Everyone has them—books that don’t wear out. The evergreens you can pluck off the shelf, open halfway through, and instantly drop back into, as if you’d been reading from the start. They are different for everyone, but these are mine, in no particular order.
Stephen King – The Stand
An end-of-the-world epic about the battle between good and evil, told through characters who are painfully believable—as only Stephen King can write them.
Audrey Niffenegger – The Time Traveler’s Wife
The love story between a woman and a man who involuntarily slips through time. It’s smart, occasionally hilarious, quietly devastating, and tender in a way that sneaks up on you.
Anne Rice – The Vampire Lestat
The life story of a vampire who enjoys existence—who lives more vividly than most living people. A lush, audacious book, with a voice that’s equal parts seductive and self-aware. The imagination here still blows me away. The first book in this series, Interview with the Vampire, was recently adapted for televion. In the best way: completely different and yet with the exact same feel I’ve always had when reading the books. I’m eagerly awaiting season 3 of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, which is the re-imagining of The Vampire Lestat.
Diana Gabaldon – Outlander
A romantically charged history of the Scottish clans in the eighteenth century. With time travel, of course. Immersive and indulgent. But this is one of those series where, for me, one book is enough. To me, the Jean M. Auel principle applies: read the first, then walk away satisfied. Also adapted into a television series which I know many enjoy, but I’ve never quite been able to get into.
Tanith Lee – Tales from the Flat Earth
The Dutch translation of this book rekindles my love for my native language every single time. Technically, my copy is a collection of five separate books, so yes, I’m cheating. But it deserves a spot. The prose is stunning—sensual, strange, and fiercely original. Tanith Lee was my OG fantasy author growing up, and it is an absolute mockery she seems to have been forgotten in all the love new fantasy authors like Sarah J. Maas (rightfully) get.
Jan Terlouw – How to Become King
One I devoured as a child but didn’t fully open up to until I was an adult. The layers here are beautifully constructed. And the protagonist? A true hero, in the best sense of the word.
Michael Ende – The Neverending Story
A story within a story within a story. With chapter titles that follow the alphabet, just because. I still adore the unrestrained imagination on display here. A reminder of how open the world feels when you’re young and everything still seems possible. I think I saw the movie first, then read the book, but it’s been so long I don’t quite remember. I do know that when Stranger Things did its Neverending Story singalong I was hollering along at the top of my lungs.
Tim Powers – The Anubis Gates
Yes, another time travel book—I do love time travel done well. And this one makes you forget where reality ends and fiction begins. Every word is precise, the plot is a feat of control, and the ending lands like a magician’s final trick.
What are your evergreens?
PS. It just occurred to me after writing this that most of these books have movie or tv adaptations. Most of them are good, but please go read the books, too. They really are worlds worth getting lost in.