Anthony Bourdain Book Recommendations

Under the Volcano

A Novel

by Malcolm Lowry

"One of the truly great books." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

Prune

by Gabrielle Hamilton

"A fucking masterpiece." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

Total Chaos

The Story of the Stooges

by Jeff Gold

"[This book] is everything." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

Ways of Escape

by Graham Greene

"A book I’ve read many times but keep coming back to." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

Adios, Motherfucker

A Gentleman's Progress Through Rock and Roll

by Michael Ruffino

Anthony Bourdain's answer to "what’s the last book that made you laugh?" (Source)

The White Album

Essays

by Joan Didion

"I wish I could write like [this author]." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

Rice, Noodle, Fish

Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture

by Matt Goulding

"The world needs [this book]." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

The Quiet American

by Graham Greene

"I re-read it frequently. Particularly when visiting Vietnam." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

How to Live

Or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer

by Sarah Bakewell

"A book I love." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

The Man Who Lost the War

by W. T. Tyler

"I particularly like [this book]." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

Essays

by George Orwell

"The font of all wisdom. [The author] is right about nearly everything." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

Ripley's Game

Ripley, Book 3

by Patricia Highsmith

"Elegant, deliciously immoral entry in series of sociopath as hero." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear and Loathing, Book 1

by Hunter S. Thompson

"The book that probably influenced me more than any other." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

The Devil All the Time

by Donald Ray Pollock

"[The author] was a revelation when I first read [this book]." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

You're Better Than Me

A Memoir

by Bonnie McFarlane

"Rejuvenating, excoriating genius." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

Something to food about

Exploring Creativity with Innovative Chefs

by Questlove

"[The author] gets to the heart of the matter." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

The Friends of Eddie Coyle

by George Higgins

"The best, most realistic crime novel ever. Best dialogue in a crime novel ever." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

Crash

by J. G. Ballard

"Violent. Twisted. Hilarious and beautiful." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

Naked Lunch

The Restored Text

by William S. Burroughs

"Filthy, dangerous, depraved groundbreaking. And funny as Hell." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

Agents of Innocence

A Novel

by David Ignatius

"Very, very good." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

True Grit

A Novel

by Charles Portis

"A masterpiece." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

A Brief History of Seven Killings

A Novel

by Marlon James

"Incredible." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

The Rogue's March

John Riley and the St. Patrick's Battalion, 1846-48 (The Warriors)

by Peter F. Stevens

"I particularly like [this book]." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

Eating Viet Nam

Dispatches from a Blue Plastic Table

by Graham Holliday

"This is—and will remain—an essential account for anyone considering travel to Vietnam." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

Between Meals

by A. Liebling

"[The author's] memoir of meals in Paris before and after the war, and it’s fantastic." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

The Wind in the Willows

by Kenneth Grahame

"A classic I loved as a child." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

My Last Supper

50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals / Portraits, Interviews, and Recipes

by Melanie Dunea

"[The author] managed to convince a goodly number of the world's best, and best-known, chefs to let it all go." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)

Dancing Bear

by James Crumley

Anthony Bourdain tweeted about this book. (Source)

Thrown

by Kerry Howley

"An absolutely wonderful exploration of the poorly understood sport of MMA." - Anthony Bourdain (Source)