Lizzy Hadfield was among the first to chart the rhythms of personal style online, capturing her wardrobe and daily life long before Instagram reshaped the fashion landscape. What began as a documentation of outfits has evolved into something altogether richer: a softer, more reflective platform where creativity, culture, and storytelling are allowed the luxury of space. Today, alongside her work as a creative, Hadfield is the founder of Buffy’s: a book club designed for gathering over a glass of wine (or a mocktail) and, where possible, a meal in London or New York, with conversations anchored around a shared book of the month.
For Hadfield, reading has long been more than a pastime, but a lens through which to make sense of the world. On her Substack and Instagram, she shares her literary universe with the same understated honesty that has always defined her work, by inviting readers not merely to escape into novels, but to meet them as companions in thought.
Hadfield’s reading preferences have quietly evolved over the years. In her teens, it was the riotous humour of Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging that captured her imagination; today, her shelves house the layered works of Toni Morrison, Jeffrey Eugenides, and Annie Ernaux. She doesn’t credit a single book with changing her life, but rather, it’s the gradual, cumulative impact of stories that have expanded her way of seeing things.
At present, she’s deep in A Staggering Work of Heartbreaking Genius by Dave Eggers, while favourites like Bonfire of the Vanities and Monstrilio remain perennial touchstones. Whether she’s curled up on her sofa or settled into a sun-drenched café window, Hadfield approaches reading with a rare blend of tenderness and rigour, one that is always searching, always open to being transformed.
Here, we speak to Lizzy Hadfield on the books that have shaped her path, the ones she returns to, recommends, and ones she keeps close.
The last book I read …
Possession by A.S Byatt.
On my bedside table: I am currently reading …
A Staggering Work of Heartbreaking Genius by Dave Eggers.
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My favourite book of all time …
Hardest question! I love Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe and as a more recent release Monstrilio by
Sámano Córdova Gerardo.
The literary character I most identify with is …
Not a character but Annie Ernaux writes about women’s lives and experiences in the most incredible way!
The book that changed my life is …
No single one, they are all so formative.
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The best book I ever received is…
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.
The book I would give as a gift is …
My Friends by Hisham Matar.
Growing up, the best book on my bookshelf was …
I used to love Angus Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging, I remember how much I laughed the first time I read it.
A writer I admire the most is….
Toni Morrison.
My favourite living author is …
Jeffrey Eugenides or Susanna Clarke.
A book everyone should read at least once is…
Beloved by Toni Morrison.
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My favourite reading spot is…
My sofa! Or a coffee shop with a good window seat.
The book I'm desperate to see adapted on screen is …
Lincoln on the Bardo by George Saunders.
My reading guilty pleasure is…
It’s not too guilty because I think he is a great writer, but I love Stephen King novels!
