The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham
By Selina Hastings

This new biography of the enormously popular author is delightfully nonjudgmental and very readable.  I was surprised to learn that there are more film versions of Maugham’s work than any other writer’s—including Arthur Conan Doyle.

Cakes and Ale
By W. Somerset Maugham

This is Maugham’s lightest and funniest novel, and the author’s personal favorite.

The Moon and Sixpence
By W. Somerset Maugham

Loosely based on the life of Gauguin, this 1919 novel would be a great introduction to Maugham’s work.

-Beth