Sheila Heti—whose new story “Earthly Delights,” about the mysteries of lust, appears in this week’s issue—wrote one of my favorite books ever: “Motherhood.” The narrator is in her thirties, watching her fortieth birthday tick closer and trying to decide if she wants to get pregnant. What is your favorite book to recommend? It’s a book like no other, and I’m sure I would have written completely differently if I had never read it. I love all the delicious details of the store’s wares: enticing displays of umbrellas, lace, linen, and gloves.