10 iconic authors recommend their favorite books……So here’s the thing—whenever I get stuck on what to read next, I fall into this black hole of book lists. You know the ones—“10 Books That Will Change Your Life” or “Best Beach Reads This Summer.” And honestly? Half the time I click, skim, and then immediately forget everything I just read (kinda like scrolling through Instagram at 2 a.m.).
But this post isn’t one of those. Nope. This one is juicier. Because these aren’t just random lists—these are 10 iconic authors recommending their favorite books. Like, if Stephen King tells you a book freaked him out… you better believe I’m reading it with the lights on.
And I don’t know about you, but there’s something so oddly comforting about knowing that even the literary giants—the people who wrote the books sitting on our shelves—still fangirl over other people’s writing. Makes them feel more human.
1. Stephen King recommends Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Of course King would pick something terrifying but not in-your-face gore. He once said Lord of the Flies hit him hard because it’s about kids turning savage (which, let’s be honest, middle school cafeteria rules already prepared us for).
I read it in high school, and let me tell you—me trying to make sense of Piggy’s glasses while secretly passing notes to my best friend was a vibe. And yeah, when King says it left a mark, I believe him.
2. J.K. Rowling loves Emma by Jane Austen
Not Pride and Prejudice, not Sense and Sensibility—nope, Rowling’s a big fan of the slightly annoying, match-making Emma. Which makes sense, because Emma feels like the original Hermione—bossy, well-intentioned, occasionally clueless, but you still root for her.
Honestly, I didn’t appreciate Austen until much later (back in 8th grade, I spark-noted my way through it… sorry, Mrs. Henderson). Now though? I kinda see why Rowling vibes with Emma’s “I’ll fix everyone’s life” energy.
3. George R.R. Martin recommends The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
This one’s not even surprising. Martin basically said Tolkien was his gateway drug into world-building. Like, you can feel it, right? All those long dinners in Winterfell where they spend five pages describing mutton and mead—that’s Tolkien’s fault.
Side note: I tried reading The Two Towers during a family road trip. Got carsick. Fell asleep. Woke up to find my brother using it as a pillow. Tolkien would not approve.
If fantasy worlds get you hyped, you might also check out my Ultimate Adventure Travel Guide for 2025—because let’s be real, epic quests don’t always need orcs, sometimes they just need hiking boots.
4. Maya Angelou adored To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Angelou called it one of those rare books that sticks with you forever. Which, yeah. Scout, Atticus Finch, Boo Radley—it’s basically American literature bingo.
I remember finishing it and immediately Googling if Boo was real (don’t laugh, I was young). Angelou loving it just confirms what we already know: some books just dig into your bones.
Kinda like when you stand in front of historical sites around the world that leave you speechless—same goosebump vibe.
5. Ernest Hemingway once praised Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Hemingway had this whole macho thing going on, right? But the fact that he admitted Tolstoy’s tragic, romantic novel floored him—kinda softens the image of him wrestling marlins.
Me? I tried to read Anna Karenina on a Kindle, dropped it in the bathtub, and took it as a sign from the universe. But apparently, Hemingway saw it as one of the greatest works ever written.
6. Toni Morrison loved Song of Solomon (also by… Toni Morrison)
Okay, this one cracks me up. Morrison often talked about how she wrote the books she wanted to read. So technically, her favorite book was her own. Iconic, right? Like showing up to a potluck and saying, “I’ll just eat the dish I brought.”
But honestly, she had a point. If no one’s writing the story you need, write it yourself. (Now I just need to apply that to finishing literally any of the half-written Google Docs on my laptop.)
7. Neil Gaiman recommends Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
He called it one of the best fantasy novels of the last hundred years. And Gaiman doesn’t throw that kind of praise lightly.
I picked this beast of a book up once—900 pages, tiny font, looked like a doorstop. Got through 50 pages, then got distracted by Netflix. Still, if Gaiman swears by it, it’s back on my list.
8. Margaret Atwood praises Middlemarch by George Eliot
She’s said it’s one of the best novels in English. Which, considering Atwood wrote The Handmaid’s Tale, makes me think I should stop pretending “I’ll get to it someday” and actually read the dang thing.
Atwood describes it as complex, sprawling, and deeply human—which is also how I feel about every family Thanksgiving dinner.
9. Haruki Murakami recommends The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Murakami not only loved Gatsby, he literally re-translated it into Japanese because he wanted to “get it right.” That’s dedication.
Meanwhile, I remember slogging through Gatsby in 11th grade, trying to figure out why everyone cared about a guy staring at a green light. Then I re-read it in my 20s and suddenly… oh. It’s about longing. It’s about the emptiness under all that glitter. And yeah, I cried.
If Gatsby’s heartbreak vibes speak to you, you might love my messy-but-fun list of 100 Books to Read Before You Die—because yes, Gatsby made the cut (of course).
10. Ray Bradbury adored Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Bradbury used to rave about Moby Dick like it was gospel. He said it was the book that taught him what writing could be.
Me? I tried it once, and—confession time—spark-noted my way through. (Look, Melville spends whole chapters describing whale anatomy.) But hearing Bradbury gush about it kinda makes me want to give it another shot. Maybe with snacks. And caffeine. Lots of caffeine.
So, what’s the takeaway here: 10 iconic authors recommend their favorite books
These authors—these giants—are just like us. They get inspired, they fangirl, they underline passages like maniacs. And maybe that’s the real magic of books. They’re this never-ending conversation—Rowling chatting with Austen, Martin nodding at Tolkien, Angelou carrying Lee’s words forward.
And us? We get to eavesdrop. We get to pick up the same books, feel the same gut-punches, and argue with the same characters across decades.
Next time you’re stuck in the dreaded “what should I read next?” slump, maybe take a page (literally) out of their playbook. Grab the 10 iconic authors recommend their favorite books that made them fall in love. Worst case, you’ll get carsick like I did with Tolkien. Best case, you’ll stumble into something that stays with you forever.
Outbound Links:
- Paulo Coelho interview — The Guardian
- Sylvia Plath bio & works — Poetry Foundation
- Original “Crying in H Mart” essay — The New Yorker
- James Clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter — James Clear
- Matt Haig’s blog — Matt Haig
