Reading Nora: 12 Essential Books for Every Nora Ephron Fan

July 5 2016
Share Reading Nora: 12 Essential Books for Every Nora Ephron Fan

Daughter. Sister. Mother. Wife. Writer. Feminist. Filmmaker. Icon. These are only a few of the words that describe Nora Ephron, the beloved individual known for her wit, honesty, and countless movie moments. Whether she was writing about true love, politicians, or Cosmopolitan, Nora just always seemed to get it, a friendly voice that reached out whenever we needed her most. Though she passed away in 2012, she left a hefty collection of work and inspired countless others. Here are some of our favorites in her canon, as well as other Nora-inspired titles to try.

One Day
by David Nicholls

Two lifelong friends, Dex and Emma, go back and forth between friendly and romantic love and see each other through the highs and lows of life. It asks the age-old question—first asked by Nora in “When Harry Met Sally”—Can men and women just be friends?

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
One Day
David Nicholls

“You can live your whole life not realizing that what you’re looking for is right in front of you.”
It’s 1988 and Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have only just met. But after only one day together, they cannot stop thinking about one another. Over twenty years, snapshots of that relationship are revealed on the same day—July 15—of each year. Dex and Em face squabbles and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. And as the true meaning of this one crucial day is revealed, they must come to grips with the nature of love and life itself.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

Readers’ Choice: The Top 10 Most Shelved Books in November

By Off the Shelf Staff | November 30, 2018

Let’s Do the Time Warp Again: 11 Books to Celebrate Daylight Saving Time

By Julianna Haubner | March 9, 2017

Reading Nora: 12 Essential Books for Every Nora Ephron Fan

By Julianna Haubner | July 5, 2016

13 Bookish Movies Now Streaming on Netflix

By Tolani Osan | September 17, 2015

Who Doesn’t Love a Love Story?

By Off the Shelf Staff | February 10, 2015

Close
Attachments
by Rainbow Rowell

Lincoln O’Neill is his company’s “internet security officer,” tasked with reading other people’s emails to make sure they are workplace-appropriate. When he comes across a series of personal messages between friends/coworkers Beth and Jennifer, he can’t help being entertained by their exchanges. That is, until he realizes that he’s falling for Beth. "You've Got Mail" fans, this is for you.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo Libro.fm logo
Attachments
Rainbow Rowell

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo Libro.fm logo
Close
The Divorce Papers
by Susan Rieger

Twenty-nine-year-old Sophie is toiling away as a criminal law associate when she’s charged with handling the intake interview for Mia Durkheim, who, after eighteen years of marriage, has been served divorce papers. Told entirely through emails, internal memos, and legal documents, THE DIVORCE PAPERS is a hilarious and heartbreaking novel.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
The Divorce Papers
Susan Rieger

Twenty-nine-year-old Sophie is toiling away as a criminal law associate when she’s charged with handling the intake interview for Mia Durkheim, who, after eighteen years of marriage, has been served divorce papers. Told entirely through emails, internal memos, and legal documents, THE DIVORCE PAPERS is a hilarious and heartbreaking novel.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

12 Innovative Books to Get You Out of Your Reading Rut

By Erica Nelson | October 4, 2016

Reading Nora: 12 Essential Books for Every Nora Ephron Fan

By Julianna Haubner | July 5, 2016

Close
The Portable Dorothy Parker
by Dorothy Parker

The daughter of screenwriters, Nora grew up in Hollywood surrounded by impressive and intelligent party guests, whom she would greet in her pajamas. One of them was a legend in her own right and one of Nora’s literary forebears: Dorothy Parker. Brash, self-aware, and unafraid, Parker was known for her sense of humor and style of writing, where everything was fair game.

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo
The Portable Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker

The daughter of screenwriters, Nora grew up in Hollywood surrounded by impressive and intelligent party guests, whom she would greet in her pajamas. One of them was a legend in her own right and one of Nora’s literary forebears: Dorothy Parker. Brash, self-aware, and unafraid, Parker was known for her sense of humor and style of writing, where everything was fair game.

