Fast forward to me listening to Padma Lakshmi’s memoir. While listening to this, Padma name drops various books and published authors and I recall holding my breath whilst listening. My friend called me once when I was in the middle of listening and she was startled by how…starstruck I sounded. That is when I realized: I had it in me to be enamored, too. I just sought another kind of star — literary stars, or the literati. When I think of the “literati,” I always want to get in their heads. I wonder things like what drove their motivations? Who were the people who formed them? I have not stopped digging myself into this rabbit hole ever since. And whether you like it or not, I am here to take you with me, Alice! Below is a list of eight books, fiction and nonfiction, that feel like you are following the literary stars through their friendships, relationships, critiques, author parties, you name it. It is a distinct feeling that these books helped me chase, and isn’t that the beauty of books and the world they create around them? No feeling is too big or small. If you are looking for more memoirs, then check out this list.
