Author alert! Jonathan Tropper‘s entertaining, easy-reading novels are funny, smart and relatable. The characters tend to be in their mid-30s, all dysfunctional for different reasons (think Tolstoy), and render flights and commutes tolerable without making you feel bad about yourself for reading chick lit. I hate chick lit. Behold, his canon—I starred my faves.
**This is Where I Leave You: How can a family in mourning be so funny? I don’t know—but I laughed out loud and gave it to my dad.
**The Book of Joe: One of his meatiest, it’s about an author returning to his hometown after 17 years. Strong themes of friendship, family and loss.
Everything Changes: Our hero is engaged to be married but in love with someone else; his estranged dad suddenly drops back into his life. My sister read the entire thing on a three-hour flight.
Plan B: His first book, and it shows. But I love seeing how he’s progressed over time.
How to Talk to a Widower: Waiting for this to come at the library!
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