Where to Start Reading: Anne Lamott
this post was updated in july 2026!
There are few authors who can write about faith, cuss, make me laugh, and cut straight to the heart of the matter as brilliantly and seamlessly as Anne Lamott. The woman is WISE, and she is gloriously unfiltered, and she is unique, and she is fearlessly honest. I adore her.
(Also, one time she did a Facebook live with TED and I asked a question and SHE ANSWERED IT and I basically feel like we are real life bffs now. Proof pictured here.)
Basically, I think you should read every word she writes, and follow her online, and become her next fangirl, okay?
Here's where to start reading Anne Lamott:
THOUGHTS ON WHERE TO START:
to be honest, really any of these are a great introduction to anne and her work! i’ve listed them chronologically here within each topic, if that’s a helpful framework.
stitches is a follow-up to help, thanks, wow, but still, the themes of her work (especially in each category) run throughout all her books and work together wonderfully, so you can’t go wrong!
my top recs:
Faith: Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith
Writing: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Fiction: Rosie
anne lamott books about faith:
my top rec: Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith
Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith // 1999 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Lamott's faith isn't about easy answers, which is part of what endears her to believers as well as nonbelievers. Against all odds, she came to believe in God, and then, even more miraculously, in herself. As she puts it, "My coming to faith did not start with a leap but rather a series of staggers." At once tough, personal, affectionate, wise, and very funny, Traveling Mercies tells in exuberant detail how Anne Lamott learned to shine the light of faith on the darkest part of ordinary life, exposing surprising pockets of meaning and hope.”
This was the first faith-based book by Lamott I read, and it made me declare her a new favorite back in 2014. I wrote this as my initial review: She's frank, honest, refreshing, sentimental, wise and witty. An author with locs that shares thoughts on faith but isn't afraid of cussing is my kind of author. This book is a great collection of Anne's "thoughts on faith" -- a definite must-read. (All still true.)
Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith // 2007 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“In Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith, Lamott examines the ways we're caught in life's most daunting predicaments: love, mothering, work, politics, and maybe toughest of all, evolving from who we are to who we were meant to be. This is a complicated process for most of us, and Lamott turns her wit and honesty inward to describe her own intimate, bumpy, and unconventional road to grace and faith.”
Trying to make my way through all of my girl Anne Lamott’s books, and it’s a blast. Her wisdom, sass, totally unfiltered honesty, realness, and faith are so incredibly inspiring to me. She’s a soul sister, for SURE
Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers // 2012 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“It is these three prayers – asking for assistance from a higher power, appreciating what we have that is good, and feeling awe at the world around us – that can get us through the day and can show us the way forward. In Help, Thanks, Wow, Lamott recounts how she came to these insights, explains what they mean to her and how they have helped, and explores how others have embraced these same ideas.”
This book was one I read in a short afternoon at one of my favorite cafes, and although I found myself recognizing a lot of passages from previous books I've read by Anne, I still loved it. I've always been a major fan of the totally honest, transparent style of prayer and writing too (why get all flowery and formal when you can just be totally real with God?) so I loved her way of highlighting her three essential and simple prayers: help, thanks, and WOW! This is a great little book that I heavily underlined, laughed through while reading, and would pass along to many friends.
Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope, and Repair // 2013 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“What do we do when life lurches out of balance? How can we reconnect to one other and to what’s sustaining, when evil and catastrophe seem inescapable?
These questions lie at the heart of Stitches, Lamott’s profound follow-up to her New York Times–bestselling Help, Thanks, Wow. In this book Lamott explores how we find meaning and peace in these loud and frantic times; where we start again after personal and public devastation; how we recapture wholeness after loss; and how we locate our true identities in this frazzled age. We begin, Lamott says, by collecting the ripped shreds of our emotional and spiritual fabric and sewing them back together, one stitch at a time.
It’s in these stitches that the quilt of life begins, and embedded in them are strength, warmth, humor, and humanity.”
I'm a major Anne Lamott fan. (Anybody else get SUPER excited by her recent romance news?! So happy for her!) I've read so much from her and almost always LOVE it like I did this one. You can't go wrong with Lamott's faith-based nonfiction. You just can't.
Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace // 2014 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Anne Lamott writes about faith, family, and community in essays that are both wise and irreverent. It’s an approach that has become her trademark. Now in Small Victories, Lamott offers a new message of hope that celebrates the triumph of light over the darkness in our lives. Our victories over hardship and pain may seem small, she writes, but they change us—our perceptions, our perspectives, and our lives. Lamott writes of forgiveness, restoration, and transformation, how we can turn toward love even in the most hopeless situations, how we find the joy in getting lost and our amazement in finally being found.”
I laughed out loud at her self-deprecating humor and appreciated her honesty about the reality of life and faith as she shared her thoughts and experiences on some of the best and worst of it all. She feels like that best friend you can count on to crack you up while also giving you a swift kick in the pants as she points you back in the right direction toward Christ, all in her honest, frank, wise and witty way. A must-read collection of essays and stories, no matter if you have read stuff from her before or if you've never heard from her.
Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy // 2017 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“In Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy Lamott ventures to explore where to find meaning in life. We should begin, she suggests, by-facing a great big mess, especially the great big mess of ourselves. It's up to each of us to recognize the presence and importance of mercy everywhere-within us and outside us, all around us-and to use it to forge a deeper understanding of ourselves and more honest connections with each other. While that can be difficult to do, Lamott argues that it's crucial, as kindness towards others, beginning with myself, buys us a shot at a warm and generous heart, the greatest prize of all.”
This is Lamott like I've come to know and love -- sassy, heartfelt, wise, hopeful, snarky... so good. This is a short book (like most of hers are, so not a bad thing) but really just classic Lamott, and so worth a read.
Almost Everything: Notes on Hope // 2018 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“In this profound and funny book, Lamott calls for each of us to rediscover the nuggets of hope and wisdom that are buried within us that can make life sweeter than we ever imagined. Divided into short chapters that explore life's essential truths, Almost Everything pinpoints these moments of insight as it shines an encouraging light forward.”
My girl Anne has done I again. Honest and hilarious and hopeful, like the best chats with a friend over mugs of coffee. Her signature writing style shines here and it just feels genuine and relevant to life these days. Big fan. (As always.)
Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage // 2021 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Lamott explores the thorny issues of life and faith by breaking them down into manageable, human-sized questions for readers to ponder, in the process showing us how we can amplify life's small moments of joy by staying open to love and connection. As Lamott notes in Dusk Night Dawn, "I got Medicare three days before I got hitched, which sounds like something an old person might do, which does not describe adorably ageless me." Marrying for the first time with a grown son and a grandson, Lamott explains that finding happiness with a partner isn't a function of age or beauty but of outlook and perspective.”
my girl Anne did it again, delivering her signature soul and sass and Spirit-filled goodness, packing a strong punch in a small book, making me laugh and think and settle deeper into truth. forever a favorite author. 🤍
Somehow: Thoughts on Love // 2024 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“In each chapter of Somehow , Lamott refracts all the colors of the spectrum. She explores the unexpected love for a partner later in life. The bruised (and bruising) love for a child who disappoints, even frightens. The sustaining love among a group of sinners, for a community in transition, in the wider world. The lessons she underscores are that love enlightens as it educates, comforts as it energizes, sustains as it surprises.
Somehow is Anne Lamott’s twentieth book, and in it she draws from her own life and experience to delineate the intimate and elemental ways that love buttresses us in the face of despair as it galvanizes us to believe that tomorrow will be better than today”
queen anne did it again. she brought her signature wit and warmth and wisdom packaged in a pretty punchy gem of a book that made me laugh and cry and highlight a bajillion passages and just feel so glad i’m alive at the same time she is. the way that woman wraps words around what it mean ms to be human is unlike any other!!! a GIFT. a spunky, sassy, stunning, sharp gift. i love her so much.
anne lamott books about writing:
my top rec: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life // 1994 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️
“If you have ever wondered what it takes to be a writer, what it means to be a writer, what the contents of your school lunches said about what your parents were really like, this book is for you. From faith, love, and grace to pain, jealousy, and fear, Lamott insists that you keep your eyes open, and then shows you how to survive. And always, from the life of the artist she turns to the art of life.”
a no-brainer, i had to include this one because it is the book she is KNOWN for! i need to revisit it as it wasn’t my favorite when i first read it, but don’t just disregard it because of me, it’s a classic. it’s the book where she wrote a line i come back to so, so often:
Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences with Neal Allen // 2026 // i haven’t read this one!
