Actor Chris Pine is best known for his role as James T. Kirk in Star Trek as well as Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman. But did you know that before Pine became an actor, he pursued a major in English? Today, we will be looking at Chris Pine’s 15 book recommendations!
When Pine isn’t acting, he can be found reading. He is a book lover and has a Bachelor’s in English. He is often seeing surrounded by books and makes time for them whenever he can. In an interview with Esquire, Pine listed 15 books that he recommends to everyone. You can see the list. below.
Chris Pine’s 15 Book Recommendations
- Lady Joker Volume 2 by Kaoru Takemura
- Flights by Olga Tokarczuk
- What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes
- The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen
- Dispatches by Michael Herr
- The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
- The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer
- In Cold Blood Truman Capote
- Underworld by Don DeLillo
- Master of Souls by Irène Némirovsky
- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
- The Master by Colm Toibin
- The Magician by Colm Toibin
- The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carre
- Berlin Noir by Bernie Gunther
Books From All Over the World
Pine’s list includes popular books and authors as well as foreign books. His diverse taste and knowledge of authors in other countries such as Japan shows his curiosity and world knowledge. There are a bunch of classics on his list such as In Cold Blood Truman Capote and A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
The interview with Esquire means that Pine commented on his book selections. You can see some of the below.
Lady Joker, Volume 2, by Kaoru Takemura
“This is what I’m reading right now. She’s like the grande dame of Japanese detective fiction.” -Pine
Flights by Olga Tokarczuk
“I bought this a long time ago at my favorite bookstore in London. She won the Nobel for Books of Jacob, which I have yet to read. I like the way her brain works—I want to explore it more. And obviously, if it won the Nobel, I want to get into it, figure it out.” -Pine
What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes
“I just went through a huge Norman Mailer phase. I read The Naked and the Dead, which he wrote when he was fucking twenty-five. His insight into the human mind and the psyche, and insight into a soldier, is profound. He definitely gilds the lily—sometimes you can really see him flexing his muscles. But God—I mean, a book about an unrequited homosexual love affair between a sergeant and a general in 1947, when the war’s just ended? The fuck is that about? A complete existentialist takedown of war, the stupidity of war, sending men off to die for nothing. Fascinating.” -Pine
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
“And then Capote’s In Cold Blood. Which is a fucking masterpiece, in the same vein—it humanizes these awful people in a way that’s difficult for your brain, your moral brain, to deal with. So that was great. ” -Pine
Conclusion
That is all for Chris Pine’s 15 book recommendations. While reading his thoughts on his selections, you can tell he really does enjoy reading books. How many of these books have you read or plan to read? Let us know in the comments below!
Do read the epic spy novel, Bill Fairclough’s Beyond Enkription in TheBurlingtonFiles series. He was one of Pemberton’s People in MI6 (see the brief News Article dated 31 October 2022 in TheBurlingtonFiles website). The thriller is the stuff memorable films are made of, raw, realistic yet punchy, pacy and provocative; a super read as long as you don’t expect John le Carré’s delicate diction, sophisticated syntax and placid plots. It’s a fact based book which follows the real life of a real spy, Bill Fairclough (MI6 codename JJ) aka Edward Burlington who worked for British Intelligence, the CIA et al. It’s like nothing we have ever come across before … and TheBurlingtonFiles website is as breathtaking as a compelling thriller. It’s a must read for espionage cognoscenti.
Berlin Noir by Bernie Gunther – Burnie Gunther is the character. Written by Philip Kerr.