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo

MENTIONED IN:

Reading Nora: 12 Essential Books for Every Nora Ephron Fan

By Julianna Haubner | July 5, 2016

Close
I Was Told There'd Be Cake
by Sloane Crosley

If you love Nora’s humor and honesty, Sloane Crosley’s debut collection is for you. From dealing with her first boss to accidentally defacing an exhibit in a New York landmark to unapologetically calling the cops on rowdy neighbors, these essays reveal a complex, hilarious, and original woman on the edge of something great.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
I Was Told There'd Be Cake
Sloane Crosley

Sloane Crosley is different from Abbi and Ilana in a lot of ways. She can uphold a professional career, for one. She calls Manhattan home, whereas the Broad City stars reside in grungier Gowanus. But even when she’s being a bridesmaid or volunteering at the American Museum of Natural History, Crosley’s experiences always have an amusing twist and usually end in disaster. She’s also really funny.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

7 Brilliant Essay Collections You Need to Read

By Nikki Barnhart | November 1, 2018

13 Books from Mindy Kaling’s Bookshelf That Will Make You Love Her Even More

By Tolani Osan | July 28, 2016

Reading Nora: 12 Essential Books for Every Nora Ephron Fan

By Julianna Haubner | July 5, 2016

7 Books for Fans of Broad City

By Meg Miller | March 19, 2015

Hannah Horvath is My Best Friend: Books to Read When Not Watching HBO’s GIRLS

By Off the Shelf Staff | February 26, 2014

Close
What Nora Knew
by Linda Yellin

In this novel, Molly Hallberg is almost forty, a divorced writer living in New York who wants her own column when she’s assigned to write a piece “in the style of Nora Ephron” about romance in the Big Apple. As she works her way through Nora’s work, she learns that her city cynicism might just be what’s holding her back.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
What Nora Knew
Linda Yellin

In this novel, Molly Hallberg is almost forty, a divorced writer living in New York who wants her own column when she’s assigned to write a piece “in the style of Nora Ephron” about romance in the Big Apple. As she works her way through Nora’s work, she learns that her city cynicism might just be what’s holding her back.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

6 Heart-Mending Reads for Romance Fans

By Alice Martin | February 7, 2023

Reading Nora: 12 Essential Books for Every Nora Ephron Fan

By Julianna Haubner | July 5, 2016

Close
Not That Kind of Girl
by Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham’s first book of essays about life, love, and personal neuroses is dedicated to Nora, her mentor and friend, and the woman she says inspired her writing and film career. If anyone has come close to becoming the New Nora, it’s Dunham. Another must-read is her remembrance of Nora in The New Yorker.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Not That Kind of Girl
Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham’s first book of essays about life, love, and personal neuroses is dedicated to Nora, her mentor and friend, and the woman she says inspired her writing and film career. If anyone has come close to becoming the New Nora, it’s Dunham. Another must-read is her remembrance of Nora in The New Yorker.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Close
Sister Mother Husband Dog
by Delia Ephron

Nora Ephron’s sister Delia is a bestselling writer herself, and her 2013 collection of autobiographical essays touch on similar themes of movies, family, life, love, and loss. The most heartwarming (and wrenching) is “Losing Nora,” where she captures the rivalry, respect, and intimate moments that made up her relationship with her sister from childhood to Nora’s death.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Sister Mother Husband Dog
Delia Ephron

Nora Ephron’s sister Delia is a bestselling writer herself, and her 2013 collection of autobiographical essays touch on similar themes of movies, family, life, love, and loss. The most heartwarming (and wrenching) is “Losing Nora,” where she captures the rivalry, respect, and intimate moments that made up her relationship with her sister from childhood to Nora’s death.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

Reading Nora: 12 Essential Books for Every Nora Ephron Fan

By Julianna Haubner | July 5, 2016

Close
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
by Mindy Kaling

Another of Nora’s literary descendants. Whether she’s pondering romance, dissecting the Hollywood scene, or laying out plans for her funeral, Mindy Kaling has the funny bone that became Nora’s trademark, and this rom-com-like coming-of-age is just as enjoyable as any of her onscreen classics.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
Mindy Kaling

This humorous memoir is a look at moments throughout Mindy Kaling’s life—from her career as an actress to her interesting dating life to having immigrant parents, she tells stories that many can relate to. She’s hilarious and this book reads like a page out of your friend’s diary.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

Never Have I Ever…Loved a Show This Much!

