Shelf Life: Cazzie David

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Welcome to Shelf Life, ELLE’s books column. In this ongoing series, authors share an assortment of their most memorable reads: the books that have shaped their lives as writers and as human beings. Every month, ELLE will feature authors with a new and upcoming release of their own, asking them which stories have impacted their work most—and which stories they recommend you pick up next. Whether you’re on the hunt for a book to move you, calm you, or change you, consider a recommendation from the writers in our series. Perhaps one of their favorite titles will become one of yours, too.

Cazzie David’s newest book of essays, Delusions, begins with a struck-through plea: “PLEASE LIKE ME AND MY BOOK!!!!” Such an opening line serves as both a nod to what is, perhaps, every author’s most earnest desire, as well as an introduction to David’s specific sense of humor…that is, if you aren’t already familiar with the actress, author, director, and scriptwriter’s particular brand of relatability.

The daughter of actor and comedian Larry David and producer Laurie David, she understands there might seemingly be little about her life that broadcasts “relatability.” But page through enough of her essays—titles for which include “Nobody Cares About Your Birthday: Notes on Getting Older,” “On Being a Hater,” “What I Look Like: An Investigation, or Fifty Faces,” “Con Artists, or Fuck Me, I’m a Creative,” and “Baby for Dad”—and you might find yourself nodding (or laughing) along in agreement.

Delusions—which is dedicated to David’s sister, Romy, “in hopes that you’ll never call me a bad sister again”—tracks the author’s own coming-of-age, or at least one such version of a coming-of-age. With biting wit and an admirable willingness to lay her so-called “delusions” bare, she writes of the crisis-inducing months leading up to her 30th birthday; her dating frustrations; her attempts to cure her own screen addiction; and her dissatisfaction with her mirror’s reflection. The result is a fitting portrait of millennial malaise—and an attempt to connect with others experiencing the same.

David, 31, published her first book of essays, No One Asked For This, in 2020; appeared in season 3 of Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy; wrote, directed, and starred in the 2024 film I Love You Forever; has apparently never fallen asleep on the couch; collects pens; has been called “her generation’s Nora Ephron” by Graydon Carter; and does not want “anyone [she] know[s]” to read Delusions.

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Peruse her book recommendations below.

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The book that:

…first taught me to love reading:

A Series of Unfortunate Events. Responsible for my love for reading, and also my fear of being eaten alive by leeches.

…I wish I could read again for the first time:

The Count of Monte Cristo. I’m a sucker for a revenge story.

…I’ve re-read the most:

Fran Lebowitz’s Social Studies and Metropolitan Life.

…I read in one sitting; it was that good:

Famesick by Lena Dunham. I told Lena I would cut off a finger to be able to read it right now. I crave her writing like it’s a drug. It is everything you could ever want out of her book and more.

…is my favorite book I read this year (so far):

Jacqueline Novak’s brilliant book How to Weep in Public.

…I’m most eager to read this year:

Strangers by Belle Burden!

…has the best sex scenes:

Normal People, to be honest. Nothing hotter than miscommunication in the age of communication!

…has the best love story:

Pride and Prejudice.

…has the best magic system:

The Pisces by Melissa Broder. It has only one magical element in a world that is otherwise our own, which I love. (I don’t love our current world. I love that she added magic to it.)

…has the best central mystery:

The Savage Detectives.

…is a classic, but I can’t stand it:

Little Women and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory both make me nauseous.

…everyone loves to criticize, but I love it:

Divergent…

…helped me through a breakup:

Heartburn by Nora Ephron.

…taught me an important life lesson:

Attached, but not in the way it intended. It’s meant to teach you how to become secure and walk away from a relationship that doesn’t serve you, but I used it as a guide for how to navigate an avoidant man without scaring them off. Thank you, Attached!

…got me out of a reading slump:

Miss May Does Not Exist by Carrie Courogen. I was so sad for this book to be over. She did such a good job of capturing Elaine May and making a biography read like a story.

…is the most performative for someone to read in public:

If you’re reading in public, it’s performative.

…stirred me to take action:

The Sorrows of Young Werther.

Bonus questions:

The literary organization/charity I support:

Girls Write Now.

If I could have dinner with one author, living or dead, it would be:

Would really love to talk shit with Nora Ephron.

My favorite audiobook narrator:

Always the author.

My ideal reading experience:

My ideal reading experience is being in the middle of a book I can’t put down, otherwise it’s painful. In bed. Tea. With only red lights on.

I would describe my reading taste as:

Women who (critically and intellectually) complain about things I also complain about.

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Read Cazzie David’s Book Recommendations

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