Mel Brooks's Reading List

"one of the writers I admire is my son Max Brooks. He is the author of several great books including "The Zombie Survival Guide," "World War Z" and "Devolution." (By the way, they're best sellers. So it's not just me bragging!)"

"I loved reading Gary Giddins's two-volume biography of Bing Crosby... They are so good I even toyed with the idea of making a movie of them myself."

"I think "Robinson Crusoe," by Daniel Defoe, is my comfort read. I must have read it over a hundred times, and it never fails me."

"One of the funniest books I ever read is called "The Twelve Chairs." I liked it so much I made a movie of it!"

""The Diary of Samuel Pepys" is an incredible look at real day-to-day life during the British Restoration period in the 1600s from the bubonic plague to the Great Fire of London."

"I also absolutely loved reading two of Walter Isaacson's great biographies: "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life" and "Einstein: His Life and Universe.""

"I'd never read anything like it. It was hysterically funny and incredibly moving at the same time. It's like Gogol stuck a pen in his heart... It truly raised the bar of what I considered to be important writing. It was a life-changing gift, and I still read it once a year."

"Joseph Heller, author of the unforgettable "Catch-22.""

"Mario Puzo, whose masterpiece was "The Godfather.""