“The Long Home,” William Gay

Gay is an unabashed disciple of Cormac McCarthy, and this is the first book by him, a reclusive man who had old Tennessee pumping in his veins. Youth versus experience, love versus hate, this is a distinctly Southern tale of a honkey tonk, murder, young lovers and retribution.

Image James Franco Credit... Larry Busacca/Getty Images for the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival

“Jesus’ Son,” Denis Johnson

A slim book of interconnected stories following a hapless drug addict. Humorous, dark and moving, with prose that surprises with its drug-fueled imagery.

“The Sellout,” Paul Beatty

This book killed me. Funny, poignant, outrageous and deep as hell. Beatty talks about all the hard stuff of race with great skill and humor.

“As I Lay Dying,” William Faulkner

On the surface it’s the simple story of a family going to bury their mother; underneath it is a roiling tale of desperation, love and struggle.

“The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” Junot Díaz

Everyone knows Junot Díaz is the man. This book is hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure; pop cultural and political. Just a great read.