By Saimah Haque | May 14, 2020

8 Laugh-Out-Loud Reads to Keep Your Spirits High

By Heather Waters | June 7, 2019

8 Favorite Memoirs from Instagram’s @BooksandPolkaDots’s Bookshelf

By Megan Gardner | January 6, 2017

Reading Nora: 12 Essential Books for Every Nora Ephron Fan

By Julianna Haubner | July 5, 2016

13 Hilarious Memoirs From Our Favorite Comedians

By Leora Bernstein | March 1, 2016

7 Books for Fans of Broad City

By Meg Miller | March 19, 2015

Close
The Most of Nora Ephron
by Nora Ephron

It’s been said that the best way to know a person’s mind is to know their words; in no case is this more true than with Nora Ephron. While the books on this list help us to understand her legacy, this collection of her essays, fiction, screenplays, and works of journalism is the only way to know Nora as she wanted us to know her. In our book, it’s required reading.

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo iBooks logo
The Most of Nora Ephron
Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron is funny, honest, fearless, and an icon for American women. This volume celebrates all of her major works: her novel Heartburn; the screenplay for When Harry Met Sally; and her magazine journalism from the 1970s, with razor-sharp profiles of figures such as Helen Gurley Brown, Dorothy Schiff, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower. And did we mention that she's funny?

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

Please Come to My Literary Ladies Dinner Party

By Julianna Haubner | September 15, 2017

Reading Nora: 12 Essential Books for Every Nora Ephron Fan

By Julianna Haubner | July 5, 2016

7 Books for Fans of Broad City

By Meg Miller | March 19, 2015

Close
Heartburn
by Nora Ephron

When it was first released in 1983, this novel surprised many, not only because it was an autobiographical account of the dissolution of Nora’s marriage to Carl Bernstein, but because it was so funny. Seven months into her second pregnancy, Rachel Samstat discovers that her husband Mark has been having an affair. Cue the drama, the tears, and a screen adaptation starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Heartburn
Nora Ephron

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

Love Is Dead: The Best Breakup Reads Based on Your Go-To Breakup Album

By Julianna Haubner | February 14, 2019

A Bookseller Recommends 6 Books You’ll Want to Read Again and Again

By Mary Laura Philpott | August 20, 2018

How to Pick the Perfect Book Club Book in 7 Steps

By Julianna Haubner | July 30, 2018

The 5 Best Novels I Read This Spring

By Elizabeth Breeden | July 27, 2017

Reading Nora: 12 Essential Books for Every Nora Ephron Fan

By Julianna Haubner | July 5, 2016

Sometimes All You Need Is Nora Ephron and Blueberry Pie

By Leora Bernstein | October 30, 2015

Close
I Feel Bad About My Neck
by Nora Ephron

In the last few years of her life, Nora reclaimed her literary crown with this collection, which openly discussed what it meant to be a woman who was getting older and experiencing change. Through ups, downs, and unexpected truths, she kept us laughing.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
I Feel Bad About My Neck
Nora Ephron

In the last few years of her life, Nora reclaimed her literary crown with this collection, which openly discussed what it meant to be a woman who was getting older and experiencing change. Through ups, downs, and unexpected truths, she kept us laughing.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Close
See more lists on POPSUGAR
Off the Shelf

Reading Nora: 9 Essential Books For Every Ephron Fan was originally published on POPSUGAR.

MENTIONED IN:

Reading Nora: 12 Essential Books for Every Nora Ephron Fan

By Julianna Haubner | July 5, 2016

Close

You must be logged in to add books to your shelf.

Please log in or sign up now.