wrw98

and edited by Glenna Nowell

Dear Readers,

This is the 11th annual "Who Reads What?" celebrity reading list with suggestions aplenty for all. This list began in 1988, when I was searching for a frugal way to entice people to read the wonderful older books already on the library shelves. This list was an instant local success. People read and enjoyed the suggestions and they wanted more. Our Gardiner reporter remarked that our list could soon be the national story for library week. Yes, in 1991 it went national. It's now amazing to see the Gardiner (population 6,735) dateline from newspapers all over the world. Celebrities have been wonderful about sharing their favorite books, and it's obvious that books and libraries played a role in their lives. Fred Rogers remembers that his hometown librarian's "love of books and reading was contagious." I hope you find some of these titles contagious and pass them on many times. Regards,

Glenna Nowell, Editor
"Who Reads What?"

Tom Allen || Bob Barker || Bonnie Blair || Dyan Cannon || Bill Cohen || David Cohen || Judith Crist || Dana Delany || Carrie Fisher || Mel Gibson || Bo Jackson || Marsha Mason || Laurie Metcalf || Rita Moreno || Bob Newhart || Arnold Palmer || Chazz Palminteri || CCH Pounder || Mary Lou Retton || Debbie Reynolds || Joan Rivers || Fred Rogers || Soupy Sales || Pete Seeger || Kevin Spacey || John Paul Stevens || Alex Trebek || Shelley Winters ||

Tom Allen Member, U.S. House of Representatives	A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean	"This short novel weaves together religion, family and fly-fishing in an exploration of how much we can really help each other through life. A great read!"
Bob Barker TV Personality	Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose	"I think any American, particularly young people, will enjoy Undaunted Courage!
Bonnie Blair Olympic gold medal speed skater	A Winning Edge by Bonnie Blair and Greg Brown
Dyan Cannon Actor	The Bible	"It's the best book I know!"
Bill Cohen U.S. Secretary of Defense	The Mind and Faith of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.	"I have kept a copy of this book on my desk for years. It has been a constant source of inspiration."
David Cohen Producer, writer	Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque by Edgar Allan Poe	"The best horror writer in the history of mankind!"
Judith Crist Film and television critic	War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman	"Fiction or fact, these books are among the rare ones that transport us to another time and place and make us feel at home in another world and its society."
Dana Delany Actor	The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust	The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - "It is the perfect novel." Remembrance of Things Past - "I used it in college and it still stays with me today. Someday I will have the nerve to tackle it again."
Carrie Fisher Actor, writer	Middlemarch by George Eliot	"I think it's the greatest book ever written."
Mel Gibson Actor, director	Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Bo Jackson Football and baseball player	The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Marsha Mason Actor	My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell	"A book for children and adults."
Laurie Metcalf Actor	Any book by Anne Tyler	"All of her characters are intricately developed and well written."
Rita Moreno Actor	Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt A three volume Autobiography by Sean O'Casey	"Both of these works written with power and passion speak to the tenacity and the resilience of the human spirit. Additionally, both authors have the ability to paint pictures with words -- These are simply not just volumes -- they are treasures."
Bob Newhart Actor	My Ten Years in a Quandary by Robert Benchley	"The book that most impressed me when I was growing up and influenced my approach to comedy would have been any book by Robert Benchley or specifically My Ten Years in a Quandary."
Arnold Palmer Professional golfer	Final Rounds by James Dodson	"Jim Dodson has written a golf book that transcends the game and tells the warm and touching story of father and son that reaches all audiences. It offers an insight into how the love of the game can be so captivating."
Chazz Palminteri Actor, writer	How to Know Higher Worlds by Rudolf Steiner
CCH Pounder Actor	Cambridge by Caryl Phillips	"I'm reading up on fictions from the African diaspora. C. Phillips, whose family hails from the Caribbean, is an English-educated writer whose books are steeped in Black History and culture. His other books include A State of Independence and The Final Passage. "
Mary Lou Retton Olympic gold medal winner in gymnastics	As a child, Dr. Seuss As an adult, anything by Danielle Steele
Debbie Reynolds Actor	The Bible
Joan Rivers TV personality	War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy	"Wonderful love story set in a fascinating moment in history -- if you liked Gone With the Wind you'll love War and Peace..."
Fred Rogers Children's TV icon	The Little Prince by Antoine de St. Exupery	"Dear Neighbors, Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your Who Reads What project. I'm honored to be a part of this project. It seems like a wonderful way to encourage reading in your community, and we're always glad to help librarians. The librarian in my hometown was very much a part of my growing up. Her love of books and reading was contagious, and I know how important librarians can be for children and for adults. As my choice for your booklet, I would offer The Little Prince by Antoine de St. Exupery. One of my favorite quotes is in that book, and it's framed on my office wall: 'What is essential is invisible to the eye.' I've referred to that quote now and then on our television program, too. It's helped me remember how much there is to appreciate in each other that is beyond what meets the eye. Thank you for thinking of us, and best wishes from all of us here in the Neighborhood." Sincerely, Fred Rogers
Soupy Sales comedian	Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn by David Hajdu	"If you love music you will love this book. It is a book of the love, frustration, triumph and success of a true musical genius!"
Pete Seeger Singer, activist	Ishmael by Daniel Quinn	"There's no one book I'd take to a desert island, not even the Bible or Shakespeare. Perhaps a book on how to build a boat or raft. Ishmael is the book I buy 10 at a time and give away to all sorts of folks."
Kevin Spacey Actor	Letters to a Young Poet by Ranier Maria Rilke
John Paul Stevens Justice, Supreme Court of the United States	Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by Edward de Vere, the Seventeenth Earl of Oxford, writing under the nom de plume of William Shakespeare
Alex Trebek TV Personality	How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Shelley Winters Actor	Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe	"I first read it at 14 years old and have read it many times since. It is a very beautifully written book. Thank You!

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and edited by Glenna Nowell