J.K. Rowling Book Recommendations

Team of Rivals

The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

by Doris Kearns Goodwin

"I lived in it the way that you do with truly great books; putting it down with glazed eyes and feeling disconcerted to find yourself in the 21st century." - J.K. Rowling (Source)

The Song of Achilles

A Novel

by Madeline Miller

“I loved it.” - J.K. Rowling (Source)

The Woman Who Walked into Doors

A Novel

by Roddy Doyle

"My favorite living writer is [this author]." - J.K. Rowling (Source)

I Capture the Castle

by Dodie Smith

"This book has one of the most charismatic narrators I've ever met." - J.K. Rowling (Source)

The Collected Works of P. G. Wodehouse

by PG Wodehouse

One of J.K. Rowling's answers to "If you could bring only three books to a desert island, which would you pack?" (Source)

Grimble

by Clement Freud

"One of funniest books I've ever read." - J.K. Rowling (Source)

The Oxford Shakespeare

The Complete Works

by William Shakespeare

One of J.K. Rowling's answers to "If you could bring only three books to a desert island, which would you pack?" (Source)

The Collected Stories of Colette

by Colette

One of J.K. Rowling's answers to "If you could bring only three books to a desert island, which would you pack?" (Source)

Secrets of the Flesh

A Life of Colette

by Judith Thurman

"One of my all-time favorites." - J.K. Rowling (Source)

Hons and Rebels

by Jessica Mitford

"My most influential writer, without a doubt, is [this author]." - J.K. Rowling (Source)

The Wind in the Willows

by Kenneth Grahame

"My most vivid memory of being read to is my father reading [this book] when I was around 4 and suffering from the measles." - J.K. Rowling (Source)

The Little White Horse

by Elizabeth Goudge

"Perhaps more than any other book, it has a direct influence on the Harry Potter books." - J.K. Rowling (Source)

Little Women

Little Women, Book 1

by Louisa May Alcott

"My favorite literary heroine is Jo March." - J.K. Rowling (Source)

The Story of the Treasure Seekers

by E. Nesbit

"[J.K. Rowling] ranks [this book] as her favorite of Nesbit's books." - Business Insider (Source)

Justice

What's the Right Thing to Do?

by Michael J. Sandel

"I’d give our prime minister [this book]." - J.K. Rowling (Source)

Lolita

by Vladimir Nabokov

"There are two books whose final lines make me cry without fail, irrespective of how many times I read them, and one is [this book]." - J.K. Rowling (Source)

Chéri

by Colette

"The final scene is incredibly moving; it makes me cry." - J.K. Rowling (Source)

Emma

by Jane Austen

"Jane Austen is J.K. Rowling's favorite author of all time, and 'Emma' is her favorite of her books." - Business Insider (Source)

The Diaries of Auberon Waugh

by Auberon Waugh

"It’s in my bathroom, and it’s always good for a giggle." - J.K. Rowling (Source)

A Tale of Two Cities

by Charles Dickens

A literary discovery that may have influenced [J.K. Rowling's] alleged intention to kill off Harry Potter at the end of book seven. (Source)

Manxmouse

by Paul Gallico

"[The author] manages the fine line between magic and reality so skilfully, to the point where the most fantastic events feel plausible." - J.K. Rowling (Source)

The Origins of Totalitarianism

by Hannah Arendt

"I literally just finished reading it!" - J.K. Rowling (Source)

Ballet Shoes

by Noel Streatfeild

"I still reread [this book]." - J.K. Rowling (Source)

The Iliad

by Homer

"I was thinking of [this book] when Harry saved Cedric’s body." - J.K. Rowling (Source)

Macbeth

by William Shakespeare

"Possibly my favorite Shakespeare play" - J.K. Rowling (Source)

Black Beauty

by Anna Sewell

One of J.K. Rowling's favorite books as a child. (Source)

Poverty Safari

Understanding the Anger of Britain's Underclass

by Darren McGarvey

"Incredible achievement. Stunning book." - J.K. Rowling (Source)