Somebody Feed Phil Host Phil Rosenthal Reveals the 6 Books He Devours

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee

The 1960  classic novel is “one of the greatest books ever written,” Rosenthal told Page Six. “It’s about being a dad,” he added of the novel, “and being a good human being.”

‘The Catcher in the Rye’ by J.D. Salinger

J.D. Salinger’s 1951 coming-of-age novel also made Rosenthal’s list. Not only that, but he called it the “best book about being an adolescent ever written.” Said the Somebody Feed Phil host: “It’s relatable to every kid of a certain age.”

‘Without Feathers’ by Woody Allen

This collection of short bites — tales, essays and plays, to be exact — is a “brilliant work of comedy by Woody Allen,” Rosenthal told Page Six. According to Rosenthal, it was the very first book to make the TV show host “laugh out loud.”

‘The Shining’ by Stephen King

Perhaps Stephen King’s most widely known work, thanks in part to its beloved 1980 film adaptation starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, The Shining is Rosenthal’s “favorite horror novel.” The 1997 thriller is “just a really well-written book,” the star told Page Six, adding, “I’ve read it twice!”

‘Rabbit, Run’ by John Updike

Rosenthal offered high praise to author John Updike, best known for his Rabbit series and The Witches of Eastwick, which later spawned an iconic film adaptation starring Nicholson, Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer and Susan Sarandon. The actor’s favorite, however, is the first installment in the aforementioned series: 1960’s Rabbit, Run.

“One of America’s great authors,” he told Page Six of Updike, adding that Rabbit, Run “was one of the first books about someone unlike me that I could relate to.”

‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel, also brought to life in a beloved film adaptation led by Leonardo DiCaprio, is another classic work that made the foodie’s list. The beloved novel was “one of the centerpieces of modern literature” and “completely transporting,” the Everybody Loves Raymond alum told Page Six.

This seminal novel marked “the first time I understood what a metaphor was,” he said.