We all know John Krasinski as Jim Halpert from The Office and he has become even bigger since leaving the show. He became a filmmaker and director but to fans of the Office, he will always be Jim. We decided to look at Krasinski’s favorite books to see what he likes to read when he isn’t acting or directing.

Krasinski got his start as a director in 2009 with Brief Interviews With Hideous Men. It went on to be nominated for the Grand Jury Prize and received positive reviews. In 2017, Krasinski directed A Quiet Place in which he starred alongside his wife Emily Blunt. The movie was a box office hit and grossed $340 million worldwide.
John Krasinski’s Favorite Books
- A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The Jaws Log by Carl Gottlieb
- How We Are Hungry by Dave Eggers
- A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments by David Foster Wallace
A Great Mix of Books
I like the mix of classics and lesser known books. The Great Gastby is an iconic book and we also see Ernest Hemingway make the list with A Moveable Feast. This is what Krasinski had to say about the Hemingway novel.
“I had the very good fortune of happening upon A Moveable Feast when I was visiting Paris, the backdrop of Hemingway’s most biographical book. May we all live at least one day as Ernest did! In this memoir of his time in Paris in the 1920s, he romanticizes a period in his life when he had very little by celebrating good books, good wine, and good friends.”
He also speaks highly of The Great Gatsby and makes a case as to why you should read it again.
“My highest recommendation in the “reread” category. Sure, you’ve read Fitzgerald’s masterpiece somewhere between freshman and senior year in high school, but I can guarantee it will mean so much more now. Reading this again, when you’re a little older and a little wiser, is like being in a room you’ve been in before. Only this time the lights are on.”
“This is, without a doubt, one of the greatest books about making movies”

A book that shows Krasinski’s love for directing is The Jaws Log by Carl Gottlieb. The book is about directing as Gottlieb shares his accounts of directing the classic movie Jaws. The actor turned director considers this book a masterpiece.
“This is, without a doubt, one of the greatest books about making movies. Gottlieb, who wrote the screenplay for Jaws,gives a day-to-day account of the process of making the film, from choosing the location to building the shark … or rather, sharks! You get to see the magic—and madness—of moviemaking, from the crazy shoot to the blockbuster hit. If you have ever had a fascination with how movies are made, why not learn it from the best?”
Conclusion
That is all for John Krasinski’s favorite books. What did you make of his list? How many of them have you read or plan to read? Let us know in the comments below!
Thank you for posting this, I love both versions of The Office. I know he is only in the American one…