Julia Quinn, the historical romance novelist best known for her beloved Bridgerton series (opens in new tab), shows Marie Claire her bookshelves, complete with memorabilia from the Bridgerton set and several of her favorite authors, in the latest episode of Shelf Portrait (opens in new tab)—in which celebrities, influencers, and famous bookworms show off their personal libraries.
Quinn begins the video by giving MC a peek at the English and international editions of her Bridgerton series (opens in new tab) that she holds close to her heart, including a signed copy of The Duke and I (opens in new tab). Her bookmark is a scrap of fabric from a gown worn by Nicola Coughlan, a.k.a. Penelope Featherington, and it's signed by Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page (!!).
One of Quinn's favorite books growing up was Jean Brown Wagoner's Louisa Alcott: Girl of Old Boston (opens in new tab). She also loves graphic novels, like George Takei's They Called Us Enemy (opens in new tab), and a good book that makes her laugh, like Kat Su's Crap Taxidermy (opens in new tab). One of her most prized possessions is an autographed copy of the late Congressman John Lewis's March (opens in new tab), and Quinn thinks everyone should have some comics in their book collection, such as George Snider's I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf (opens in new tab).
Some of Quinn's other top picks include Jenny Lawson's Broken (in the Best Possible Way) (opens in new tab), Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (opens in new tab), Steve Kluger's Last Days of Summer (opens in new tab), and, naturally, historical romance novels like Sarah MacLean's Bombshell (opens in new tab) and Julie Anne Long's I'm Only Wicked With You (opens in new tab). She's also a fan of contemporary romance novels such as Sally Thorne's The Hating Game (opens in new tab). Writing clearly runs in the family, as Quinn points out her father was also a writer. She has some of his books (opens in new tab) on her shelves alongside titles that are very special to her.
Watch Quinn's full Shelf Portrait video, above, and then order some of her favorite books for yourself, below. After that, don't forget to grab a copy of Quinn's latest book, The Wit and Wisdom of Bridgerton: Lady Whistledown's Official Guide (opens in new tab), available on November 9.
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