So, what does David Bowie read?

On 17 January, 2007, BiblioTech Web drew attention to the fact that Art Garfunkel has an ongoing list of books he's read over the last 3 decades. Scott Pfitzinger (the author of BiblioTech Web) attributes the discovery of this gem to “Steven Cohen at Library Stuff who got it from Jessa Crispin at Bookslut who got it from David at Largehearted Boy.”

Check Mr. Garfunkel's Library out for yourself! Of note is the fact that his top 5 favorite books are:

1. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Confessions, 1781, 606 pp. (read in Jun. 1968)

2. Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving, 1956, 146 pp. (read in Jun. 1968)

3. P.D. Ouspensky, In Search of the Miraculous, 1949, 389 pp. (read in Oct. 1968)

4. L.N. Tolstoy, War and Peace, 1869, 1444 pp. (read in Feb. 1969)

5. Philip Roth, Portnoy's Complaint, 1969, 274 pp. (read in May 1969)

Along this line, retired librarian, Glenna Nowell, is the editor of the “Who Reads What?” reading list, which began in 1988. This list features books that famous and influential people have read. In 2004, Today Show celebs Al Roker and Anne Curry were reading “Devil in a Blue Dress” by Walter Mosley and “The Once and Future King” by T.H.White, respectively. In 1994, Lamb Chop's mom, Shari Lewis, commented that, “Generally, the book I'm reading at the moment is my favorite--however, my all time fave is Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy. Great tragic strong female character, bucking the social mores.”

So, my original question was, “What does David Bowie read?” His lovely letter to Glenna Nowell says it best:

“Dear Miss Nowell:

I was so delighted to have been asked to contribute to your list as I am an obsessive reader, and, it seems to me, I spend half my life recommending books to friends--and to complete strangers at times!

However, actually putting my short list together nearly paralyzed me with indecision. I read something like three books a week, so trimming down became an exceptionally daunting prospect.

These few are works that really stayed with me and I can assure the reader of a jolly good time with any of the following. Fifth Business, The Manticore, and World of Wonders by Robertson Davies. These books form a trilogy so read them in order. Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter. Wonderfully surreal. Money by Martin Amis. Funny, bitter, extremely British. Brazzaville Beach, by William Boyd. Caring, poignant and terribly romantic. The Viveroy of Ouidah by Bruce Chatwin. One of the greatest writers of this last twenty years. Libra by Don Delillo. Alarming and American.

I should also note that if you like any of these books please don't hesitate to read the rest of the works by any of these authors. Their entire output is just great. I'd love to hear your opinion.

Please ask me for another list next year as I keep remembering works that cast their spell on my sponge-like mind.

Kind regards,

David Bowie”

Although I've only recently started, my own reading list contains books I've read, books on my “to read list”, and books I think my husband would enjoy. The service I use is called Bibliophil. I like the feature of looking for readers with similar tastes to my own where I can get even more ideas on books to add to my wishlist.