Reading Nora: 9 Essential Books For Every Ephron Fan

Two lifelong friends, Dex and Emma, go back and forth between friendly and romantic love and see each other through the highs and lows of life. It asks the age-old question — first asked by Nora in When Harry Met Sally — of whether men and women can just be friends.

Lincoln O'Neill is his company's "internet security officer," tasked with reading other people's emails to make sure they are workplace-appropriate. When he comes across a series of personal messages between friends/co-workers Beth and Jennifer, he can't help being entertained by their exchanges. That is, until he realizes that he's falling for Beth. You've Got Mail fans, this is for you.

The daughter of screenwriters, Nora grew up in Hollywood surrounded by impressive and intelligent party guests, whom she would greet in her pajamas. One of them was a legend in her own right and one of Nora's literary forebears: Dorothy Parker. Brash, self-aware, and unafraid, Parker was known for her sense of humor and style of writing, where everything was fair game.

If you love Nora's humor and honesty, Sloane Crosley's debut collection is for you. From dealing with her first boss to accidentally defacing an exhibit in a New York landmark to unapologetically calling the cops on rowdy neighbors, these essays reveal a complex, hilarious, and original woman on the edge of something great.

In this novel, Molly Hallberg is almost 40, a divorce writer living in New York who wants her own column when she's assigned to write a piece "in the style of Nora Ephron" about romance in the Big Apple. As she works her way through Nora's work, she learns that her city cynicism might just be what's holding her back.

One of Nora's literary descendants. Whether she's pondering romance, dissecting the Hollywood scene, or laying out plans for her funeral, Mindy Kaling has the funny bone that became Nora's trademark, and this rom-com-like coming-of-age is just as enjoyable as any of her onscreen classics.

Nora Ephron's sister Delia is a bestselling writer herself, and her 2013 collection of autobiographical essays touch on similar themes of movies, family, life, love, and loss. The most heartwarming (and wrenching) is "Losing Nora," where she captures the rivalry, respect, and intimate moments that made up her relationship with her sister from childhood to Nora's death.

It's been said that the best way to know a person's mind is to know their words; in no case is this more true than with Nora Ephron. While the books on this list help us to understand her legacy, this collection of her essays, fiction, screenplays, and works of journalism is the only way to know Nora as she wanted us to know her. In our book, it's required reading.

When it was first released in 1983, this novel surprised many, not only because it was an autobiographical account of the dissolution of Nora's marriage to Carl Bernstein, but also because it was so funny. Seven months into her second pregnancy, Rachel Samstat discovers that her husband, Mark, has been having an affair. Cue the drama, the tears, and a screen adaptation starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson.

Here are more great book recommendations from our friends at Off the Shelf:

• Life by Design: 11 Beautiful Books for Decorating Your Home
• 12 Novels that Take a Bite Out of the Big Apple
• Sometimes All You Need Is Nora Ephron and Blueberry Pie