Before you go...
Check Out
The Bestselling Books of All Time
See the List
The ReadDown

Madeline’s Picks | Winter 2019

When you’re the CEO of the biggest publishing company in the country, you’ve got a pretty long to-be-read list! Our fearless leader/reader, Madeline McIntosh, gives us a peek at some of her favorite books—novels, business books, memoirs, and everything in between. Find something fresh to read, recommended by someone who seriously, seriously, knows books.

  1. 1
    The Last Course Book Cover Picture
    The Last Course Book Cover Picture

    The Last Course

    by Claudia Fleming and Melissa Clark

    This landmark desserts book by the chef famous for her stint at Gramercy Tavern was out of print for a while, but I’m among the many fans who lobbied for its rebirth. My particular favorite in here is the Guinness Stout Ginger Cake, and I’m very excited that this holiday I can make it from the beautiful new edition.
    The Last Course Book Cover Picture
    The Last Course Book Cover Picture

    Buy now from your favorite retailer:

  2. 2
    Love Poems for People with Children Book Cover Picture
    Love Poems for People with Children Book Cover Picture

    Love Poems for People with Children

    by John Kenney

    The title says it all. The painfully funny and sweet follow-up to the equally on-target Love Poems (for Married People).
    Love Poems for People with Children Book Cover Picture
    Love Poems for People with Children Book Cover Picture

    Buy now from your favorite retailer:

  3. 3
    Disappearing Earth Book Cover Picture
    Disappearing Earth Book Cover Picture

    Disappearing Earth

    by Julia Phillips

    I love novels that take me deep into a world I otherwise know nothing about, and this one does that with an absolute perfect balance of character, setting, and suspense. Before reading this book, all I knew about the Kamchatka Peninsula came from playing Risk as a kid, but now it’s this story of two sisters who go missing, and the impact of that disappearance on different rings of their community, that will stay with me.
    Disappearing Earth Book Cover Picture
    Disappearing Earth Book Cover Picture

    Buy now from your favorite retailer:

  4. 4
    The Beautiful Ones Book Cover Picture
    The Beautiful Ones Book Cover Picture

    The Beautiful Ones

    by Prince

    Because I grew up in the Twin Cities in the 80s, I’ve always felt a particular attachment to Prince, but of course his appeal as one of the greatest talents of his musical generation is global and timeless. We’ll never know everything that he would have put on the pages of his memoir, but this book is the closest we’ll get: Here you’ll find the pages-in-progress at the time of his death, combined with a treasure-trove scrapbook of photos, writing, and ephemera. The final form feels to me, as a fan, exquisite.
    The Beautiful Ones Book Cover Picture
    The Beautiful Ones Book Cover Picture

    Buy now from your favorite retailer:

  5. 5
    Fleabag: The Scriptures Book Cover Picture
    Fleabag: The Scriptures Book Cover Picture

    Fleabag: The Scriptures

    by Phoebe Waller-Bridge

    Speaking of fandom . . . have you binge-watched Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag yet? No? Okay, go do it now, and when you’re back (and you will be), you’re going to want to dig deeper and talk about it with all those friends who’ve been telling you to watch it. And the perfect companion for that conversation is this book, which contains the complete scripts of both seasons. Photos of the Priest sold separately.
    Fleabag: The Scriptures Book Cover Picture
    Fleabag: The Scriptures Book Cover Picture

    Buy now from your favorite retailer:

  6. 6
    My Book with No Pictures Book Cover Picture
    My Book with No Pictures Book Cover Picture

    My Book with No Pictures

    by B. J. Novak

    Speaking of lacking pictures . . . I hope you’ve had the belly-laugh-inducing experience of reading B.J. Novak’s The Book with No Pictures to someone young in your life. Now, in a Mad Libs–like riff, Novak’s latest lets you and your young one fill in the blanks and make your own new set of giggles, together.
    My Book with No Pictures Book Cover Picture
    My Book with No Pictures Book Cover Picture

    Buy now from your favorite retailer:

Related Lists:

Back to Top

Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network

Brightly

Raise kids who love to read
TASTE img

TASTE

An online magazine for today’s home cook

LitFlash

The eBooks you want at the lowest prices

Read it Forward

Read it first. Pass it on!