“Two writers show you how to turn a worthy sentence into a memorable one. Starting where The Elements of Style leaves off, Good Writing can improve your book, your essay, your memo, your blog post, speech, or script. These essential rules for persuasive language work on any type of writing, and anyone can learn them quickly.
Each rule is accompanied by examples and a lively pair of essays, the first by Neal Allen, who developed the list of tips over the course of his journalism and corporate careers; the second by his wife, Anne Lamott, acclaimed author of Bird by Bird and nineteen other nonfiction works and novels. The authors don’t always agree on the specifics, but they are passionate about making better sentences.”
anne lamott fiction books:
my top rec: Rosie
Rosie // 1983 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“In Anne Lamott's wise and witty novel, the growing pains of motherhood are portrayed with rare humor and honesty. If Elizabeth Ferguson had her way, she'd spend her days savoring good books, cooking great meals, and waiting for the love of her life to walk in the door. But it's not a man she's waiting for, it's her daughter, Rosie--her wild-haired, smart-mouthed, and wise-beyond-her-years alter ego. With Rosie around, the days aren't quite so long, but Elizabeth can't keep the realities of the world at bay, and try as she might, she can't shield Rosie from its dangers or mysteries. As Rosie grows older and more curious, Elizabeth must find a way to nurture her extraordinary daughter—even if it means growing up herself.”
This was my first fictional read from Anne, and it absolutely captivated me from start to finish. I read it in an afternoon, unable to pull myself away from the characters and this incredibly well-written story. This family is not at all traditional and they don't have things together by any means, but they make you love them and get invested in them as they grow.
anne lamott parenting books:
Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year // i haven’t read this one!
“The most honest, wildly enjoyable book written about motherhood is surely Anne Lamott's account of her son Sam's first year. A gifted writer and teacher, Lamott is a single mother and ex-alcoholic with a pleasingly warped social circle and a remarkably tolerant religion to lean on. She responds to the changes, exhaustion, and love Sam brings with aplomb or outright insanity. The book rocks from hilarious to unbearably poignant when Sam's burgeoning life is played out against a very close friend's illness. No saccharine paean to becoming a parent, this touches on the rage and befuddlement that dog sweeter emotions during this sea change in one's life.”
“It’s not like she’s the only woman to ever have a baby. At thirty-five. On her own. But Anne Lamott makes it all fresh in her now-classic account of how she and her son and numerous friends and neighbors and some strangers survived and thrived in that all important first year. From finding out that her baby is a boy (and getting used to the idea) to finding out that her best friend and greatest supporter Pam will die of cancer (and not getting used to that idea), with a generous amount of wit and faith (but very little piousness), Lamott narrates the great and small events that make up a woman’s life.”
Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son’s First Son with Sam Lamott // 2012 // i haven’t read this one!
'“In Some Assembly Required, Anne Lamott enters a new and unexpected chapter of her own life: grandmotherhood.
Stunned to learn that her son, Sam, is about to become a father at nineteen, Lamott begins a journal about the first year of her grandson Jax's life.
In careful and often hilarious detail, Lamott and Sam—about whom she first wrote so movingly in Operating Instructions—struggle to balance their changing roles with the demands of college and work, as they both forge new relationships with Jax's mother, who has her own ideas about how to raise a child. Lamott writes about the complex feelings that Jax fosters in her, recalling her own experiences with Sam when she was a single mother. Over the course of the year, the rhythms of life, death, family, and friends unfold in surprising and joyful ways.
By turns poignant and funny, honest and touching, Some Assembly Required is the true story of how the birth of a baby changes a family-as this book will change everyone who reads it.”
if you’ve never read wendell berry or are newer to his body of work, here’s a guide on which book to start with (as well as a complete list of all of this works across genres)