Elton John's Reading List

"I hate seeing things lying on the floor in a horrible state," says the singer and songwriter, whose new memoir is "Me." "I'm a very organized bloke."

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By the Book: Elton John (2019)

NYT By the Book column (2019-10-17).

Source: www.nytimes.com

My Young Years

Arthur Rubinstein · Buy on Amazon

"Arthur Rubinstein, the classical pianist, has two volumes of memoirs, "My Young Years" and "My Many Years," which are unbelievably detailed and just filled with amazing stories."

My Many Years

Arthur Rubinstein · Buy on Amazon

"Arthur Rubinstein, the classical pianist, has two volumes of memoirs, "My Young Years" and "My Many Years," which are unbelievably detailed and just filled with amazing stories. I think the thing I love about him is his lust for life."

Who I Am

Pete Townshend · Buy on Amazon

"He's incredibly intelligent, really interesting, never short of an opinion, very thoughtful about his own work."

The Vagina Monologues

Unknown · Buy on Amazon

"It's very entertaining and beautifully written."

Moby-Dick

Unknown · Buy on Amazon

""Moby-Dick" was quite terrifying; it really caused my imagination to run riot. I read "Moby-Dick" not so long ago. It's still completely amazing."

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Unknown · Buy on Amazon

""Uncle Tom's Cabin" was incredible — slavery and racism were really strong topics for a kid in '50s Britain to be reading about."

The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood · 1985 · Buy on Amazon

"The first time I read "The Handmaid's Tale," I immediately thought, "I'd like to meet the person who wrote this." She's a brilliant writer and I love her values."

D.V.

Diana Vreeland · Buy on Amazon

"It's one of the campest books I've ever read in my life. Every time I see a paperback copy of it, I buy it in order to give it to someone as a gift. I've bought it many, many times."

White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s

Joe Boyd · Buy on Amazon

""White Bicycles" is a brilliant book. He's got a really interesting view of London in the '60s, because he was an outsider who ended up in the thick of the whole hippie movement. His writing really brings that era alive."

The Moon's a Balloon

David Niven · Buy on Amazon

"Something like "The Moon's a Balloon," David Niven's memoir, he describes other people so well that you feel like you were there when he encountered them."

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