Name: Lauren Fanella
Where you live: Los Angeles, CA
Insta handle: @literarylauren_
Current read: Motherhood by Sheila Heiti

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE READ OF THE PAST YEAR?

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.  This might be my favorite book of all-time. I have never been more engrossed in a story. I wanted to savor every page but at the same time I needed to know what was going to happen to the characters.

WHAT IS ONE BOOK THAT YOU THINK WILL (OR SHOULD) BECOME A CLASSIC IN THE NEXT 30 (OR 50) YEARS?  WHY?

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.  It is the quintessential immigrant story. The writing is extraordinary with one of the most well-developed main characters in Ifemelu.

IMAGINE THIS.  YOU AND A CELEBRITY OF YOUR CHOICE ARE BECOMING FRIENDS.  THEY HAVE ASKED YOU FOR A BOOK REC.  WHO IS THE CELEBRITY AND WHAT BOOK DO YOU RECOMMEND?

Nicole Richie. There There by Tommy Orange. She and I read very similarly. The stacks she shares on Instagram are so in sync with what I read.

HOW DO YOU CHOOSE YOUR NEXT READ?

I am 100% a mood reader. I mix up periods of fiction with a nonfiction read. I can never stick to a monthly tbr.

WHAT BOOK MEANT THE MOST TO YOU AS A CHILD?

The Harry Potter series and The Giver by Lois Lowry

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ADAPTATION FROM BOOK TO FILM, THEATER, OR TELEVISION?  WHAT BOOK DO YOU WISH WOULD BE ADAPTED?

One of my favorite adaptations from book to the screen is Big Little Lies.  I would love to see The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne adapted into a film.

WHAT’S THE ONE BOOK EVERYONE LOVES THAT YOU JUST CANNOT STAND?

Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK SET IN OR AROUND THE AREA WHERE YOU LIVE?

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid.  I loved that it was set during the era of classic old Hollywood.

WHAT IS ONE CLASSIC YOU THINK IS NOT OVERRATED?

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.  Jane Austen was so ahead of her time and this novel was so smart.

IF YOU HAD TO DECLARE YOURSELF AN EXPERT IN ONE EXTREMELY SPECIFIC GENRE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?  

Stories about an unconventional woman figuring out her life in NYC.

WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO BOOK RECOMMENDATION?

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi and Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng.

WHAT BOOK CHANGED YOUR WORLDVIEW IN SOME WAY?

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.  This book humbled me in so many ways. I was unfortunately unaware of the relationships between the Koreans and the Japanese and this book completely opened my eyes.

IF YOU COULD INHABIT THE LIFE OF ONE FICTIONAL CHARACTER FOR A DAY, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

Hermione Granger

WHO DO YOU THINK IS THE GREATEST FEMALE AUTHOR?

Virginia Woolf

WHY READING? 

I love reading for so many reasons. When I was a child, I was shy and introverted. I found solace in books, and as I got older (especially in my adolescence), I loved reading books that I saw myself reflected back. Both of those reasons are still very important to me; however, I have come to realize there is a deeper significance to why I read. I read to deepen my empathy towards humanity and to broaden my perspective of the world. I read to learn about others that aren’t like me. I read to better understand myself. I am always looking for that next read that will profoundly move me and expose a universal truth.

WHAT’S AT THE TOP OF YOUR TBR OR WISH LIST?

Here’s what currently at the top of my TBR:

The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling
The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh