He’s quite the Joan Didion and Eve Babitz fan.

As a full-time writer at BuzzFeed, I cover books, sex, relationships, sitcoms, and all things pop culture.

What's it about? This story follows a quiet, ordinary man who discovers a deep love for literature after growing up on a poor farm in Missouri. Even though he builds a life in academia, he still struggles with loneliness, heartbreak, and feeling disconnected from the people around him. He struggles to find meaning in a life that doesn't always go the way he hoped.

What's it about? This story follows a woman navigating the afterlife while desperately holding onto the memories of who she used to be and the people she loved. As she wanders through strange, surreal landscapes with a dead crow literally living inside her chest, she slowly loses pieces of herself along the way.

What's it about? This story follows a troubled young poet who's struggling with addiction, grief, and the weight of his family's painful history after losing his mother in a tragic plane accident. As he becomes obsessed with the idea of martyrdom, he starts digging deeper into his past and uncovers strange, almost surreal truths about both his family and himself. 

What's it about? This book dives into the emptiness and chaos of life in late-1960s Hollywood through the eyes of a woman who feels completely disconnected from the world around her. As she drifts between Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and the desert, the story paints a bleak but fascinating picture of loneliness, emotional numbness, and a society quietly falling apart.

What's it about? This book explores the complicated friendship and eventual fallout between iconic writers Joan Didion and Eve Babitz during the chaotic Hollywood scene of the late '60s and early '70s. Using personal letters, journals, and other rediscovered materials, it paints a vivid picture of fame, art, ambition, and the messy lives behind literary legend. 

What's it about? This story follows a man whose entire sense of identity unravels after his wife casually points out that his nose tilts slightly to one side. Suddenly obsessed with the idea that every person sees a different version of him, he spirals into a chaotic search to figure out who he really is outside of everyone else's perceptions. 

What's it about? This classic story follows Jean Valjean, a former prisoner trying to rebuild his life and become a better person after years of hardship and injustice. Even as he dedicates himself to helping others, he's constantly haunted by his past and pursued by a relentless police inspector who refuses to believe people can change. It's a huge, emotional story about redemption, love, poverty, revolution, and the struggle to hold onto hope in an unforgiving world.

What's it about? This story reimagines the legendary Baba Yaga not as a creepy old witch in the woods, but as a sharp, mysterious woman tangled up in a web of secrets, magic, and morally questionable decisions. When a wealthy heir suddenly disappears, a detective investigating the case gets pulled into a strange small town full of suspicious characters, hidden motives, and eerie folklore.

What's it about? This story follows a dreamy, carefree young woman drifting between Los Angeles and New York as she tries to figure out what she actually wants from life. Surrounded by glamorous parties, wealthy men, and the glittery chaos of city life, she eventually realizes that beauty and freedom alone aren't enough to give her direction. 

What's it about? This book explores why so many outwardly successful people still struggle with feelings of emptiness, anxiety, and disconnection. It argues that many children learn to suppress their real emotions and needs in order to survive difficult or emotionally harmful childhoods, carrying those coping mechanisms into adulthood without even realizing it.

What's it about? These stories capture the wild, glamorous, and messy energy of 1970s Los Angeles through the eyes of someone who actually lived it. Drawing from her experiences in the city's artistic and celebrity circles, the author creates vivid, emotional stories that feel both dreamy and painfully real. It's nostalgic, stylish, and like getting a front-row seat to a version of L.A. that no longer exists.

What's it about? This deeply personal story follows a man as he reflects on everything from family and fatherhood to love, death, fear, and the small routines of everyday life. Written in an incredibly raw and honest way, it turns even ordinary moments into something surprisingly emotional and compelling.

What's it about? This book is a sharp, thoughtful collection of essays that explores everything from old Hollywood icons to California culture and the rise of the 1960s counterculture movement. Through personal stories and observations, it captures the strange mix of glamour, mayhem, and disillusionment that defined the era, especially in places like San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury scene. 

What's it about? This book explores why so many men struggle with emotional immaturity, anger, passivity, or feeling disconnected from themselves and others. Drawing on mythology, psychology, and archetypes such as the King, Warrior, Magician, and Lover, it argues that true masculinity comes from emotional growth, self-awareness, and balance rather than dominance or aggression.

What's it about? This story follows two professional hockey players who have been secretly in love for 10 years, hiding their relationship from teammates, family, and the public. One of them is terrified that coming out could destroy the career he's worked for his entire life, while the other is exhausted from pretending their relationship doesn't fully exist. It's a story about choosing between safety and the chance to finally live and love openly.