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J.K. Rowling Recommended Books
J.K. Rowling has recommended 27 books. Browse the complete reading list with quotes and sources below.
J.K. Rowling is a British author, film producer, television producer, screenwriter, and philanthropist.
(Read more on Wikipedia)27 Books Recommended
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Team of Rivals
The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
by Doris Kearns Goodwin
"I lived in it the way that you do with truly great books; putting it down with glazed eyes and feeling disconcerted to find yourself in the 21st century." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
Also recommended by
6 people
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recommended this bookAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recommended this book on Twitter.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's recommendation of this book 
Bill Gates recommended this bookBill Gates
"I loved [this book]." - Bill Gates
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book 
Scott Belsky recommended this bookScott Belsky
Scott Belsky mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
Scott Belsky's recommendation of this book 
Stewart Butterfield recommended this bookStewart Butterfield
"Among the best historical books I've ever read (take that, Herodotus)." - Stewart Butterfield
Stewart Butterfield's recommendation of this book 
Jamie Dimon recommended this bookJamie Dimon
On Jamie Dimon's list of favorite books.
Jamie Dimon's recommendation of this book 
Sunny Hostin recommended this bookSunny Hostin
"A terrific book!" - Sunny Hostin
Sunny Hostin's recommendation of this book
The Song of Achilles
A Novel
by Madeline Miller
“I loved it.” - J.K. Rowling (Source)
Also recommended by
3 people
Serena Izzo recommended this bookSerena Izzo
"" - Serena Izzo
Serena Izzo's recommendation of this book 
Joe Hill recommended this bookJoe Hill
"A great book." - Joe Hill
Joe Hill's recommendation of this book 
Jack Edwards recommended this bookJack Edwards
"A greek mythology retelling." - Jack Edwards
Jack Edwards's recommendation of this book
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors
A Novel
by Roddy Doyle
"My favorite living writer is [this author]." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
I Capture the Castle
by Dodie Smith
"This book has one of the most charismatic narrators I've ever met." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Lisa Randall recommended this bookLisa Randall
"A really lovely book about the importance of art and understanding the world." - Lisa Randall
Lisa Randall's recommendation of this book
The Collected Works of P. G. Wodehouse
by PG Wodehouse
One of J.K. Rowling's answers to "If you could bring only three books to a desert island, which would you pack?" (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Paul Graham recommended this bookPaul Graham
"[The author] is so good that I get distracted by his perfection. Not a word wrong." - Paul Graham
Paul Graham's recommendation of this book 
Christopher Hitchens recommended this bookChristopher Hitchens
"How can I forget the moment when [I] learned that to be amusing was not to be frivolous and that language—always the language—was the magic key as much to prose as to poetry?" - Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens's recommendation of this book
Grimble
by Clement Freud
"One of funniest books I've ever read." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
The Oxford Shakespeare
The Complete Works
by William Shakespeare
One of J.K. Rowling's answers to "If you could bring only three books to a desert island, which would you pack?" (Source)
Also recommended by
7 people
Shah Rukh Khan recommended this bookShah Rukh Khan
"Everyone should read some of [this author]... It's important..." - Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan's recommendation of this book 
Barack Obama recommended this bookBarack Obama
On the "favorite books" section of Barack Obama's Facebook profile.
Barack Obama's recommendation of this book 
Stewart Brand recommended this bookStewart Brand
Stewart Brand recommended this book on his "Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization" blog post.
Stewart Brand's recommendation of this book 
Ricardo Semler recommended this bookRicardo Semler
"Has all of the human traits; if you look somewhere you will find it, either in King Lear or Hamlet or Macbeth; it’s there." - Ricardo Semler
Ricardo Semler's recommendation of this book - Christopher Hitchens recommended this book
Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens mentioned Shakespeare's work in the "Hitch-22" book.
Christopher Hitchens's recommendation of this book 
Fred Wilson recommended this bookFred Wilson
Fred Wilson recommended this book on his blog.
Fred Wilson's recommendation of this book +1
More recommendations
- Mark Twain
Mark Twain recommended this book in a letter.
