8 Books About Hollywood Every Film Buff Should Read!

Every film fanatic has wondered about what really goes on behind the scenes in the industry that they’re fascinated by. From fascinating non-fiction tomes to scintillating novels, these 8 books will give you a peek from the comfort of your home!

1. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Author Taylor Jenkins Reid weaved a gripping music industry centric story with Daisy Jones and The Six and does the same with the film industry in this novel. The book, split into 7 parts, takes readers on journalist Monique Grant's journey as she conducts old Hollywood starlet Evelyn Hugo’s final interview. 

2. Hollywood: The Oral History by Jeanine Basinger and Sam Wasson

This non-fiction book is a long read but well worth it if you’re a history fiend with an interest in the ins and outs of the film industry. The tome is composed of interviews from across the last century of filmmaking, including everyone from 1930s legend Katharine Hepburn to award-winning director Steven Spielberg. 

3. Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion

This novel by award-winning author Joan Didion is regarded as one of her best, as it should be! The story is set in 1960s Los Angeles and narrated by Maria Weyth, who finds herself in a psych ward after a stint in Hollywood that goes south as her personal life crumbles. 

4. Leave The Gun, Take The Cannoli by Mark Seal

If The Godfather is at the top of your iconic films rewatch list, this book about how it was made belongs at the top of your reading list. It follows the journey of the film from the writing of the screenplay to the trouble that brewed when real life Mafia members tried to exert control over their characters' portrayals! 

5. Hollywood Wives by Jackie Collins

The first in British author Jackie Collins's series of novels about Hollywood life, Hollywood Wives follows the stories of an assortment of women in Hollywood, from a compulsive shoplifter wife of an actor to an innocent newcomer whose youthful naivety puts a target on her back.

6. James Whale: A New World Of Gods And Monsters by James Curtis

Fans of the 1931 film adaptation of Frankenstein and the follow-up film The Bride of Frankenstein will get a kick out of this comprehensive biography of the mind behind the movies' director James Whale. The tome gives readers a peek into the events of his life that pushed him towards the film industry, from his enlistment into the service in WWI, and capture that followed, to his stint in theatre set design.

7. The Impersonator by Mary Miley

If you love mysteries and Old Hollywood, The Impersonator blends the two together in a novel that will have you on the edge of your seat. When Jessie Carr was 14, she disappeared without a trace, leaving her devastated family with a list of unanswered questions. But when her uncle stumbles upon a vaudeville actress that looks eerily like his missing niece, he thinks he found the answers. Keyword: "thinks"... 

8. The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar by Mark H. Harris and Robin R. Means Coleman

If you’re interested in Black film history and horror history, this is the perfect non-fiction read for your next rainy day inside. The book explores Black horror film tropes and films throughout the decades, going all the way back to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Authored by entertainment journalist Mark Harris and award-winning scholar Robin Means Coleman, this read sheds light on a corner of the industry that has often found itself getting overlooked. 

Happy reading!