William Kent Krueger's Reading List

“Is there a more mysterious and nefarious villain than Moriarty?” asks the mystery writer William Kent Krueger, whose latest Cork O’Connor book is “Lightning Strike.”

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By the Book: William Kent Krueger (2021)

NYT By the Book column (2021-08-19).

Source: www.nytimes.com

Jim Henson: The Biography

Brian Jay Jones · Buy on Amazon

"Jim Henson: The Biography, by Brian Jay Jones, a fascinating look at a true original artist."

The Underground Railroad

Colson Whitehead · Buy on Amazon

"The last book whose originality of vision, power of language and thematic weight impressed me."

Anxious People

Fredrik Backman · Buy on Amazon

"In all of Backman's stories, there's a compelling sense of humanity and a profound compassion for frail human beings, and aren't we all frail?"

The Reivers

William Faulkner · Buy on Amazon

"We were all pleasantly surprised by its accessibility and lightness of tone, and it turned out to be the group's favorite read, and mine as well."

Last Looks

Howard Michael Gould · Buy on Amazon

"It's a mystery with a unique protagonist, Charlie Waldo, a man who is committed to possessing only 100 things. The novel is funny, poignant and suspenseful, everything that a good story should be."

Before We Were Yours

Lisa Wingate · Buy on Amazon

"Lisa Wingate's Before We Were Yours opened my eyes to yet another tragic example of the power differential between those who have money and those who do not."

Gilead

Marilynne Robinson · 2004 · Buy on Amazon

"Marilynne Robinson's Gilead is a perfect example. It's spare but eloquent and rises significantly out of an understanding of our spiritual relationship with the land."

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain · Buy on Amazon

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a great example. In addition to all those marvelous narrative elements, Twain gives us Huck and Jim. We'd follow their story anywhere."

The Count of Monte Cristo

Alexandre Dumas · Buy on Amazon

"The first book that made a profound difference in my life was The Count of Monte Cristo. With that classic adventure novel, I discovered the power of great storytelling."

The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck · 1939 · Buy on Amazon

"We haven't come very far in this nation in how we care for those in dire circumstances, and all of us need to be reminded of the human face of misery."

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