Dolly Parton and James Patterson on John Steinbeck, ‘War and

Welcome to Shelf Life, ELLE.com’s books column, in which authors share their most memorable reads. Whether you’re on the hunt for a book to console you, move you profoundly, or make you laugh, consider a recommendation from the writers in our series, who, like you (since you’re here), love books. Perhaps one of their favorite titles will become one of yours, too.

Beloved entertainer Dolly Parton and bestselling author James Patterson have teamed up for the former’s first novel and the latter’s 150+, Run, Rose, Run (Little, Brown), a thriller about a singer who dreams of Nashville stardom. Parton recorded a dozen songs for a companion album of the same name.

She’s the Tennessee-based Grammy Award-winning singer (over 3 billion streams worldwide), songwriter (3,000+ songs including “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” musician, actress, television producer, National Medal of Arts recipient, Dollywood namesake (the theme park recently announced it would cover college costs for employees), Moderna COVID-19 vaccine backer, viral meme creator (the LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Tinder grid), Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee (who graciously bowed out of consideration), a Time Most Influential Person (her entry was written by goddaughter Miley Cyrus), podcast subject, and cake fan.

He’s the Florida-based Emmy Award-winning author with the most New York Times bestseller list #1 titles (67; his books have sold more than 425 million worldwide), National Humanities Medal and National Book Foundation Literarian Award recipient, The Simpsons guest star, creator of the “I’m a Toys-R-Us kid” slogan (as an ad agency copywriter who rose to CEO), presidential collaborator (two thrillers with President Bill Clinton, who gave him a humidor as a birthday gift even though he doesn’t smoke), former moving company and mental hospital employee, and namesake of children’s imprint Jimmy Patterson Books.

They’re both philanthropists, especially in the area of literacy. Her Imagination Library, which gives books to children every year from the day they’re born until they enter kindergarten, has donated more than 175 million books. He has donated over 1 million books each to students and U.S. soldiers plus millions of dollars to support school and classroom libraries, universities, teacher and student scholarships, and independent bookstores, including the pandemic #SaveIndieBookstores challenge.

Dolly Parton

The book that…

…I’d want signed by the author:

I want James Patterson to sign my copy of Run, Rose, Run and I know a guy, who knows a guy, who I’m pretty sure can make that happen for me. Lol.

…holds the recipe to a favorite dish:

Dolly’s Dixie Fixin’s which I wrote to help support my Imagination Library. It is full of friend and family recipes and just good ole Southern cooking. I highly recommend the chicken and dumplins.

…fills me with hope:

I would honestly have to say the Bible.

…made me weep uncontrollably:

The Dollmaker by Harriette Arnow.

…I read in one sitting, it was that good:

All Over but the Shoutin’ by Rick Bragg.

… currently sits on my nightstand:

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson.

…made me laugh out loud:

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.

…has the best title:

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

… I’ve re-read the most:

Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith.

…I first bought:

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

James Patterson

The book that…

…has the best opening line:

From One Hundred Years Of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez: “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.”

…kept me up way too late:

I read The Exorcist when I was 22 and a lit snob in the Ph.D. English program at Vanderbilt. Author William Peter Blatty turned me into a gory thriller fan overnight.

…I recommend over and over again:

Mrs. Bridge by Evan S. Connell. India Bridge’s account of an uptight, whitebread family in Kansas City is wry, witty, riveting, and a must-read for any book lover.

…I swear I’ll finish one day:

War and Peace. I swear I’ve started Tolstoy’s doorstopping masterpiece at least half a dozen times. So far, I’ve reached the conclusion of Book 1, Part 1.

…I’d pass on to my kid:

Done and done. Our son Jack read The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak when he was 10, and he never forgot the horrors of growing up in Nazi Germany.

…made me laugh out loud:

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple gave me multiple laughs on every page. It makes me laugh just thinking about it right now. I think I’ll read it again tonight.

…I’d like turned into a Netflix show:

I just finished writing a novel called Jane Effing Smith with my friend Mike Lupica. Jane is a character any actor worth her salt would die to play—and the concept for this trilogy is completely outrageous. Hello? Netflix?

…has a sex scene that will make you blush:

Nothing comes close to A Garden of Sand by Earl Thompson. Jacky and his mom had some kind of crazy life together.

…I consider literary comfort food:

I’ll go with Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow over The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe and John Updike’s Rabbit novels.

If I could live in any library or bookstore in the world, it would be:

The New York Public Library. Second place would be the Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver. Big spaces, lots of books, heaven.

Read Parton and Patterson’s Picks:

The Dollmaker

Harriette Arnow bookshop.org

$38.99

All Over But the Shoutin’

Rick Bragg bookshop.org

$15.59

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

Kim Michele Richardson bookshop.org

$14.71

Catch-22

Joseph Heller bookshop.org

$18.39

The Poisonwood Bible

Barbara Kingsolver bookshop.org

$15.63

Fair and Tender Ladies

Lee Smith bookshop.org

$14.72

The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck amazon.com

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Gabriel García Márquez amazon.com

The Exorcist

William Peter Blatty amazon.com

$9.99

Mrs. Bridge

Evan S. Connell amazon.com

Where’d You Go, Bernadette

The Bonfire of the Vanities

Rabbit, Run

John Updike’s amazon.com

$12.99

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