Books: Darin Strauss

Darin Strauss, the acclaimed author of "Chang and Eng" (and husband of a NEWSWEEK senior writer), has a new novel out, "More Than It Hurts You," which tracks a Long Island family crisis. His picks:

A book to which you always return: "Herzog" by Saul Bellow. I almost put this in my top five. His prose is so energizing. Read a paragraph and you'll want to start writing.

A classic book that, upon revisiting, disappointed: "Portnoy's Complaint." While it was important to me, I think that its humor has dated badly.