{"id":87614,"date":"2025-05-09T14:49:15","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T14:49:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/87614\/"},"modified":"2025-05-09T14:49:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T14:49:15","slug":"read-jennifer-bealss-2025-book-recommendations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/87614\/","title":{"rendered":"Read Jennifer Beals\u2019s 2025 Book Recommendations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Shelf Life, ELLE.com\u2019s books column<\/a>, in which authors share their most memorable reads. Whether you\u2019re on the hunt for a book to console you, move you profoundly, or make you laugh, consider a recommendation from the writers in our series, who, like you (since you\u2019re here), love books. Perhaps one of their favorite titles will become one of yours, too.<\/a><\/p>\n

She might have launched the off-the-shoulder sweater and leg warmer trend as an 18-year-old in 1983\u2019s Flashdance, but actress Jennifer Beals considers centering LGBTQ causes her much more important contribution to culture. The actress and activist, who played an art dealer-turned-politician on The L Word and its sequel The L Word: Generation Q, most recently published The L Word: A Photographic Journal<\/a>, a collection of 400-plus behind-the-scenes photographs and memories from the groundbreaking Showtime series that chronicled the lives of a group of lesbians in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

The Chicago-born and -raised author and actress was studying American literature at Yale University when she got the role of steelworker Alex in the movie that rocketed her to fame; claims she would be a Buddhist nun<\/a> if she weren\u2019t an actress; makes block prints and paints watercolors; once had a crush<\/a> on Matthew Broderick; co-founded media company Run-a-Muck Media with L Word creator and The Handmaid\u2019s Tale executive producer Ilene Chaiken; is part of the Red for Revolution<\/a> podcast cast; and supports the human rights\/queer youth organization GLSEN. <\/p>\n

Likes:<\/strong> trees; the Tate Modern<\/a> in London; solitude; Coco Gauff<\/a>; drag brunches; Cowboy Carter<\/a>; the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris<\/a>; Kara Swisher; and pickleball<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Peruse her book recommendations below.<\/p>\n

Related StoriesThe book that\u2026: \u2026helped me through loss: <\/p>\n

Gilgamesh: A Verse Narrative<\/a> by Herbert Mason. After my father died, the grief came along with me wherever I went. Reading the Epic of Gilgamesh, particularly the very end, helped me look at loss from another perspective. <\/p>\n

\u2026made me weep uncontrollably: <\/p>\n

All the Light We Cannot See<\/a> by Anthony Doerr. \u201cOpen your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever\u201d is a line that sticks with me. The book makes you cherish life so thoroughly that you think, One more breath, and my heart will explode. <\/p>\n

\u2026made me rethink a long-held belief: <\/p>\n

Siddhartha<\/a> by Herman Hesse helped me rethink my ideas of identity and the false notion of permanence. The scene where he sits by the river and realizes the water moves continuously\u2014and yet it is still the river\u2014knocks me out every time. <\/p>\n

\u2026I read in one sitting; it was that good: <\/p>\n

Daisy Jones & the Six<\/a> by Taylor Jenkins Reid<\/a>. The book just flew by. The voices were so clear, the structure was intoxicating, and I fell in love with Daisy. The same was true for Reid\u2019s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo<\/a>. She creates unforgettable heroines. <\/p>\n

\u2026currently sits on my nightstand: <\/p>\n

I Could Tell You Stories<\/a> by Patricia Hampl. It\u2019s this beautiful tapestry of a memoir, investigating the notion and purpose of both personal and political memory. I\u2019m currently obsessed with the force of collective memory as a firewall to erasure. I would recommend reading Maria Stepanova\u2019s In Memory of Memory<\/a> in tandem. <\/p>\n

…made me laugh out loud: <\/p>\n

[The L Word stars] Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey\u2019s So Gay For You<\/a>. Just when I thought I knew everything about their legendary friendship, along comes this perceptive memoir that made me laugh out loud and cry in the same sitting, unveiling things I never knew, making their friendship that much more magical. It\u2019s available for preorder now. <\/p>\n

\u2026I\u2019d like turned into a TV show: <\/p>\n

Mecca<\/a> by Susan Straight. There are stories that entertain, and there are stories that precipitate healing. Mecca is both of those things. Set in that part of Southern California too many people just drive by to get somewhere else, the novel looks at a series of characters whose lives at first glance seem separate. Within a few chapters, you realize these narratives braid together to tell a cohesive story of the bonds of family, love, and the ways in which language and landscape loop in and out of our collective DNA over and over again. It\u2019s spicy and propulsive. <\/p>\n

