Dan Brown's Reading List

"My earliest memory of being utterly transfixed by a book was Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time.” Halfway through the book, I remember my mom telling me it was time for bed and not being able to sleep because I was so deeply concerned for the safety of the characters."

"The most pleasurable reading experience I’ve had recently was just last week — jogging on the beach with an audiobook of Malcolm Gladwell’s “What the Dog Saw.” I was so engrossed in his essay “The Ketchup Conundrum” that I ran an extra mile just to find out how it ended."

"Thrillers like “Coma,” “The Hunt for Red October” and “The Firm” all captivated me by providing glimpses into realms about which I knew very little — medical science, submarine technology and the law."

"Thrillers like “Coma,” “The Hunt for Red October” and “The Firm” all captivated me by providing glimpses into realms about which I knew very little — medical science, submarine technology and the law."

"Thrillers like “Coma,” “The Hunt for Red October” and “The Firm” all captivated me by providing glimpses into realms about which I knew very little — medical science, submarine technology and the law."

"Some of my favorites through the years have been “Memoirs of an Invisible Man,” by H. F. Saint; “Contact,” by Carl Sagan; and also the classic “Dracula,” by Bram Stoker, which, while skirting the edges of horror, was such a lesson in creating suspense that I couldn’t put it down."

"Some of my favorites through the years have been “Memoirs of an Invisible Man,” by H. F. Saint; “Contact,” by Carl Sagan; and also the classic “Dracula,” by Bram Stoker, which, while skirting the edges of horror, was such a lesson in creating suspense that I couldn’t put it down."

"Some of my favorites through the years have been “Memoirs of an Invisible Man,” by H. F. Saint; “Contact,” by Carl Sagan; and also the classic “Dracula,” by Bram Stoker, which, while skirting the edges of horror, was such a lesson in creating suspense that I couldn’t put it down."

"I don’t read self-help, although I recently found myself helped inadvertently by reading “Moonwalking With Einstein,” which centers on the science of remembering. Strangely, I discovered that simply reading about the methods used by memory champions helped me improve my own memory."

"Not long ago, I had an amusing experience meeting the author of a book I received as a gift nearly two decades ago — a book that in many ways changed my life. His book helped me complete my manuscript and get it published."

"My sister and I made weekly trips to the Exeter Public Library and returned carrying armloads of our favorites — Dr. Seuss, Richard Scarry, “Curious George,” “Madeline” and “Babar.”"

"My sister and I made weekly trips to the Exeter Public Library and returned carrying armloads of our favorites — Dr. Seuss, Richard Scarry, “Curious George,” “Madeline” and “Babar.”"

"My sister and I made weekly trips to the Exeter Public Library and returned carrying armloads of our favorites — Dr. Seuss, Richard Scarry, “Curious George,” “Madeline” and “Babar.”"

"As we got older, I remember my parents reading to us every night — “Make Way for Ducklings,” “The Velveteen Rabbit” and Maurice Sendak’s “Chicken Soup With Rice,” which I preferred to his entirely terrifying “Where the Wild Things Are” (the notion of a child’s bedroom transforming into a monster-infested jungle made it impossible to sleep)."

"As we got older, I remember my parents reading to us every night — “Make Way for Ducklings,” “The Velveteen Rabbit” and Maurice Sendak’s “Chicken Soup With Rice,” which I preferred to his entirely terrifying “Where the Wild Things Are” (the notion of a child’s bedroom transforming into a monster-infested jungle made it impossible to sleep)."

"As we got older, I remember my parents reading to us every night — “Make Way for Ducklings,” “The Velveteen Rabbit” and Maurice Sendak’s “Chicken Soup With Rice,” which I preferred to his entirely terrifying “Where the Wild Things Are” (the notion of a child’s bedroom transforming into a monster-infested jungle made it impossible to sleep)."

"Frank and Joe Hardy were responsible for my first experience in “binge reading.” I remember devouring the entire Hardy Boys series over one summer, enthralled by their bravery and cleverness."

"I also remember feeling enormous affection for the St. Bernard Buck in Jack London’s “Call of the Wild” and, in later years, Ralph in “Lord of the Flies.”"

"I also remember feeling enormous affection for the St. Bernard Buck in Jack London’s “Call of the Wild” and, in later years, Ralph in “Lord of the Flies.”"

"His writings on semiotics, comparative religion and mythology (in particular “The Power of Myth” and “The Hero With a Thousand Faces”) helped inspire the framework on which I built my character Robert Langdon."

"His writings on semiotics, comparative religion and mythology (in particular “The Power of Myth” and “The Hero With a Thousand Faces”) helped inspire the framework on which I built my character Robert Langdon."