The author, most recently, of “Difficult Women” on what moves her in literature: “Basically, I love reading things that make me feel the same way I feel when listening to Beyoncé — slayed.”

What books are on your night stand now?

They aren’t necessarily on my night stand, but the books I am reading or threatening to read right now are: “I’m Judging You,” by Luvvie Ajayi; “Made for Love,” by Alissa Nutting, which is out next year; “The Fireman,” by Joe Hill; “Swing Time,” by Zadie Smith; “All the Birds in the Sky,” by Charlie Jane Anders; “Black Water Rising,” by Attica Locke; “The Wangs vs. the World,” by Jade Chang; “Thrill Me,” by Benjamin Percy; and “The Sympathizer,” by Viet Thanh Nguyen.

What’s the last great book you read?

“Commonwealth,” by Ann Patchett. She is one of my favorite writers, and I loved the ambitious, almost too ambitious, narrative structure of the novel and these little worlds she kept building and tearing down to move the story forward. The book is also set in Los Angeles, one of my favorite cities.

What’s the best classic novel you recently read for the first time?

I want to say something impressive here, but I cannot remember the last time I read a classic novel, let alone one that would rate as “the best.” Oh, I suppose I’ve read “Anna Karenina” in the last decade. That was a great book — DRAMA for days.