if i die please bury me with these books

literary fiction edition

my top 7 books i’d like to be buried with  - lit fic edition

if i died, i only ask for three specific requests. firstly i’d hope everyone had a fabulous time at my funeral (open bar, live music, some sort of dance floor like in saturday night fever) secondly, i want to be dressed very chic for this special occasion and thirdly, please bury me with my favourite books. i need everyone in the afterlife to know that i am indeed a hot-girl with immaculate taste.

my bookshelf on film, march 2023

(1) the pisces by melissa broder

unfortunately if you know me, you already know how obsessed i am with this book and author. the pisces follows our unhinged protagonist who breaks up with her partner and flees to house-sit her sister’s beach house. somehow, somewhere, she ends up having a sexual relationship with a fish. well, a merman per say. i am convinced broder wrote this novel specifically for me because i cannot for the life of me, tell you why i love this novel. it made me feel seen (i should seek help) and scratched a particular itch in my brain. when recommending the pisces to my friends, (i’ve now learnt to only do this with specific people) they usually come back after having read it with, “megan what the fuck?” yes, my dearest friends, this is the perfect way to describe this novel.

starring me as a total melissa broder fan

(2) normal people by sally rooney

i’m kinda cheating here because i’d request both the novel and the scripts. (my prized possession, thank you caitlin ily) myself and normal people never used to like each other. when i first read this in 2021, i hated it. i could not stand these characters. i was a girl who did not get it. after having finished the show in 2023, my life changed. yes, that is so dramatic of me but i instantly fell in love with these characters. the emotion; the heartbreak; the love — it all resonated with me and so i reread it again

(un)surprisingly it’s now one of my all time favourite novels. marianne and connell are complicated characters and that’s what makes them feel so real. the different problems they face together, the lack of communication, the intimate and emotional bond they form; it all just feels so real to me. i’d best describe this novel as quiet. they quietly love each other, even if they’re not together. they quietly root for each other, especially when they drift apart. i’ll forever recommend this book and tv show until i’m tucked into my coffin.

connell and marianne, normal people the scripts

(3) exalted by anna dorn

i don’t want to sound like a broken record as i just mentioned this in my previous post but of course i have to take this book to the grave. i’ll keep it short and sweet - no matter how many times i will reread this in the future, the plot twist will always make me howl.

(4) lapvona by ottessa moshfegh

personally, this is moshfegh’s best. having read only three of her books so far, i can’t see my opinion changing. similarly to the pisces, i do not go round recommending this book unless i know your taste. in fact, i don’t recommend this book at all. whilst being the most disgusting book i have ever read, i simply could not take my grubby little hands away. i was dry heaving (tmi) so much at one point that my eyes started watering. if you do have the stomach to read this, go in completely blind. moshfegh has a way of creating a melancholic almost enigmatic atmosphere, encompassing her gritty but delicious writing and is the reason why i will continue to read her entire backlist along with any new release. (to be fair she could write a shopping list and i’d still be amazed).

(5) tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by gabrielle zevin

i love this book for a lot of personal reasons. i read it during march of 2023, where let’s just say i was not living, laughing and definitely not loving life. this book was a form of escapism. i found comfort in sadie and sam as they united with their passion of video games. i never wanted this novel to end. i wanted to stay with these characters forever. sam’s relationship with his grandpa was the section i found sincerely special. it could not have come at a better time, i needed to hear these words. i just remember being in bed, breaking down and sobbing.

said section that made me sob

(5) sula by toni morrison

again, i’ll spare the redundancy as i just discussed this beautiful novel, (me promoting myself yet again), but sula by toni morrison will be packed safely in my humble abode (a coffin). this is a book that needs to be reread and annotated over and over again, and luckily i’ll have plenty of time to when i’m dead!

(7) ripe by sarah rose etter

and finally, ripe by sarah rose etter (a corpse joke perhaps?). i’d hate to lie, but the pomegranate on the cover was the only reason why i wanted to read this. my friend jan gifted me a copy (ily) and as soon as i started reading, i couldn’t stop. we follow cassie as she starts spiralling due to realising she’s trapped in her corporate job. a black hole starts following her around, growing as her mental health declines. in case you haven’t noticed, i love fucked up but relatable books. when feeling like your life is stuck in a constant, never ending cycle of mundanity, it’s hard to grasp passion for literally anything and i find sarah rose etter has, in my eyes, perfected the representation of depression and anxiety. this is exactly what it feels like. i do suggest looking up content warnings (for most of the books i recommended) but especially this one.

and there we have it! a completed list of my silly little books to take to my silly little grave. let me know if you’ve read any of these books, (marry me) and what books you’d pick. the fantasy edition may or may not be in my drafts. to be fair, i could have made this list even longer but i’ve go on for far toooooo long.

i’d also like to say, thank you all for subscribing! i never thought there would be people out there wanting to read what i write. feeling some kind of imposter syndrome right now lol

stay sexy and happy reading!

kisses,

meg xxx