13 Books Nicole Richie Is Reading While Isolating
Nicole Richie has always been tricky to pin down: reality TV pioneer, early aughts icon of a kind of internet 1.0 fame. Today, look no further than her latest persona, Nikki Fresh, star of the Quibi show by the same name—a trap artist/earth mother (a natural combination) who feels the need for a deep bass line while she’s tending her organic vegetable garden in her linen caftan.
Add to her iconoclastic CV: avid reader.
“Right now, books are my only form of travel,” she says from her home, where she's isolating, noting that she’s currently immersed in Rebecca Makkai’s The Great Believers. “Although, it’s always the case that I want to be swept away by what I’m reading.” Here, she shares a few of the books she’d recommend to offer you adventure and solace.
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Shantaram
$18.00, AMAZON
"This is my favorite book of all time. It’s 900 pages, so it’s definitely a deep dive, but it will sweep you away immediately. It’s written by a convicted criminal who escaped to India, and the novel is believed to be somewhat autobiographical. I first read it three summers ago and I’ve continued to read it over the years; I just dip in occasionally."
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
The Great Alone
$14.00, AMAZON
"I had no desire to go to Alaska before reading this book, and now I want to go as soon as possible. I read this right before the crisis really unfolded and in a strange way it was very appropriate. In Alaska they speak all summer about how winter is coming, and how they need to stock up and freeze their fish. The book presents the idea of Alaska as this dangerous place where the weak will not survive, but also the most magical and beautiful place to experience nature."
Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins
Still Life With Woodpecker
$15.00, AMAZON
"Tom Robbins is a fun, wild animal, and I really like his writing. Emma Roberts recommended this book to me, and I picked it up, and it was just a pure delight. I have a shelf of my night table that is devoted to books that I find inspirations—it’s mostly poetry and essays, but I have this book there also. There are some real underline-worthy lines in there."
Diary of a Murderer: And Other Stories by Young-ha Kim
Diary of a Murderer: And Other Stories
$11.00, AMAZON
"This was one of the last books I got before we started isolating. I picked it up at my favorite independent bookstore; it was a recommendation from someone who works there. That’s why I love independent bookstores—you get the best recommendations there. It reminds me a little of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous in that it reads like poetry at times, and it takes you through a heartbreaking dream. There’s a lot of heat and emotion in this book, but because it’s short stories, it’s a good book to pick up if you’re having trouble concentrating."
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Homegoing
$11.00, AMAZON
"I read Homegoing a few summers ago. It’s an amazing book that takes you through something like eight generations of a family. It’s a heartbreakingly beautiful book, just written with a lot of depth."
Running with Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs
Running With Scissors
$14.00, AMAZON
"This is obviously not a new book, but I came to it recently, in an independent bookstore in Santa Barbara. I had seen the movie back in the day but had never read the book. And it’s really fun!"
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Untamed
$17.00, AMAZON
"I got this book the same day that I got Diary of a Murderer, right before we all went into isolation. I’m sure the author didn’t plan for her book to come out in the middle of a pandemic, but there are essays about stillness and about how life isn’t meant to be perfect all the time that feel very apt. I think this book has the power to set us up to get through this period of quarantine—it’s a book I’d recommend to anyone who is looking for something spiritual to read."
Think Little by Wendell Berry
Think Little
$8.00, AMAZON
"This book speaks a lot about how we think on a macro level, but it is also about the importance of focusing on what we can do on a smaller scale—things like planting a garden and growing your own food. It talks a lot about how we can build Teslas but many of us don’t know how to grow a potato. I have never grown a potato, but I do grow my own food! Connecting with the earth is very important to me."
Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick by Zora Neale Hurston
Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick
$16.00, AMAZON
"This is her book of short stories that came out recently. It’s basically just very important for people to have Zora in their libraries."
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
Sister Outsider
$13.00, AMAZON
"Cleo Wade bought this for me at the Strand many years ago. Audre Lorde is an amazing writer; everyone should read her."
To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon, to Patagonia and a Quest for a Life by Jedidiah Jenkins
To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon, to Patagonia and a Quest for a Life
$18.00, AMAZON
"This book came out about two years ago. Jed is a friend of mine and in his memoir he describes growing up gay in Tennessee, the journey of disconnecting himself from a conservative, Christian world. It’s a very deep, full memoir."
For Small Creatures Such as We by Sasha Sagan
For Small Creatures Such as We
$19.00, AMAZON
"Sasha has a way of making science feel magical, of making it feel spiritual. She’s able to translate it on a personal level. This book is not necessarily about nature, but it is about our place in the universe. It’s about blending tradition with secularity, and what that even means."
Grand Union: Stories by Zadie Smith
Grand Union
$18.00, AMAZON
"I buy everything that Zadie Smith publishes. I just love her writing. It’s never about one thing. It’ll take you to one place and then you go to another place--like a real therapy session every time you read a short story."
Originally Appeared on Vogue
