Andrea Jarrell, author of the highly-praised memoir I’m the One Who Got Away, recently shared with She Reads her all-time favorite books and what she’s looking forward to reading next.

Recent Reads:

Safekeeping: Some True Stories from a Life by Abigail Thomas

While I’ve known Thomas’s name for years, this is the first book of hers I’ve read – page after page of micro stories vivid and electric. I didn’t want it to end.

Flood: A Novel by Melissa Scholes Young

Imagine a contemporary Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer friendship but between women – this sparkling debut reads like a modern classic to me.

The Art of Misdiagnosis: Surviving My Mother’s Suicide by Gayle Brandeis

An utterly unique memoir by a dazzling writer – at times a riveting mystery, at times a spiritual experience.

Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage by Dani Shapiro

I inhaled this beautiful memoir. After reading the last line I immediately turned back to page one and began reading again.

Old Favorites:

People of the Book: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks

One of my perennial recommendations: like a collection of stories diving deeper and deeper through history to solve a mystery.

So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell

A novella that starts with a murder and captivates from beginning to end, reminding me why short books are sometimes the most satisfying.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

To me, Anne Elliot is the most nuanced and mature of Austen’s heroines and this second chance at love is my favorite of her books.

Most anticipated:

Conscience: A Novel by Alice Mattison

I’ve preordered master storyteller Alice Mattison’s latest and I can’t wait. I know her characters are going to teach me about life. They always do.