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Rian Johnson

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Rian Craig Johnson is an American filmmaker. He is known for writing and directing the neo-noir film Brick, the comedy-drama The Brothers Bloom, the science-fiction thriller Looper, the space opera Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and the murder-mystery Knives Out, the last of which was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and earned Johnson a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
6 books on the list
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A Swim in a Pond in the Rain book cover
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life
George Saunders - 2021-01-12
Goodreads Rating
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a literary master class on what makes great stories work and what they can tell us about ourselves—and our world today. George Saunders shares his twenty-year experience teaching a class on Russian short stories to MFA students at Syracuse University. In this book, he pairs iconic short stories by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol with his technical yet accessible essays on how narrative functions, why we stay immersed in a story, and the bedrock virtues a writer must foster to create compelling fiction. Through this exploration, Saunders illuminates how the mind itself works while reading and how the reading and writing of stories make genuine connection possible.
Rian Johnson
2021-02-25T07:34:10.000Z
Most inspiring and hands-in-the-dirt useful book about writing I’ve maybe ever read.      source
The Spy Who Loved Me book cover
The Spy Who Loved Me
Ian Fleming - 2003-01-01 (first published in 1962)
Goodreads Rating
This riveting spy novel follows Vivienne Michel, a woman with a troubled past, as she finds herself in the midst of danger at an American motel. Two killers are after her, but when James Bond, 007 arrives on the scene, Viv becomes both hopeful and fascinated. Will the spy be able to save her and show her the love she craves? Find out in this thrilling read.
Rian Johnson
2021-02-09T14:44:40.000Z
@zestitude Maybe the short story collections - I’ve enjoyed all of the books and Fleming’s fetishizing of eating and interior decoration is my favorite part of them. Though fair warning, they’re also all very VERY of their time. The Spy Who Loved Me is a fascinating atypical one.      source
The Confidence-Man book cover
The Confidence-Man
Herman Melville - 1999-11-11 (first published in 1857)
Goodreads Rating
This classic work of literature from Herman Melville takes place on a steamboat journey down the Mississippi on April Fool's Day. Everyone on board is selling something, from quack remedies to fraudulent charities. Set on the eve of the Civil War, the novel satirizes Manifest Destiny and poses the question of where one's faith should lie. The Confidence-Man was Melville's final novel before he retired from writing, and HarperPerennial Classics brings it to life in digital format for modern readers to enjoy.
Rian Johnson
2020-10-30T06:43:36.000Z
Love this book. And it’s insanely post-modern, almost feels like something Pynchon could have written.      source
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - A Hercule Poirot Mystery book cover
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - A Hercule Poirot Mystery
Agatha Christie - 2006-09-01 (first published in 1926)
Goodreads Rating
A murder and a death by overdose shock the English village of King's Abbot. In 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,' the acclaimed author Agatha Christie reinvents the mystery genre with a plot that involves blackmail and restless "little grey cells." Hercule Poirot is on the case, attempting to solve the most perplexing and disturbing case of his career.
Rian Johnson
2019-07-05T01:02:31.000Z
@AdamLanceGarcia I think And Then There Were None is her best book, but The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd and Curtain are probably tied for my personal favorite.      source
And Then There Were None book cover
And Then There Were None
Agatha Christie - 2004-05-03 (first published in 1939)
Goodreads Rating
An island mansion off the Devon coast is the setting for a thrilling mystery. Ten strangers, lured by a mysterious host, soon find themselves accused of having guilty secrets. As they are stranded by a violent storm, they begin to die off one by one. Who is the killer, and will anyone survive?
Rian Johnson
2019-07-05T01:02:31.000Z
@AdamLanceGarcia I think And Then There Were None is her best book, but The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd and Curtain are probably tied for my personal favorite.      source
Recommended by
Stephen King
Curtain book cover
Curtain
Poirot's Last Case
Agatha Christie - 2000-09-01 (first published in 1975)
Goodreads Rating
A group of seemingly harmless houseguests turn out to be anything but when Hercule Poirot declares one of them a five-time murderer. In this country house mystery, Poirot and Arthur Hastings reunite and tackle the case in their final appearance in Christie's works. Set in one house, this novel is a nod to Christie's first, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. It has been adapted for television and is sure to keep you guessing until the end.
Rian Johnson
2019-07-05T01:02:31.000Z
@AdamLanceGarcia I think And Then There Were None is her best book, but The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd and Curtain are probably tied for my personal favorite.      source