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All 22 Books Seen in “Orange Is the New Black” Season 6

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Kate Scott

Staff Writer

Kate Scott is a bookstagrammer and strategic web designer serving women business owners and creative entrepreneurs. Follow her on Instagram @parchmentgirl and visit her website at katescott.co/books.

The sixth season of Orange Is the New Black recently dropped on Netflix. This show has so much to offer viewers who enjoy recreational bookspotting. The ladies of Litchfield may be up to all sorts of shenanigans, but no one can say they don’t appreciate some quiet bunk time with a good book. 

Vicci Martinez as Daddy in Orange Is the New Black Season 6 Overlaid with Text: "22 Books Seen in Orange Is the New Black Season 6"

Here are all the books seen and mentioned in the new season:

Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven book coverMake Your Bed by William H. McRaven

This book is based on a 2014 graduation speech given by retired United States Navy admiral William McRaven at the University of Texas that quickly became a YouTube sensation. In it, he shares stories and doles out wisdom gleaned from over thirty years of military service.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin book coverThe Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

In this #1 New York Times bestseller, Rubin embarks on a yearlong quest to find happiness. Drawing on scientific research, ancient wisdom, pop culture maxims, and classical philosophy, she tries everything in a relentless search for the source of true contentment.

Living As If Your Life Depended On It! by Cia Ricco book coverLiving as if Your Life Depended on It! by Cia Ricco

In this self-help book, Cia Ricco guides you through twelve “gateways” that reveal the obstacles that are hindering you from living your best life now. 

Dubliners by James Joyce book coverDubliners by James Joyce

This classic collection of stories about Dublin life at the turn of the twentieth century offers poignant insight into the life of Dublin’s middle and lower classes. The stories center on moments of epiphany and are narrated at first by children and then by progressively older characters.

Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux book coverDark Star Safari by Paul Theroux

In this travelogue, Paul Theroux takes readers on an epic journey the length of the African continent—from Cairo to Cape Town. Along the way, he gathers the insights of aid workers, missionaries, tourists, and ordinary Africans. The result is a beautiful mediation on the history, politics, and cultures of Africa and its people.

Strip Tease by Carl Hiassen book coverStrip Tease by Carl Hiassen

This darkly funny crime novel traces the fallout of a bachelor party gone wrong. Erin Grant, a single mother and former FBI secretary, has turned to exotic dancing to earn enough money to win custody of her daughter. But when a confluence of events results in a powerful congressman exposing himself as a patron of the establishment where she works, she’ll end up matching wits with him and his powerful corporate backers. 

Love Me Back by Merritt Tierce book coverLove Me Back by Merritt Tierce

This is the story of a single mother struggling to survive. During the day, she works long hours as a waitress at an upscale Dallas steakhouse. At night, she gives in to her self-destructive impulses in a blur of drug-addled sexual escapades.

Einstein and the Rabbi by Naomi Levy book coverEinstein and the Rabbi by Naomi Levy

When Rabbi Naomi Levy came across a letter written by Einstein about the nature of the human spirit, she wondered how a man of science could have such spiritual insights. This prompted her to embark on a three-year journey to uncover the mysteries of Einstein’s letter and the human soul.

Just Fly Away by Andrew McCarthy book coverJust Fly Away by Andrew McCarthy

When fifteen-year-old Lucy Willows discovers that her father has a child from a brief affair eight years ago, she questions everything she thinks she knows about her life. Growing more isolated from her friends and family, she takes off for Maine to see her estranged grandfather and finally begins to piece together the truth behind her family’s secrets and lies. 

The Name Therapist by Duana Taha book coverThe Name Therapist by Duana Taha

What’s in a name? This is the question Duana Taha, the Canadian daughter of Irish Egyptian  immigrants with some name dysphoria of her own, seeks to answer. She explores name stereotypes about class and culture, and enlightens readers on the origins of stripper names, hipster names, Starbucks names, and more.

Elizabeth Street by Laurie Fabiano book coverElizabeth Street by Laurie Fabiano

Drawn from the author’s own family history, this novel explores the early twentieth century Italian American experience. After a series of personal tragedies, Giovanna Costa forges a new life in New York’s Little Italy, but her small triumphs attract the attention of a brutal gang of extortionists.

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse book coverSiddhartha by Herman Hesse

In this classic novel, a man from a wealthy Brahmin family leaves home to embark on a spiritual journey in the hopes of gaining enlightenment. He is joined by his best friend and together they renounce their earthly possessions, fast, meditate, and seek out Gautama Buddha.

Hacker Mom by Austen Rachlis book coverHacker Mom by Austen Rachlis 

Becky Taylor looks just like every other suburban stay-at-home mom. She has a loving husband and adorable son, but Becky also has a secret. She is a hacker, exposing state and corporate secrets on one of the world’s most controversial websites. And now, the feds are hot on her heels.

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson book coverThe Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

This is the second book in the famous Millennium series, about a genius hacker named Lisbeth Salander and her journalist friend Mikael Blomkvist. In this installment, Mikael has decided to run a story in his magazine exposing a sex trafficking ring. But on the eve of its publication, two reporters responsible for the story are assassinated and Lisbeth’s prints are found on the murder weapon.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie book coverHow to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

This classic self-help book introduces twelve strategies you can use to win people over to your way of thinking, six ways to make people like you, and nine ways to change people without causing them to resent you in the process.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins book coverThe Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

In a dystopian nation born out of the ruins of North America, twenty-four teenagers must fight to the death every year in a televised event called “The Hunger Games.” When young Primrose Everdeen is selected as a contestant in the games, her older sister Katniss volunteers to compete her place.

Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy Book CoverEat That Frog! by Brian Tracy

There will never be enough time to get everything done on your to-do list. But according to productivity expert Brian Tracy, successful people don’t try to do everything. Instead, they prioritize the most important tasks. In this book, Tracy teaches you how to organize your day so you can tackle critical tasks efficiently and effectively.

Hope for Each Day by Billy Graham book coverHope for Each Day by Billy Graham

Hope for Each Day is a daily morning/evening devotional meant to help readers prepare their hearts and minds for the day ahead and then process the day’s events every evening through the lens of scripture.

Stealing Time by Leslie Glass book coverStealing Time by Leslie Glass

NYPD Detective Sergeant April Woo is assigned to the high-profile case of a missing child…But the case takes a dark turn when the child’s wealthy parents become the prime suspects.

A Different Drummer by William Melvin Kelley book coverA Different Drummer by William Melvin Kelley

One day Tucker Caliban, a black southerner, salts his fields, burns down his house, kills his livestock, and heads north with his wife and child, kicking off a mass exodus of the black population from the mythical state in this novel. 

Windburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson book coverWinesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson

This short story collection is loosely based on the author’s hometown of Clyde, Ohio. Its central character is George Willard, a young reporter for the Winesburg Eagle. Each story is about a different member of the town. Their tales are told through the lens of Willard’s reporting.

The Holy Bible book coverThe Holy Bible

In the show, the Bible is used both as a book to be read and as a hidden hidey-hole for all manner of shanks and makeshift prison weapons.

I also spotted books by Joe Klaas, Lindsay McKenna, Robin Hobb, Mary Kay Andrews, Michael Crichton, and Alan Dean Foster, but couldn’t quite make out specific titles.

 

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