From a New York Times By the Book interview headlined “Rebecca Makkai Wishes More Novelists Would Write About People’s Jobs”:

What books are on your night stand?

Sadly, my night stand is where books go to die. When I’ve read 20 percent of a book and mean to finish it but get derailed, I keep it there as, I guess, a reminder of failure and mortality. There’s a story collection that’s been there 10 full years.

What’s the last great book you read?