Books that make English feel like a Romance language
I desperately want to be floored by a new book. Something filled with such beautiful prose that I think to myself you know what, maybe English is a Romance language after all
Donna Tartt (*The Goldfinch* and *The Secret History*) are the two I’ve read
This is hit-or-miss, but I really liked Maggie Nelson’s *Bluets*
For a more whimsical/light read, maybe Erin Morgenstern’s *The Night Circus*
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Try these if you want English to feel like it’s drunk on beauty:
**1.** ***Lolita*** **by Vladimir Nabokov**
Every sentence is a seduction. Dark subject, yes—but the prose? Unreal. Nabokov wasn’t just writing English, he was bending it into music.
**2.** ***The God of Small Things*** **by Arundhati Roy**
Lyrical, strange, aching. Feels like poetry disguised as a novel. The kind of book where you reread lines just to taste them again.
**3.** ***Beloved*** **by Toni Morrison**
Heavy. Haunting. Masterful. Morrison makes English weep, sing, and scream. It’s not just writing—it’s spellcasting.
**4.** ***A Little Life*** **by Hanya Yanagihara**
Prepare to be emotionally destroyed, but the prose? Smooth, intimate, and immersive. Like it’s whispering to you from inside your own chest.
**5.** ***On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous*** **by Ocean Vuong**
Written by a poet. Every sentence hits like a prayer and a gut punch at the same time. Painful, precise, and beautiful.
These books don’t just use English—they *elevate* it.
They remind you this language still has magic.
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The Tiger’s Wife by Obrecht.
Anything Toni Morrison (I loved *The Bluest Eye*)
Donna Tartt (*The Goldfinch* and *The Secret History*) are the two I’ve read
This is hit-or-miss, but I really liked Maggie Nelson’s *Bluets*
For a more whimsical/light read, maybe Erin Morgenstern’s *The Night Circus*
Try these if you want English to feel like it’s drunk on beauty:
**1.** ***Lolita*** **by Vladimir Nabokov**
Every sentence is a seduction. Dark subject, yes—but the prose? Unreal. Nabokov wasn’t just writing English, he was bending it into music.
**2.** ***The God of Small Things*** **by Arundhati Roy**
Lyrical, strange, aching. Feels like poetry disguised as a novel. The kind of book where you reread lines just to taste them again.
**3.** ***Beloved*** **by Toni Morrison**
Heavy. Haunting. Masterful. Morrison makes English weep, sing, and scream. It’s not just writing—it’s spellcasting.
**4.** ***A Little Life*** **by Hanya Yanagihara**
Prepare to be emotionally destroyed, but the prose? Smooth, intimate, and immersive. Like it’s whispering to you from inside your own chest.
**5.** ***On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous*** **by Ocean Vuong**
Written by a poet. Every sentence hits like a prayer and a gut punch at the same time. Painful, precise, and beautiful.
These books don’t just use English—they *elevate* it.
They remind you this language still has magic.