# Anna Quindlen's favorite books you need to read

> The Pulitzer Prize-winning author shares four novels spanning crime, family drama, and historical fiction.
- Title: Anna Quindlen's favorite books you need to read | Shortify
- Summary: The Pulitzer Prize-winning author shares four novels spanning crime, family drama, and historical fiction. Anna Quindlen recommends four compelling novels…
- Keywords: anna quindlen, book recommendations, denise mina, field of blood, ann patchett, commonwealth, emma donoghue, slammerkin, ron currie, babs dionne, more than enough, pulitzer prize
- Source: Woman's World — https://womansworld.com/entertainment/books/anna-quindlen-author-of-more-than-enough-shares-4-favorite-books
- Author: Carissa Mosness
- Published: 2026-09-15T23:00:58+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: anna quindlen, book recommendations, denise mina, field of blood, ann patchett, commonwealth, emma donoghue, slammerkin, ron currie, babs dionne, more than enough, pulitzer prize
## Who Anna Quindlen is
The bestselling author won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for her New York Times columns. Her recent novels include After Annie and More Than Enough.
## A Glasgow crime thriller
Field of Blood follows journalist Paddy Meehan in 1981 Glasgow. When a toddler is murdered, the only suspect is her fiancé's 11-year-old cousin.
## Why Quindlen loves Denise Mina
As a former newspaper copy girl, Quindlen connects with Paddy's attempts to climb the ladder at a Glasgow daily while investigating a brutal murder.

> I buy anything Mina writes, but as a former newspaper copy girl I'm particularly fond of her novels about Paddy Meehan
## Ann Patchett's family masterpiece
Commonwealth spans 50 years, starting when a man kisses another man's wife at a christening party. The reckless moment destroys two families and creates a new one.
## Better than Bel Canto
Quindlen calls Commonwealth a pitch-perfect look at the messiness of family life among six stepsiblings. Most fans thought Patchett could never top her 2001 award-winner.

> Most Patchett fans, and they are legion, probably suspected she could never beat Bel Canto
## An 18th-century London tale
Slammerkin follows Mary Saunders, whose fascination with a red ribbon leads her to become a prostitute. The novel has a plot twist no one sees coming.
## Before Room became famous
Emma Donoghue wrote Slammerkin long before her bestseller Room. Quindlen calls it a wonderful read for anyone who loves English doorstop novels.

> It's a wonderful read for anyone who loves English doorstop novels
## A drug queen's revenge
Babs Dionne controls the drug flow in Waterville, Maine. When her youngest daughter is found dead, the entire town seeks shelter from her wrath.
## Quindlen's highest praise
For Ron Currie's multiperspective crime novel, Quindlen uses just two words: genius and blown away.

> There's only one word for this novel. Genius. Blown away.
## Key takeaway

Anna Quindlen recommends four compelling novels: Denise Mina's crime thriller, Ann Patchett's family saga, Emma Donoghue's historical tale, and Ron Currie's genre-bending story.