Everyone has their own process in finding their next read. When you go to a bookstore, do you search blindly, search by genre, by recommendation, or by author? A mixture of all of the above is great, but after a recent chat with a good friend, I noticed I’m largely a genre and recommendation type of reader.
Specifically indulging in an author’s list from start to finish will allow you to understand their prose on a deeper level, which, in turn, can impress burgeoning writers’ own prose stylistically. While it may not be as obvious as checking out an artist’s visual pieces, it’s intriguing nonetheless. Some authors like Zadie Smith, for example, burst onto the literary scene with a smash hit right out of the gate (her first novel White Teeth (2002), made Time magazine’s 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005). Others, however, such as James Joyce, have strengthened their prose considerably through the course of their career.
Regardless of your preferred process, it’s always great to switch it up. We’ve rounded up several author’s first books and latest books to add to your cart.
1. Ernest Hemingway – The Sun Also Rises to The Old Man and the Sea
Technically, Hemingway’s first published piece of work was Indian Camp, a short story that appeared in literary magazine Transatlantic Review. His first book, however, is The Sun Also Rises. His last book, The Old Man and the Sea, earned Hemingway a Pulitzer.
2. James Joyce – Dubliners to Finnegan’s Wake
James Joyce, a Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet, is perhaps best known for 1922’s Ulysses. His lesser-known work, however, has a cult-like following for it’s slant towards modernist avant-garde.
Both of these pieces are sleeper hits. Check them out and let us know what you think.
3. Maya Angelou – I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings to Mom & Me & Mom
Maya Angelou. What an icon. Her work burst through the gates with a fervor that continued on through the course of her career. Speaking of….. gotta go binge read the entirety of her body of work.
Let us know what YOU’RE reading in the comments!
Featured image courtesy of Last Bookstore LA.