Patton Oswalt's Reading List

The actor, comedian and author, most recently, of "Silver Screen Fiend" loves poetry: "Wallace Stevens especially. I don't talk about it much; it just never comes up. But I'm a neophyte poetry buff."

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By the Book: Patton Oswalt (2014)

NYT By the Book column (2014-12-31).

Source: www.nytimes.com

The Invisible Bridge

Rick Perlstein · Buy on Amazon

"Rick Perlstein's "The Invisible Bridge," which is jittery, hopped-up contemporary history that puts the present day in perspective for me."

The Black Dahlia

James Ellroy · Buy on Amazon

"James Ellroy's "The Black Dahlia," only because it was my first plunge into unapologetic historical fiction, and a disgusting portrait of Los Angeles that, weirdly, made me want to move there even more."

My Antonia

Willa Cather · Buy on Amazon

"Willa Cather's "My Ántonia," because it's good to know perfection can exist in letters."

The Land of Laughs

Jonathan Carroll · Buy on Amazon

"Jonathan Carroll's "The Land of Laughs," which was my first experience reading a book that invented its own genre — nostalgic, magic-realism horror? — as I read it"

The Kid Stays in the Picture

Robert Evans · Buy on Amazon

""The Kid Stays in the Picture," by Robert Evans. Hands down, the best Hollywood memoir ever. I loved it so much I bought it on cassette, back in the late '90s, and I'd drive around the Hollywood Hills, listening to his cocaine-ravaged voice telling the equivalent of local ghost stories."

Spoiled Brats

Simon Rich · Buy on Amazon

"Simon Rich's "Spoiled Brats." Especially the novella "Sell Out." Just lovingly nails everything repellent and beautiful about millennials."

The Timewaster Letters

Robert Popper · Buy on Amazon

""The Timewaster Letters," by Robert Popper. This one is sneaky — it's a collection of funny, weird letters that Popper sent out to various businesses in the U.K. I was laughing so hard."

The Journal of Albion Moonlight

Kenneth Patchen · Buy on Amazon

""The Journal of Albion Moonlight," for the same reason as "Ulysses," except instead of finding dirty jokes maybe I can find the key for peace."

Perfidia

James Ellroy · Buy on Amazon

"James Ellroy's "Perfidia." Once I re-skim the L.A. Quartet, so I'm fresh on all the cameos he's going to drop in."

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