Jojo Moyes’ Gabrielle Zevin, Queenie and the Book That Saved Her From a Breakup

Yahoo and Hearst Magazines may make a commission on certain items through the links below.

Shelf Life is open to you ELLE.com’s books columnThis is where authors share some of their favorite reads. Whether you’re on the hunt for a book to console you, move you profoundly, or make you laugh, consider a recommendation from the writers in our series, who, like you (since you’re here), love books. You might be inspired to read one of their favourite titles.

A pair of Louboutins changes the course of two women’s lives in Jojo Moyes’s 17th novel, Someone Else’s Shoes (Pamela Dorman books; audiobook narrated Daisy Ridley). But the fashion item that the international bestselling author is most famous for is her pair of bumblebee striped tights. They figure in Moyes’s 2012 hit Me before YouHer adaptation of “The Greatest Showman” was adapted by her for the big screen. It was starring Emilia Clarke and grossed over $200 million. Her books have been read more than 40,000,000 times. Two other books were or will be made into movies, including The Last Letter From Your Lover And The Giver Of Stars. She’s also at work on a television comedy pilot.

Though the London-based Moyes (given name Pauline Sara Jo, nickname from the Beatles’s “Get Back”) wanted To be a blacksmith. She bought her first horse with money she earned by working stables. Later, she became a journalist. South China Morning Post Hong Kong The Independent London

She has two Bosnian rescue dogs named Sisu and Pablo, a cat, Eric, and horses Joey, Mabel, Fred, and Strider; started an online antiques auction habit during lockdown collecting portraits of “Women Who Have Had Enough of Your Shit”; keeps bees; runs, boxes, and scuba dives; and can In five minutes, you can determine if a film was directed by a woman or a man.

Likes: Chanel and Molecules perfumes, leather jeans. Frenchie Covent Garden restaurant. Her massage chair. online Scrabble. Likes utility companies. At maintaining friendships. Bad at: DMs. You can access her book recs by clicking below.

This is the book that:

…helped me through a breakup:

Pema Chudron. I recommended this tentatively to a Hollywood actress and she said, “Oh honey, I was given 28 copies of this when I got divorced.”

…made me miss a train stop:

Jodi Pioult. It was the last chapter. I can still recall sobbing so much that half of the train carriage was watching.

…made me weep uncontrollably:

Gabrielle Zevin A book on computer game creation was not something I expected to be moved.

…I recommend over and over again:

Lisa Taddeo It was interesting to see if friends loved it or not.

My worldview has been shaped by…

Enid bagnold It made it clear to me that even slightly weedy little girl can succeed if she has enough willpower.

…I swear I’ll finish one day:

James Joyce. I’m not sure I will though.

It was so good that I read it in one sitting.

Lisa Jewell’s . I read it in front of a pool on a sunny day. When I closed it, it felt like I had just returned from a whole vacation.

…currently sits on my nightstand:

By Kate Atkinson I don’t think there’s a book of hers I haven’t enjoyed.

…I’d pass on to my kid:

Daisy Ashford. My childhood favorites were not liked by any of my children. It was horrible.

…made me laugh out loud:

Katherine Heiny. My laughter was sometimes nervous, as I felt like the heroine had taken my thoughts and behaviors out of my head.

…I’d like turned into a television show:

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress Rhoda Jazen. A rom-com with Mennonites – who could resist that?

…I first bought:

Walter Farley. My horse-related book selections accounted for 85 percent of my choices.

…I bought the last time:

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s . Her clarity of thought and perception are extraordinary.

I consider literary comfort food:

Anything by Liane Morrisony. I sit back and enjoy the ride and know I’m going to be entertained.

…has the best opening sentence:

“Dr Weiss, at forty, knew that her life had been ruined by literature.” Anita Brookner, A Start in Life.

…broke my heart:

Rob Delaney Only if you feel strong.

…has a sex scene that will make you blush:

Kate Davies – . I was so filthy I checked in secret that no one could see what my reading on public transport.

…helped me become a better writer:

Kate Atkinson This book helped me to finally grasp the importance of voice.

The coolest book jacket is here:

Candice Carty Williams It’s a classic cover.

The literary group I support:

Quick ReadsThe, which produces shortened versions great books in an effort to encourage adult literacy.

You might also like