzek Library may be requested from other libraries. Please ask library staff if you are uncertain of how to request an item.
General Fiction
Bunny by Call Number: Available through SummitPublication Date: 2019"For when you need a reminder not to take your liberal arts education so seriously."
Sa femme by Call Number: PQ2662.E7214 S213 1993Publication Date: 1993"Sa Femme is Gone Girl's imaginative and Paris-set cousin. For anyone looking for a creeptastic read about female sexuality, this is one you don't want to miss!"
La petite dernière: roman by Call Number: Available through SummitPublication Date: 2020"Fatima Daas's debut is a fiercely queer coming-of-age narrative. For those curious about the intersections between lesbianism and Muslim identity, I cannot recommend it enough."
Writers and Lovers by Call Number: Available through SummitPublication Date: 2020"For when you just want to read for fun."
The Collected Fiction of Katherine Mansfield, 1898-1915 by Call Number: PR9639.3 .M258Publication Date: 2012"Katherine Mansfield captures life in all its exquisite glimmers."
The Song of Achilles by Call Number: PS3613.I5445 S65 2012Publication Date: 2012"One of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Miller is an incredible storyteller, and this reinterpretation of Greek myth is powerful, vulnerable, and real. Circe, also by Miller, is also high up on my list of 'bests' from the past few years."
Detransition, Baby by Call Number: PS3616.E84257 D48 2021Publication Date: 2021"Complex and nuanced look at issues no one had bothered to look at, plus well written!"
General Fiction, Continued
The Secret History by Call Number: PS3570.A657 S4 1992Publication Date: 2004"Super fun: pioneered the genre and remains the best."
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars by
At once a love letter and challenge to the traditional transgender memoir, Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars is a playful, surrealist dance through queer coming of age. A haunted young girl (who happens to be a kung-fu expert and pathological liar) runsaway from an oppressive city, where the sky is always grey, in search of love and sisterhood--and finds herself in a magical place known only as the Street of Miracles.There, she is quickly adopted into a vigilante gang of glamorous warrior femmes called the Lipstick Lacerators, whose mission is to scour the Street of violent men and avenge murdered trans women everywhere. But when disaster strikes, can our intrepid heroine find the truth within herself in order to protect her new family and heal her broken heart?
Call Number: PR9199.4.T446 F54 2016Publication Date: 2016
Anna Karenina by Call Number: PG3366 .A6 2001Publication Date: 2001"The greatest novel of all time, proof that fiction has just as much (and sometimes more) to say about what it means to be human as any work of scholarship, psychology, or history."
The Waves by Call Number: PR6045.O72 W3 2006Publication Date: 2006"An extraordinary portrait of modernist experimentalism. It is told only through dialogue and revolves around the lives of five characters who speak, and one character who exists in their lives but never speaks for himself. It took me some time to get accustomed to this style, but Woolf's incredibly detailed and insightful writing makes for a stunning portrayal of five characters I grew to love so dearly. This is now one of my favorite novels of all time."
Interior Chinatown by Call Number: PS3625.U15 I58 2020Publication Date: 2020"Boundary-pushing, mind-changing."
Science Fiction
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Call Number: Available through SummitPublication Date: 2016"This is the book that got me back into reading for fun. If you’re in need of a hopeful perspective on the future, I highly recommend this book. It’s also gay."
The Martian by Call Number: Available through SummitPublication Date: 2015"Just incredible. I like science fiction, and this was so novel because it's more science than fiction. I read it within 24 hours, which goes to show how engrossing it is! I highly recommend Weir's other books, too!"
Essays
Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Call Number: PS3554.I33 S55 2008Publication Date: 2008"Joan Didion should be required reading for all humanities majors—and for the vast population of Californians at L&C. A masterclass in writing."
Tiny Beautiful Things by Call Number:BJ1589
Available through SummitPublication Date: 2012"For when you need some advice."
Memoirs
Educated by Call Number: CT3262.I2 W47 2018Publication Date: 2018"It makes you think. I ate this up, reading it within 24 hours. It is hard to read, but Tara communicates her journey with and through pain eloquently. I have talked about this book with so many people, as it inspires empathy and introspection."
In the Dream House by Call Number: PS3613.A2725243 Z46 2019Publication Date: 2019"Life changing, boundary-pushing, at the front of literature."
Persepolis by Call Number: PN6747.S245 P47 2017Publication Date: 2017"This book inspired me to look toward graphic novels to tell personal histories!"
Nonfiction
The Right to Sex by Call Number: HQ65 .S75 2021Publication Date: 2021"Should be required reading for absolutely everyone, regardless of gender—the kind of book that expands your worldview and challenges your ingrained beliefs around sex, gender, and feminism."
Cultish by Call Number:P301
Available through SummitPublication Date: 2021"Provides an interesting perspective and a new typology for cults that religious studies and non-religious studies majors would find interesting."