- Mark Twain
The Collected Stories of Colette
by Colette
One of J.K. Rowling's answers to "If you could bring only three books to a desert island, which would you pack?" (Source)
Secrets of the Flesh
A Life of Colette
by Judith Thurman
"One of my all-time favorites." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
The Little White Horse
by Elizabeth Goudge
"Perhaps more than any other book, it has a direct influence on the Harry Potter books." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
Hons and Rebels
by Jessica Mitford
"My most influential writer, without a doubt, is [this author]." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person- Christopher Hitchens recommended this book
Christopher Hitchens
"These pages describe the steady, determined evolution of une femme serieuse." - Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens's recommendation of this book
The Wind in the Willows
by Kenneth Grahame
"My most vivid memory of being read to is my father reading [this book] when I was around 4 and suffering from the measles." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Anthony Bourdain recommended this bookAnthony Bourdain
"A classic I loved as a child." - Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain's recommendation of this book
Little Women
Little Women, Book 1
by Louisa May Alcott
"My favorite literary heroine is Jo March." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
Also recommended by
4 people
Hillary Clinton recommended this bookHillary Clinton
"Was written more than a century ago, but its message resonates today." - Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton's recommendation of this book 
Maya Angelou recommended this bookMaya Angelou
"I felt like I was almost there with them in their living room and their kitchen." - Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou's recommendation of this book 
Shonda Rhimes recommended this bookShonda Rhimes
"I read [this book], I'm not gonna lie, every year at Christmas. Because it makes me happy." - Shonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes's recommendation of this book 
Kathie Lee Gifford recommended this bookKathie Lee Gifford
"My favorite book." - Kathie Lee Gifford
Kathie Lee Gifford's recommendation of this book
The Story of the Treasure Seekers
by E. Nesbit
"[J.K. Rowling] ranks [this book] as her favorite of Nesbit's books." - Business Insider (Source)
Lolita
by Vladimir Nabokov
"There are two books whose final lines make me cry without fail, irrespective of how many times I read them, and one is [this book]." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
Also recommended by
4 people
Ev Williams recommended this bookEv Williams
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile.
Ev Williams's recommendation of this book 
PewDiePie recommended this bookPewDiePie
"Loved it." - PewDiePie
PewDiePie's recommendation of this book 
Tavi Gevinson recommended this bookTavi Gevinson
"For articulating, intentionally or not, what it means to be in love with the idea of love, in love with your own memories, with your own control, with a prevailing aloneness." - Tavi Gevinson
Tavi Gevinson's recommendation of this book 
Bryan Callen recommended this bookBryan Callen
Bryan Callen recommended this book on YouTube.
Bryan Callen's recommendation of this book
Justice
What's the Right Thing to Do?
by Michael J. Sandel
"I’d give our prime minister [this book]." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
Chéri
by Colette
"The final scene is incredibly moving; it makes me cry." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
Emma
by Jane Austen
"Jane Austen is J.K. Rowling's favorite author of all time, and 'Emma' is her favorite of her books." - Business Insider (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person- Jack Edwards recommended this book
Jack Edwards
"[The author's] best piece of work." - Jack Edwards
Jack Edwards's recommendation of this book
The Diaries of Auberon Waugh
by Auberon Waugh
"It’s in my bathroom, and it’s always good for a giggle." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
Manxmouse
by Paul Gallico
"[The author] manages the fine line between magic and reality so skilfully, to the point where the most fantastic events feel plausible." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens
A literary discovery that may have influenced [J.K. Rowling's] alleged intention to kill off Harry Potter at the end of book seven. (Source)
Also recommended by
5 people
Amelia Boone recommended this bookAmelia Boone
"Remains one my favorites to this day." - Amelia Boone
Amelia Boone's recommendation of this book 
Oprah Winfrey recommended this bookOprah Winfrey
"Such a beautiful book. I love this book." - Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey's recommendation of this book - Christopher Hitchens recommended this book
Christopher Hitchens
"[The author] essentially recast his friend Thomas Carlyle’s pessimistic version of the French Revolution in fictional form in [this book]." - Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens's recommendation of this book 
Mahatma Gandhi recommended this bookMahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi read this book.
Mahatma Gandhi's recommendation of this book - Maya Angelou recommended this book
Maya Angelou
"[This author], I could tell, wouldn't be a man who would curse me out and talk to me rudely." - Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou's recommendation of this book
The Origins of Totalitarianism
by Hannah Arendt
"I literally just finished reading it!" - J.K. Rowling (Source)
Ballet Shoes
by Noel Streatfeild
"I still reread [this book]." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
The Iliad
by Homer
"I was thinking of [this book] when Harry saved Cedric’s body." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
Also recommended by
3 people- Paul Graham recommended this book
Paul Graham
Paul Graham's (funny) answer to "what are your favourite books with a politics very different to your own?"
Paul Graham's recommendation of this book - Stewart Brand recommended this book
Stewart Brand
Stewart Brand recommended this book on his "Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization" blog post.
Stewart Brand's recommendation of this book 
Elon Musk recommended this bookElon Musk
"Best story ever." - Elon Musk
Elon Musk's recommendation of this book
Black Beauty
by Anna Sewell
One of J.K. Rowling's favorite books as a child. (Source)
Macbeth
by William Shakespeare
"Possibly my favorite Shakespeare play" - J.K. Rowling (Source)
Poverty Safari
Understanding the Anger of Britain's Underclass
by Darren McGarvey
"Incredible achievement. Stunning book." - J.K. Rowling (Source)
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