John Grisham's Reading List

The author, most recently, of “The Racketeer” wishes President Obama would read “Fifty Shades of Grey”: “Maybe it would loosen him up a bit.”

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By the Book: John Grisham (2012)

NYT By the Book column (2012-10-25).

Source: www.nytimes.com

All the King's Men

Robert Penn Warren · Buy on Amazon

"I’m halfway through “All the King’s Men,” by Robert Penn Warren. I haven’t read it since college."

Life After Death

Damien Echols · Buy on Amazon

"The last book that kept me completely engrossed while delivering a powerful story was “Life After Death,” by Damien Echols. He spent 18 years on death row in Arkansas for crimes he didn’t commit, and was released last year."

Presumed Innocent

Scott Turow · Buy on Amazon

"When “Presumed Innocent” was published in 1987, I was struggling to finish my first novel. Scott Turow re-energized the legal suspense genre with that book, and it inspired me to keep plugging along. Scott is still the best lawyer-novelist."

The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck · 1939 · Buy on Amazon

"“The Grapes of Wrath,” by John Steinbeck. I read it when I was a senior in high school and was struck by its clarity and power. I’m not sure if it inspired me to write, but I do recall thinking, “I wish I could write as clearly as John Steinbeck.”"

Tom Sawyer

Mark Twain · Buy on Amazon

"Then I discovered Mark Twain with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. Tom Sawyer is still my all-time favorite literary hero."