\u2026I last bought: <\/p>\n

Whoever You Are, Honey<\/a> by Olivia Gatwood. I am obsessed with Gatwood\u2019s voice. I discovered the novel after I saw her perform her poem \u201cOde to the Women on Long Island<\/a>.\u201d Her brilliant debut novel centers on a tech billionaire, his seemingly perfect girlfriend, and the imperfect neighbors next door. A work of fiction, the story looks at how the \u201cbeauty\u201d and\/or functionality of the female body dictates its value, and as women, how do we shift the way we look at our own bodies when our looking has been so programmed from birth? In the end, it\u2019s about identity, loneliness, friendship, and how technology\u2014whether it\u2019s television or AI\u2014figures into the equation. <\/p>\n

\u2026changed my life: <\/p>\n

The Family of Man<\/a>. \u201cThe Family of Man,\u201d originally, was a photography exhibit curated by Edward Steichen, who, at the time, was the head of the Museum of Modern Art\u2019s photography department. The book is a collection of the majority of those photographs that were accompanied by quotes from various novelists and poets. I discovered the book when I was maybe 6 or 7. I was introduced to the idea of humanity experiencing suffering and joy and all the things in between as a collective. The collection of photos blew my little mind wide open. <\/p>\n

\u2026has a sex scene that will make you blush: <\/p>\n

The Idea of You<\/a> by Robinne Lee. This book is so damn sexy and smart. Lee delves into ageism, celebrity, and love\u2026and it is also smokin\u2019 hot. I read it in one sitting, and I can\u2019t wait for her next novel to come out. <\/p>\n

\u2026helped me become a better writer: <\/p>\n

I don\u2019t consider myself a writer, but I can say A Swim In the Pond in the Rain<\/a> by George Saunders<\/a> ushered in this idea of wanting to write with intention. Tolstoy\u2019s \u201cMaster and Man\u201d has a welcome spot in my brain forevermore. <\/p>\n

\u2026should be on every college syllabus: <\/p>\n

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story<\/a> created by Nikole Hannah-Jones. If you are very lucky, once in a blue moon a book will come along that changes your life. Black history is American history. <\/p>\n

\u2026I consider literary comfort food: <\/p>\n

Wild Geese: Selected Poems<\/a> by Mary Oliver. To be read over and over and over. The solace and lessons from nature and the wise mind of Mary Oliver in one volume, who could ask for more? It has a hallowed place on my nightstand. <\/p>\n

\u2026surprised me: <\/p>\n

The Man in My Basement<\/a> by Walter Mosley. Let\u2019s just start by saying: Walter Mosley is unbelievably brilliant. He can take on any genre. When I picked up this book, I thought it might be a mystery, and in some ways it is, but the philosophical wormhole delighted me and took me by surprise. It\u2019s a book I revisit. <\/p>\n

Read Jennifer Beals\u2019s Book Recommendations\"<i>Gilgamesh:<\/a>Gilgamesh: A Verse Narrative by Herbert Mason<\/p>\n

Now 36% Off<\/p>\n

Credit: Mariner Books\"<i>All<\/a>All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr<\/p>\n

Now 38% Off<\/p>\n

Credit: Scribner\"<i>Siddhartha<\/i><\/a>Siddhartha by Herman HesseCredit: East India Publishing Company\"<i>Daisy<\/a>Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid<\/p>\n

Now 45% Off<\/p>\n

Credit: Ballantine Books\"<i>The<\/a>The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid<\/p>\n

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Credit: Atria Books\"<i>I<\/a>I Could Tell You Stories: Sojourns in the Land of Memory by Patricia HamplCredit: W. W. Norton & Company\"<i>In<\/a>In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova<\/p>\n

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Credit: New Directions\"<i>So<\/a>So Gay for You: Friendship, Found Family, and the Show That Started It All by Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig<\/p>\n

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Credit: St. Martin’s Press\"<i>Mecca<\/i><\/a>Mecca by Susan Straight<\/p>\n

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Credit: Farrar, Straus and Giroux\"<i>Whoever<\/a>Whoever You Are, Honey by Olivia GatwoodCredit: Dial Press Trade Paperback\"<i>The<\/a>The Family Of Man, Created by Edward Steichen<\/p>\n

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Credit: The Museum of Modern Art, New York\"<i>The<\/a>The Idea of You by Robinne Lee<\/p>\n

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Credit: St. Martin’s Griffin\"<i>A<\/a>A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders<\/p>\n

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Credit: Random House Trade Paperbacks\"<i>The<\/a>The 1619 Project, Created by Nikole Hannah-Jones<\/p>\n

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Credit: One World\"<i>The<\/a>The Man in My Basement by Walter Mosley<\/p>\n

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Credit: Back Bay Books<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to Shelf Life, ELLE.com\u2019s books column, in which authors share their most memorable reads. Whether you\u2019re on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":87615,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3938],"tags":[3444,4864,41882,1331,77,3989,1381,41881,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-87614","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-books","9":"tag-content-type-round-up-products","10":"tag-contentid-1e81d5b6-c30f-474d-b608-c8b05aaae8a3","11":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-hasproduct-true","14":"tag-locale-us","15":"tag-shorttitle-shelf-life-jennifer-beals","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114478433373972219","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87614\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}