Maria Semple's best books

Maria Semple has written for television shows including Arrested Development, Mad About You, and Ellen. This One Is Mine is her new novel.

For The Week, she named her six best books. One title on her list:

Last Night by James Salter (Vintage, $13).

I start every writing day by copying a few pages from Salter, one of the masters. Sometimes, I get to a sentence in this story collection that’s so gorgeous and devastating and short that I have to put my pen down and do what I feel is more my destiny, like troll the mall for sales.

See what other titles made her best books list.

Among the praise for This One Is Mine:

Maria Semple's remarkable first novel isn't just a witty, sharp-edged satire about adultery, social climbing, and the absurdities of L.A. On a deeper level, THIS ONE IS MINE is a complex, unexpectedly moving story about the risks and rewards of love, in all its irrational glory.
—Tom Perrotta, Little Children, Election

Read the CftAR interview with Maria Semple.

Learn more about the book and author at Maria Semple's website.

The Page 69 Test: This One Is Mine.

--Marshal Zeringue