Dolly Parton's 5 Favorite Books (Plus the One She'd Take to a Desert Island)

Dolly Parton has done a lot to make sure that kids get a chance to discover a love of reading. She’s the founder of the Imagination Library, an organization that mails books to children for free from their birth until school starts. So far, the organization has given away over 300 million books.

Unsurprisingly, Parton is a big fan of reading herself. In a letter to fans on her Imagination Library website, Parton also revealed that her love of books is connected to her father’s illiteracy. “He was the smartest man I have ever known, but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams,” she wrote.

In a 2019 interview, the musician—whose achievements include writing “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” on or around the same day—told Jenna Bush Hagar that she “must read about 50 books a year.” 

So how does she do it? “I spend so much time reading,” she added. “People say, 'When do you have time read? But I wake up in the middle of the night, I'll read. I read myself to sleep. I don't watch TV that much, I prefer to read.”

Parton also opened up about what she likes to read, saying she loves historical fiction and often picks reads from the New York Times bestseller list and from Reese Witherspoon’s book club. When asked about specific favorites, a few other titles immediately came to mind.

1. Water For Elephants by Sarah Gruen
2. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
3. Oral History by Lee Smith
4. Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani
5. Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
6. The One Book Dolly Parton Would Take to a Desert Island

Water For Elephants by Sarah Gruen

Water For Elephants is the first book that Parton listed while discussing her favorite reads. This bestselling book is set in Depression-era America and follows a Polish orphan named Jacob, who finds work caring for animals in a traveling circus. 

He winds up connecting to the married circus star performer, Marlena, and must deal with her cruel husband, who is also the circus manager. The book blends romance and historical fiction with quite a few thrills, and has a deep emotional core.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

The second book Parton listed is the classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo, which was published by French author Alexandre Dumas and was originally serialized from 1844 to 1846. The book takes place during France’s Bourbon Restoration and follows a man who escapes after being unfairly imprisoned and seeks out revenge. 

Known as the archetypal revenge thriller, the book also explores the meaning of justice and retribution through the lens of one man’s loss of innocence. It has been adapted for the stage and screen countless times and continues to resonate with audiences, and clearly Parton is one of them.

Oral History by Lee Smith

In the interview with Marie Claire, Parton called Lee Smith her “favorite Southern writer,” and went on to specifically praise the book Oral History. 

“This book really hits home for me because it’s really about Southern people,” Parton said. “It’s a wonderful story about families, and love and romance and just the hard times that people go through. Lee Smith just tells a story in such a way that it just goes plum deep into my soul and heart. And if you have not read Lee Smith, you better get after it!”

Published in 1983, Oral History begins when a descendant of the Cantrell family returns from the city to record an “oral history” of her family’s life in the Appalachian mountains, which is also where Parton grew up (albeit in Tennessee instead of West Virginia). It then moves through multiple narrators as it explores the tragedies and triumphs of the Cantrells, including a curse the family believes has haunted them across generations.

Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani

Parton also told Marie Claire that another one of her favorite Southern authors is Adriana Trigiani. “She grew up in Cumberland Gap in the South,” Parton said, which is also in Tennessee, where Parton is from. “And this one, Big Stone Gap, I just love this.”

Big Stone Gap follows a 35-year-old “spinster” named Ave Maria Mulligan, whose quiet existence in the Blue Ridge Mountains town of Blue Stone Gap is upended when a shocking secret emerges. Set in the 1970s, the book weaves family secrets with romance.

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Finally, Parton sang the praises of Steinbeck’s classic 1939 novel Grapes of Wrath in the Marie Claire interview. “Well, now this book, I bet you millions of people know. This is The Grapes of Wrath and, of course, who doesn’t love John Steinbeck and all the wonderful things he’s written?” she said. “I’ve probably read this book three times in my life.” 

Grapes of Wrath follows a family that is displaced from their Oklahoma farm during the Dust Bowl and forced to move to California for work. The book, which helped expose the crushing reality of the Great Depression for American farmworkers, is a beloved classic that, like Parton’s music, explores themes of hardship, family, and the fight for dignity under capitalism.

The One Book Dolly Parton Would Take to a Desert Island

In the interview with Bush Hagar, however, Parton revealed that if she had just one book to take to a desert island, it would be the Bible. “I better take the Bible cause if I’m stranded on an island, I figure I may not get off of there and I might wanna do some crammin,’” the star said with a laugh.

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