Christopher Buckley's Reading List

The author, most recently, of “They Eat Puppies, Don’t They?” says his favorite writer is Evelyn Waugh, “even though he so despised Americans that, if he were alive to hear this compliment, he would swat it back across the net.”

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By the Book: Christopher Buckley (2013)

NYT By the Book column (2013-07-03).

Source: www.nytimes.com

This Living Hand

Edmund Morris · Buy on Amazon

"Both are exquisitely written. Edmund Morris is of course chiefly known for his Theodore Roosevelt trilogy biography; its first volume won the Pulitzer Prize. This collection of essays and articles is a calliope of talent and range."

Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness

Alexandra Fuller · Buy on Amazon

"Both are exquisitely written. Alexandra Fuller’s memoir of her mother’s growing up in Kenya is breathtakingly tragic, triumphant and lyrical."

Legends of the Fall

Jim Harrison · Buy on Amazon

"Drawn to: Stories that begin with lines like, “Late in October 1914 three brothers rode from Choteau, Montana, to Calgary in Alberta to enlist in the Great War.”"

Prejudices

H. L. Mencken · Buy on Amazon

"He wrote these six volumes in the 1920s, but their zest, sinew and cut-and-thrust are undated, fresh and vital nearly a century after their ink dried."

The Unmaking of a Mayor

William F. Buckley · Buy on Amazon

"Filial duty — and genuine admiration — incline me to say “The Unmaking of a Mayor,” by William F. Buckley Jr., his account of running for mayor of New York City in 1965."

Parliament of Whores

P. J. O’Rourke · Buy on Amazon

"“Parliament of Whores,” by P. J. O’Rourke, his definitive and herniatingly funny account of that menagerie known as the United States Congress and zoo known as Washington, D.C."

The Last of the Mohicans

Unknown · Buy on Amazon

"But it would have been a heckuva lot more fun to be Hawkeye, of “The Last of the Mohicans.”"

Steaming to Bamboola: The World of a Tramp Freighter

Christopher Buckley · Buy on Amazon

"The correct answer is “The next one.” But in fact, “Steaming to Bamboola: The World of a Tramp Freighter.” That was 15 books ago now; there’s something about your firstborn."

Bolívar

Marie Arana · Buy on Amazon

"She is an enchanting and fascinating writer and will make me feel better about not having read “War and Peace.”"

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