Tim McGraw, 59, Says This Kristin Hannah Book Made Him Cry ‘Like a Baby’ for 3 Hours
The country star shares the novel that wrecked him—and his all-time favorite reads
Key Takeaways
- Tim McGraw, 59, says a popular book by a bestselling author made him cry for hours
- The country star loves historical fiction, naming Wouk and Rutherfurd as favorites.
- McGraw bonded with his daughters through books like ‘Harry Potter.’
Nowadays it seems like every celebrity is a reader. From Dolly Parton to Jennifer Garner, there is truly no shortage of A-list book lovers. Even country music star Tim McGraw has opened up about his love for the written word, revealing the book that made him cry like a baby—spoiler: It was written by bestselling historical fiction author Kristin Hannah. Read on for more.
Tim McGraw opens up about his love for books
In a 2019 interview with Today show co-host Jenna Bush Hager, McGraw, 59, revealed that he’s “an avid reader.”
“I love to read, and I’m a big fan of history in general, and my favorite story genre of books to read is historical fiction,” he continued, before revealing what book got him into reading. “Tex by S.E. Hinton was probably the first one that I remember really loving as a kid. I read a lot as a kid, but not as much as I do now, but I think that’s probably the first one that I remember really digging into and really getting a lot out of.”
Tim McGraw reveals his favorite books
As an adult McGraw, said that some of his favorite books include The Winds of War and War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk, calling them “some of my all-time favorite books” and adding, “I also read a lot of stuff by Edward Rutherfurd.”
Another book he loves? The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, which follows two sisters living in Europe during World War II.
“It’s one of my favorite books ever,” the 1883 star said. “I cried like a baby for three hours at the end of it. All my kids have read it, my wife [Faith Hill], everybody loves that book. I read it and recommended it, and they all read it.”
Following that interview with Bush Hager, Hannah herself commented on McGraw’s mention of her bestselling book.
“Wow!! Thank you Tim McGraw and Jenna Bush Hager!! What a great collection of books Tim mentioned,” the author wrote on Facebook. “Several are favorites of mine as well. Love that he loved The Nightingale!”
McGraw said he also loved being able to read with his three daughters.
“[I remember reading them] Goodnight Moon [by Margaret Wise Brown] when they were really little,” the singer said. “Then when Harry Potter [by J.K. Rowling] first came out I read that out loud to them at night.”
McGraw also reads poetry, but he said he does that when he’s “trying to impress my wife.”
Tim McGraw talks about becoming an author
Aside from reading books, McGraw has also written several books in the nonfiction and children’s spaces.
“The thing about it for me is I can’t write stuff down because I can’t write as fast as I think, and when I try, I can’t read what I’ve written down anymore. My writing’s so horrible, and I can’t type,” McGraw said. “When you’re songwriting, you’re looking at things from a more emotional point of view. When you’re writing something as a book I think it’s a little more cerebral.”
“And for me, really the most interesting part, other than the history, is to watch the arc of the modern-day songwriter and the arc of songwriters as it went through the different points of inflection in our history,” he continued. “So when you put it in the context of how music reflects what’s going on at the time, it also reflects what’s happening, but I think it also propels the conversation forward into a new direction as well.”
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