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| photo: Hari Gurusamy | |
Associate editor Jen Monroe joined Berkley in November 2016. She acquires psychological suspense, upmarket fiction, speculative fiction and narrative nonfiction. Before publishing, she pursued journalism, interning for the New York Times Upfront and the San Francisco Examiner. Originally from San Francisco, she has an English & creative writing degree from Sarah Lawrence College. She's looking forward to the publication of My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing (Berkley, March 26, 2019).
On your nightstand now:
On my nightstand I keep books that have recently rocked my world and books that I know are about to: The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh, The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray, Sadie by Courtney Summers, We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffins and The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides.
Favorite book when you were a child:
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg because talk about a dream vacation.
Your top five authors:
Yaa Gyasi has only written one book but it's one of the most brilliant, beautiful and complex novels I've ever read.
Lauren Groff because I probably think about Fates and Furies at least once a week.
Celeste Ng is not only a devastating writer but also epic on Twitter.
J.K. Rowling because, come on, how am I not going to mention Harry Potter?
As the most empathetic writer and advice-giver, I have to include Cheryl Strayed.
Book you've faked reading:
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I know. I know. Truthfully, it's just too long.
Book you're an evangelist for:
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. I don't have the words for what this book did to my teenage heart. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang because it's so fun, swoon worthy and the absolute best remedy. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman is probably the book I give as a gift the most.
Book you've bought for the cover:
The Dry by Jane Harper and Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton. I was so pleased to find out that they're both also fantastic books on the inside.
Book you hid from your parents:
I went through a massive Judy Blume phase and devoured every book of hers, but I definitely hid Forever from my parents. That book was... educational. Also, any of the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson books by Louise Rennison because they always had something scandalous in the title.
Book that changed your life:
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. This is one of those books that I didn't just read but experienced. Never have I ever highlighted so many lines from a single book.
Favorite line from a book:
"When will you learn that there isn't a word for everything?" --Nicole Krauss, The History of Love
Five books you'll never part with:
I'm cheating and reusing some of the books I already mentioned: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel and Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed.
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing. I have never had so much fun rooting for the bad guys.