Read by J. K. Rowling
What books does J. K. Rowling recommend?
Tracing the reading that shaped the imagination behind the best-selling book series in history, J.K. Rowling's book recommendations reach back to her earliest influences. The author of Harry Potter, who also writes crime fiction as Robert Galbraith, has flagged 19 titles here, sourced from interviews with the New York Times, Desert Island Discs, The Scotsman, and O magazine. Fiction and literature dominate, with strands of psychology, history, society and politics, and memoir. Jane Austen's Emma is a top pick; Rowling says she has "read all her books so many times I've lost count," and Emma is "my favorite." She credits Elizabeth Goudge's The Little White Horse with a "direct influence on the Harry Potter books" and names Jo March of Little Women her favourite literary heroine. Author of 19 books of her own, she recommends as one of the world's most-read writers.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
byJane Austen
1815474 Pages“I've read all her books so many times I've lost count. Emma is my favorite.”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: Amazon interview
Read by J. K. Rowling
byColette
1920160 Pages“I could never write the way Colette did. I've never found anything to match her descriptive passages, ever.”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: Desert Island Discs (BBC Radio 4)
Read by J. K. Rowling
byElizabeth Goudge
2001240 Pages(15,335)
“My favorite childhood book. I adored that book. Perhaps more than any other book, it has a direct influence on the Harry Potter books.”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: The Scotsman interview
Read by J. K. Rowling
byRoddy Doyle
1996226 Pages“My favorite living writer... I don't think I've ever encountered such a believable, fully rounded female character from any other heterosexual male writer in any age.”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: O, The Oprah Magazine
byLouisa May Alcott
1868504 Pages(2,200,000)
“My favorite literary heroine is Jo March. It is hard to overstate what she meant to a small, plain girl called Jo, who had a hot temper and a burning ambition to be a writer.”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: New York Times interview
Read by Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Jamie Dimon and 3 others
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
byDoris Kearns Goodwin
2005944 Pages“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: New York Times 'By the Book'
byDodie Smith
1948408 Pages“This book has one of the most charismatic narrators I've ever met.”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: Book blurb
byVladimir Nabokov
1955336 Pages“There just isn't enough time to discuss how a plot that could have been the most worthless pornography becomes, in Nabokov's hands, a great and tragic love story.”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: BBC Radio 4 interview
Read by J. K. Rowling
The Story of the Treasure Seekers
Being the Adventures of the Bastable Children in Search of a Fortune
byE. Nesbit
1899208 Pages(15,400)
“She's the children's writer with whom I most identify... Oswald is such a very real narrator.”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: New York Times interview
Read by J. K. Rowling
Hons and Rebels
The Mitford Family Memoir
byJessica Mitford
1960272 Pages“I love the way she never outgrew some of her adolescent traits, remaining true to her politics... I think I've read everything she wrote.”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: The Scotsman interview
Read by J. K. Rowling
Poverty Safari
Understanding the Anger of Britain's Underclass
byDarren McGarvey
2018240 Pages“This is a savage, wise and witty tour-de-force. An unflinching account of the realities of systemic poverty.”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: Twitter / Book Blurb
Read by J. K. Rowling
Manxmouse
The Mouse Who Knew No Fear
byPaul Gallico
2012253 Pages“Gallico manages the fine line between magic and reality so skilfully, to the point where the most fantastic events feel plausible.”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
Read by J. K. Rowling
Ballet Shoes
A Story of Three Children on the Stage
byNoel Streatfeild
2015352 Pages(87,000)
Source: New York Times 'By the Book'
byKenneth Grahame
1908240 Pages(532,000)
“My most vivid memory of being read to is my father reading 'The Wind in the Willows' when I was around 4.”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: New York Times 'By the Book'
Read by J. K. Rowling
byAudrey Niffenegger
2003546 Pages(1,859,826)
“This book for me is the perfect romance! The story jumps through time... it's wonderfully put together.”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: Desert Island Books list
David Copperfield
The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery
byCharles Dickens
18501024 Pages“I enjoyed this book so much and think it would be a good choice for a long and lonely stretch of time on a desert island.”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: Desert Island Books list
Read by J. K. Rowling
Black Beauty
The Autobiography of a Horse
byAnna Sewell
1877288 Pages“Anything with a horse in it [was a favorite].”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: New York Times 'By the Book'
Read by J. K. Rowling
byAgatha Christie
1926288 Pages“I've always loved detective fiction, Agatha Christie, Ruth Rendell, Margery Allingham and PD James, I love them all.”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: Robert Galbraith Website FAQ
Read by J. K. Rowling
byClement Freud
1968128 Pages(145)
“One of my favorites... Grimble is one of the funniest books I've ever read.”
— J. K. Rowling
Source: Interview / Biography
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Frequently asked questions
What books does J.K. Rowling recommend?
Her 19 recommendations include Emma, Chéri by Colette, The Little White Horse, The Woman Who Walked Into Doors, and Little Women, spanning classic novels, children's literature, and memoir.
What is J.K. Rowling's favourite book?
Jane Austen's Emma is a top pick. Rowling says she has "read all her books so many times I've lost count," and Emma is "my favorite." She also names Colette's Chéri among her most admired writing.
Which book influenced Harry Potter?
Elizabeth Goudge's The Little White Horse, which Rowling calls her favourite childhood book: "Perhaps more than any other book, it has a direct influence on the Harry Potter books."
Where do J.K. Rowling's book recommendations come from?
They are drawn from interviews with the New York Times "By the Book," BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, The Scotsman, O magazine, and her Robert Galbraith website's FAQ.
Has J.K. Rowling written any books?
Yes, many. This collection lists 19, including the seven Harry Potter novels, the Cormoran Strike crime series written as Robert Galbraith, The Casual Vacancy, The Ickabog, and Very Good Lives.
All 19 Books J. K. Rowling Has Recommended
- Emma · Jane Austen
- Chéri · Colette
- The Little White Horse · Elizabeth Goudge
- The Woman Who Walked Into Doors · Roddy Doyle
- Little Women · Louisa May Alcott
- Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln · Doris Kearns Goodwin
- I Capture the Castle · Dodie Smith
- Lolita · Vladimir Nabokov
- The Story of the Treasure Seekers · E. Nesbit
- Hons and Rebels · Jessica Mitford
- Poverty Safari · Darren McGarvey
- Manxmouse · Paul Gallico
- Ballet Shoes · Noel Streatfeild
- The Wind in the Willows · Kenneth Grahame
- The Time Traveler's Wife · Audrey Niffenegger
- David Copperfield · Charles Dickens
- Black Beauty · Anna Sewell
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd · Agatha Christie
- Grimble · Clement Freud