Nothing But You (1997) Love Stories from the New Yorker edited by Roger Angell
Katherine Heiny recommends
Villa Coco (2026) Andrew Sean Greer "In prose as expert and precise as the steps of a Balinese dancer, Andrew Sean Greer has written a tale of a young American man who spends a season in Tuscany working as an archivist for an endlessly demanding, supremely disorganized, and very charismatic Baronessa. It's a lyrical and witty reminder that the most meaningful life - and certainly the one with the best stories - can emerge from the deepest chaos. Villa Coco, the Baronessa's crumbling mansion, is referred to by all as 'a great treasure.' Villa Coco, the novel, is one, too."
You Are Here (2024) David Nicholls "David Nicholls is one of the best writers at chronicling the way annoyance and resentment are often irretrievably mixed with love and empathy. This is a love story but never predictable - Nicholls stays one step ahead of the reader in the sharpest, funniest way. If you're looking for a great comic novel, You Are Here."
Goodbye Birdie Greenwing (2024) Ericka Waller "A lovely and poignant novel, filled with insight and dry wit... The painful, funny struggles of the women in this book - mothers, daughters, sisters, neighbours, doctors, patients - will resonate with readers everywhere."
Lost on Me (2023) Veronica Raimo "A uproariously funny portrait of an unconventional family from a writer who knows the sliver of ice in the heart as well as she knows love. This deliciously enjoyable novel is a true original and one to savor."
Late Bloomers (2023) Deepa Varadarajan "Late Bloomers follows the lives of a South Indian-American family as they deal with love in all its permutations: marital, romantic, familial, lost, unrequited. Deepa Varadarajan deftly weaves modern-day problems like internet dating and complicated living arrangements with the eternal yearning for acceptance and the ageless desire to live up to family expectations. Secrets, relationships, and food; there is truly nothing more you could ask for in a novel."
The Happy Couple (2023) Naoise Dolan "The Happy Couple is a dazzling follow-up to Exciting Times. Dolan spins her magic again with humour and insight and the sharpest of prose. Not a word out of place."
Love and Other Scams (2023) Philip Ellis "If you've ever had your weekend ruined and your budget broken by a so-called friend's over-the-top wedding, Love & Other Scams is the book for you."
We All Want Impossible Things (2022) Catherine Newman "Devastatingly humorous and humorously devastating, We All Want Impossible Things is an unbelievably brilliant and funny book about friendship, family, food, sex, and death. Catherine Newman serves up a masterclass in narrative - you'll stay up late devouring every word."
Marrying the Ketchups (2022) Jennifer Close "Marrying the Ketchups is funny and melancholy and astoundingly smart all at the same time. Jennifer Close is like the most skillful of jewelers, tap-tap-tapping perfect sentences--each one quickly hit and left to resonate. My first thought upon finishing was: I wish, I wish, I wish I could write like Jennifer Close."
My Ex-Life (2018) Stephen McCauley "Before you read My Ex-Life, make sure the person you sleep with is willing to be woken constantly by your laughter. Stephen McCauley writes sparkling, graceful, witty prose with an ease and fluency that seems like sleight-of-hand. If I were the kind of reader who highlighted brilliant passages, the whole entire book would be underlined."
Little Disasters (2018) Randall Klein "Randall Klein turns up the heat of suspense degree by degree in his haunting novel of lives unraveling. Little Disasters is an enthralling, beautifully written debut—nothing ‘little’ about it.’"
Sociable (2018) Rebecca Harrington "Anybody who’s ever been young, heartbroken, overdrawn, or posted a regrettable Instagram photo—in other words, everyone, everywhere—should read this book. Rebecca Harrington demonstrates how painful it is for a millennial to be dragged, kicking and protesting, into adulthood, and then she makes you laugh. Sociable is a rare achievement."
George and Lizzie (2017) Nancy Pearl "Nancy Pearl understands the desperate, confused, needy heart that beats under the surface of even the most dysfunctional of relationships, and exposes it with wit and genuine love. Oh, and you'll never think about football quite the same way again."
The Misfortune of Marion Palm (2017) Emily Culliton "There are only two questions regarding The Misfortune of Marion Palm: Do you read it quickly or do you read it slowly? You'll want to race through it and yet there is brilliance to savor in every single sentence."
Next Year for Sure (2017) Zoey Leigh Peterson "Her bright, clear prose is as addictive and deceiving as a bottle of prosecco: you think one more sip, just one more sip--and before you know it, it's three in the morning."
