Let’s check out some Dolly Parton book recommendations.
Dolly Parton is a singer, actress, and philanthropist. She is a country music legend that started with her first album, Hello, I’m Dolly. Over the course of her career, 25 of her songs have reached number 1 on the Billboard music charts. She is also in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Dolly Parton loves to read, sharing with us, “I spend so much time reading. People say, ‘When do you have time read?’ But when 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.”
When asked what her favorite genre of books is, she replied with, “I read a lot of old classics, things that I didn’t get to read when I was young. So I’m really loving going back and reading a lot of that. I even love those drugstore books, too. I loved the romance, but I like the mysteries too. But I just love all kinds of books.” She clearly loves historical fiction based on these recommendations.
She has even said that she’s read everything in Reese Witherspoon’s book club. Don’t blame her there; Reese never seems to miss.
Her foundation, Dollywood Foundation, has given out over 115 million books since she started her charity. That’s a lot of books!
She’s even known as the Book Lady according to some people close to her.
List of Dolly Parton Book Recommendations
This is the full list of the best Dolly Parton book recommendations:
- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
- Oral History by Lee Smith
- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
- Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
- Songteller by Dolly Parton
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Water for Elephants is a novel written by Sara Gruen, and published in 2006. The book is 331 pages long.
Water for Elephants is a historical fiction book set in the 20th century, and focuses mainly on the circus and all the behind the scenes drama.
The story is told through the memories of Jacob Janowski, a 90 something year old man living in a boring nursing home. One day, the circus comes to town, which he can see from his window, and the memories that make up Water for Elephants come flooding back.
During the Great Depression, running away from his problems at the time, he jumps aboard a moving circus train, makes some friends, and ultimately becomes the caretaker for the animals of the circus.
He discovers that the circus has a way of life of its own with weird rules that seem to be made up on the spot. Circus culture is interesting.
Jacob finds out that the animals are treated terribly by the current caretaker, and an elephant named Rosie, is treated particularly badly. Rosie won’t follow the instructions that are given to her, leading to her poor treatment. Until Jacob steps in.
He forms an unlikely bond with Rosie the elephant, who is finally treated in a humane way. But it’s not just a duo. Marlena, a star of the circus, sees how Jacob cares for Rosie, and starts to bond with them too.
Love, trust, and survival are in store for Jacob, Marlena, and Rosie.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
The Count of Monte Cristo is a classic adventure novel written by Alexandre Dumas. This was published in 1844, and is something like 1276 pages long. Yup, it’s that chunky.
The book takes place in France, Italy, and a couple of islands in the Mediterranean during the historical era of the early 1800s. History and its real life events play a major role in the book.
It follows Edmond Dantes, a man who was put in prison for a crime he did not commit right before he was about to marry his fiancée.
While he is in prison, he learns of a vast treasure beyond anyone’s wildest dreams on the Isle of Monte Cristo. He is determined to find this treasure and use the wealth to get revenge on the three people who threw him in prison.
But first, he must figure out how to escape from this prison. It’s been 6 years already, and the end is hardly in sight. Eventually, he finds out that someone was able to escape by digging a tunnel, and is inspired to do the same.
Without revealing too much of the book, it’s an epic tale of revenge, suffering, and vengeance. It’s even inspired by a real life story where a man was falsely imprisoned.
The Count of Monte Cristo is one of the greatest classics of all time.
Oral History by Lee Smith
Oral History was written by Lee Smith. The book was published in 1984, and has about 292 pages.
Dolly Parton loves Lee Smith, calling her one of her favorite authors, saying, “I have a favorite Southern writer named Lee Smith. She writes all these great stories about country people, mountain people. So I’m really drawn to Southern writers as well. This is another great Southern tale by a Southern author. She has an ear for language like I have an ear for music.”
Oral History takes place in the Appalachian region of eastern United States. It follows Jennifer as she returns to her hometown of Hoot Owl Holler. She is in search of the stories of the past.
With her tape recorder in hand, she goes around learning the deep secrets of the region including tales of murder and other dark tales of the past.
She begins to realize that her family, the Cantrell’s, have been under a curse for generations that has hung over the members of the family. The book spans back several generations over a century.
The novel gets into the deep rooted folk culture of the Appalachian region, teaching us the ways of the people from the past.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon was published in 1991. It is round 850 pages long.
When Dolly Parton recommended the book, she said, “Outlander is a historical fiction/adventure series that’s filled with passion and danger, which is right up my alley!”
Outlander is set a little after World War II, and follows a military nurse named Claire Beauchamp. Her and her husband decide to take a second honeymoon after the stress of the war. They go to Inverness, Scotland to take a much needed break.
While she is in Scotland, she discovers mysterious stones making an eerie buzzing noise. When she touches the stones, she faints. When she finally wakes up, she discovers that she is no long with her husband, but instead with his infamous ancestor, Captain Jack Russell.
She eventually understands that she has accidentally traveled back in time to the mid-1700s during a time when Sctoland is at war. Her medical skills win over the locals, and she is safe for now.
While she is in the past, she not only finds great adventure, but also romantic love with a man named Jamie Fraser. This leads her to having conflicting feelings as she is still married to her husband in the present day.
Who will Claire choose and how will she escape the world that seems to constantly threaten her life?
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Shantaram is a book written by Gregory David Roberts and published in 2003. This book is about 936 pages. Dolly Parton really likes long books.
Unlike the length of this book, Dolly Parton’s book recommendation is short and sweet and reads, “This was a great adventure story and a great story to tell.”
Shantaram follows a heroin addict, who is arrested for a few armed bank robberies and sent to prison in Australia in 1978. He eventually escapes the prison and travels to India with a fake passport under the name Lindsey Ford.
Things for Lindsey aren’t so great when he arrives in Bombay. He becomes one of the most wanted men in Australia, and fears people will always be looking for him.
Along with his friend Prabaker, he blends into his new life with the beggars, prostitutes, and gangsters of India. They are all seeking the same thing – freedom that they cannot have elsewhere.
Arriving in Bombay sets off a chain of events in his life as he searches for meaning in his life while in the slums. Along the way, he finds himself at war, going back to prison, being tortured, and more crazy things.
The book beautifully describes the slums and hotels of Bombay so well that you will feel like you are actually there. Packed with traumatic events, war, and love, this book is sure to be one to remember long after you’ve finished this chunker.
Songteller by Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton has written many books, but Songteller is definitely her best in my opinion.
Dolly goes through 175 of her songs and tells us the meaning behind the lyrics and the stories that led her to writing them. Her book highlights more than 60 years worth of her music, and will have you looking at her songs in a different light. We get to learn the history of her some of her best songs like Jolene, 9 to 5, I Will Always Love You.
Not only are there plenty of tidbits about her music over the years, there are personal photos that not many people have seen. The book is packed with these photos and other memorabilia.
This book has been recommended by the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Brené Brown, Stephen Colbert, The Today Show, and many more.
Every Dolly Parton fan should read this book, since you get insights into her life that you wouldn’t find elsewhere.