5 Books That Rock Dawn O’Porter's World

Dawn O'Porter is a journalist and novelist, and lives with her husband Chris O’Dowd in LA. Her novel, Goose, is out now, and This Old Thing, based on her new C4 show about vintage clothes, is out now.

Here are the five books that rock Dawn O'Porter's world:

Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

This is the book that made me want to be a writer. Losing my mum, and living with my aunt and uncle always made me feel a little different, so reading about a young girl who felt ‘special’ was very dear to me. 

Flowers for Mrs Harris by Paul Gallico

This is the perfect book – an endearing story about a human’s need for the one thing they love. The main character is on her way to Paris to spend all her savings on a Dior dress. I can relate to this, as I would probably do the same!

A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

Woolf looks back at female authors and concludes that women need to be free of mind, have their own space and be financially independent to write fiction. I couldn’t agree more. It’s inspiring, and a feminist polemic that reminds us of the importance of women in literature. 

We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

This book nearly ruined me, but I love it – I’ve never been so gripped by a novel. Lionel Shriver is fascinating and I can’t believe this book came out of her head. The nature/nurture debate it throws up is very poignant, and it’s written to absolute perfection.

I Feel Bad About My Neck And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron wrote graphically about her life, and I appreciate it when writers do that because female progression is hugely helped when women in the public eye are honest. Her rants show how ridiculous we women are for caring so much about our appearance.