Publishing Pro Picks: Jamie Raab’s Must-Read Books

A person holding a cup of coffee while showing a journal page featuring doodles and titles of favorite books.

This time, president and co-publisher of Celadon Books Jamie Raab shares her must-read books, including short stories, unforgettable depictions of childhood, and more.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Acclaimed by many as the world's greatest novel, Anna Karenina provides a vast panorama of contemporary life in Russia and of humanity in general. In it Tolstoy uses his intense imaginative insight to create some of the most memorable characters in literature.

The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor

The publication of this extraordinary volume firmly established Flannery O'Connor's monumental contribution to American fiction. There are thirty-one stories here in all, including twelve that do not appear in the only two story collections O'Connor put together in her short lifetime.

Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger

Franny came out in The New Yorker in 1955, and was swiftly followed, in 1957 by Zooey. Both stories are early, critical entries in a narrative series Salinger completed about a family of settlers in twentieth-century New York, the Glasses.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960.

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

Geek Love is the story of the Binewskis, a carny family whose mater- and paterfamilias set out–with the help of amphetamine, arsenic, and radioisotopes–to breed their own exhibit of human oddities. This novel throws its sulfurous light on our notions of the freakish and the normal, the beautiful and the ugly, the holy and the obscene.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Middlesex tells the breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides, and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family, who travel from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit, witnessing its glory days as the Motor City and the race riots of 1967 before moving out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

The Magus by John Fowles

At the center of The Magus is Nicholas Urfe, a young Englishman who accepts a teaching position on a remote Greek island, where he befriends a local millionaire. The friendship soon evolves into a deadly game in which reality and fantasy are deliberately manipulated, and Nicholas finds that he must fight not only for his sanity but for his very survival.

Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk

Rich with humor and poignancy, Marjorie Morningstar is a classic love story, one that spans two continents and two decades in the life of its heroine. This unforgettable paean to youthful love and the bittersweet sorrow of a first heartbreak endures as one of Herman Wouk's most beloved creations.

Share with your friends

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest

Related Articles

It was a spectacular year for nonfiction — and we’re celebrating our favorites! From compelling memoirs and comfy cookbooks to insightful social histories, here are the best nonfiction books of 2024.
We’re excited to serve up our favorite comfort food cookbooks full of warmth, nostalgia, and deliciousness.
While it may appear daunting at first, the rules of the letter can be easily learned. And with enough hard work and determination, you just may get your manuscript one step closer to publication.

Celadon delivered

Subscribe to get articles about writing, adding to your TBR pile, and simply content we feel is worth sharing. And yes, also sign up to be the first to hear about giveaways, our acquisitions, and exclusives!

Two compact discs (CDs) with shiny, reflective surfaces are overlapping each other on a white background. The discs display a spectrum of colors due to the light reflection, creating a rainbow-like effect.

"*" indicates required fields

Step 1 of 8

Who would you rather spend time with?*

Connect with

Celadon

Sign up for our newsletter to see book giveaways, news, and more!