16 books from Pedro Pascal's reading list to cosy up with this weekend

Since his appearances in The Last Of Us and Gladiator 2, Pedro Pascal has had the internet in a chokehold, mainly because of his stellar on-screen presence and off-screen charm. What you may not know is that Pascal is also quite the bookworm. Whether the star is sunning on the beach or travelling on the subway, he is often snapped with a book in hand to pass his time; which is a rare, cherished leisure activity in the current digital age. The cherry on top is that Pedro's taste in books is just as fine as the man he is. What the Hollywood actor reads, encapsulates a variety of moods and categories; from Russian epics to British classics. 

Scroll below to take a look at 16 books from Pascal's reading list and what they are about. 

1. East of Eden (1952)

East of Eden by John Steinbeck explores the themes of identity, love, and the consequences of love's absence. The novel follows the lives of the Hamilton and Trask families, focusing primarily on the Trask brothers, Adam and Charles, while set against the backdrop of California's Salinas Valley. 

2. Another Country by James Baldwin (1962)

Another Country by James Baldwin is set in Greenwich Village, Harlem, and France, among other locales, and is a novel of passions—sexual, racial, political, and artistic—that is stunning for its emotional intensity and haunting sensuality. Baldwin, who fled to a more liberated France while writing this book, explores another side of his home country and hometown.

3. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger (1957)

Franny and Zoey is a two-part novella by J.D. Salinger. The first part follows Franny Glass, a self-absorbed college student in mental distress who is meeting her boyfriend for a date. This is followed by part two, a story of Zooey Glass, Franny's egotistical brother, and his relationship with himself, his mother, and his sister in the wake of her mental strain. In an old interview of his, Pascal says that this is one of the books that helped him the most during his formative years. 

4. The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann (1924)

The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann is a dizzyingly rich novel that follows a young man whose brief visit to the Swiss Alps stretches into years of isolation and debate. 

5. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (1967)

Set in Soviet Moscow, The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov follows the Devil as he wreaks havoc alongside a talking cat named Behemoth. The chaotic, political, and metaphysical work is yet another piece of Russian literature among Pascal's favourites. 

6. Birds of America by Lorrie Moore (1998)

Birds of America is a collection of short stories by Lorrie Moore that Pascal enjoyed due to its ability to blend humour with profound emotional insight. Each story is about human complexities that arises out of emotions and relationships. 

7. Watership Down by Richard Adams (1972)

A book that left its impact on Pascal's childhood, Watership Down, is a survival epic disguised as a sweet fable tale. In this novel, a group of rabbits flee the destruction of their warren and face brutality, authoritarianism, and exile. 

8. Crime and punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1866)

When talking about literature, Pascal admits that Crime and Punishment was a "page turner for him," while being aware of how "highbrow" it sounded. The Russian classic by Fyodor Dostoevsky questions how the human psyche works and explores darker aspects of human conditions. In Crime and Punishment, Dostoyevsky's main character, Raskolnikov, struggles between good and evil after he commits a crime that leaves him questioning his morality and guilt that eats at him, ultimately leading to his descent to madness. 

9. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847)

In a fan interaction, Pascal said that he loved Jane Eyre. The British classic by Charlotte Bronte, of the famous Bronte sisters trio, captures the story of Jane Eyre, who was an orphan who endures hardships, becomes a Governess, and falls in love with her enigmatic employer.   

10. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (1965)

In Cold Blood is a real-life crime thriller detailing the 1959 Clutter family murders in the small farming community of Holcomb, Kansas. Pascal was once snapped reading this book while on a metro, captured by one of his fellow passengers. 

11. For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange (1975)

When the actor heard his high school English teacher do a Lady in Red monologue, 15-year-old Pascal bought himself For Coloured Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When The Rainbow Is Enuf, a book by Ntozake Shange that explores the lives of 7 unnamed women of colour and their struggles.  Each woman represents a different colour of the rainbow, symbolising the diversity and complexity of their experiences. 

12. The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (2000)

The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon follows the life of Joe Kavalier, a young Jewish artist trained in the art of Houdini-esque escape, who has smuggled himself out of Nazi-invaded Prague and landed in New York City. He reconnects with his cousin Clay in Brooklyn, where they create a comic based on their lives. The book is a love letter to the American dream of endless possibilities. Pascal was spotted reading this book in an Instagram Story he shared. 

13. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (1967)

Another book recommended by Pascal is the Latin American masterpiece which chronicles magical realism and tells the story of the Buendía family in the fictional town of Macondo. Márquez’s poetic prose and rich storytelling explores love, loss, and legacy. One Hundred Years of Solitude is among Pascal's frequently recommended books. 

14. Beloved by Toni Morrison (1987)

Pascal talks about Toni Morrison being one of his favourite authors in one of his Instagram posts, specifically Beloved and The Bluest Eye. Beloved is set in the American Civil War era and follows the story of a dysfunctional family of formerly enslaved people whose Cincinnati home is haunted by a malevolent spirit. The book explores the physical, emotional, and spiritual devastation wrought by slavery in America. 

15. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (1970)

The Bluest Eye follows an 11 year-old young Black girl who believes her life would be better if she had blue eyes, touching on the topic of racial discrimination and violence in America. Pedro Pascal recommended Toni Morrison's work to his fans and followers through his Instagram page. 

16. The Urge: Our History of Addiction by Carl Erik Fisher (2022)

Pascal posted The Urge: Our History Of Addiction on Instagram, a book that explores themes of neuroscience and cultural history. The book is a critical examination of how society has formed its opinion on addiction through the ages and rejects addiction as a moral weakness, rather than shining light on the matter through a compassionate scope.