After three decades of sketch comedy writing – including stints at Saturday Night Live, The Ben Stiller Show and cult classic Mr. Show – Bob Odenkirk landed the legendary role of crooked lawyer and con man Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad and its spinoff, Better Call Saul. In 2014 he released A Load of Hooey, a collection of comic essays, avant-garde fiction, and free verse poetry – while his memoir Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama is set to come out early next year.
Sharing a list of his favorite books with The Week, Odenkirk recommended classic works of Americana by Charles Portis, Mark Twain and Harper Lee. Find his reading list below, and dive into the bookshelves of other comedy icons right here.
The Dog of the South by Charles Portis
“A hilarious narrator goes on a loony mission to catch up with his runaway wife, following the trail of credit card receipts she leaves from Arkansas to Belize. He’s driven by resentment and pettiness — and yet he is also clearly entertained by the world around him. This is, to me, a very American voice.” -BO
True Grit by Charles Portis (also rec’d by Anthony Bourdain & David Mamet)
“Two books on one list — this guy outdid himself! Portis’ most famous book is a more traditionally structured story than Dog of the South, and yet its central voice is so likable — somehow cynical and, at the same time, forgiving.” -BO
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (also rec’d by Dick Cavett & Stephen King)
“Do I need to waste your time telling you this is the book of books? Sorry about the N-word, but it must be taken in the context of the time it was written. Plus it’s clear to me that Twain was making a strong (and sly) statement about the humanity of those who were then labeled the N-word.” -BO
Tragically I Was an Only Twin: The Complete Peter Cook edited by William Cook
“This is a collection of pieces the great Peter Cook either wrote or improvised. Cook, to me, represents the most naturally funny man there ever was. He could spin comedy out of the smallest comment.” -BO
Swing Hammer Swing! by Jeff Torrington
“After reading an energetic, positive review buried deep within The New York Times one day, I bought this Glasgow-set first novel and was thrilled by the writing: Swing Hammer Swing! is funny, clever, and bleak as hell. I wrote Torrington a fan letter, the only one I’ve ever written. Never received a reply. No hard feelings.” -BO
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (also rec’d by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Neil Patrick Harris, Nicholas Sparks & Shonda Rhimes)
“You already know this. Lyrical writing. A child’s point of view, but done with intelligence and sensitivity, and a lesson at the end that is the only lesson you ever need to know to become a good person. So say I.” -BO
(via The Week)