Hillary Clinton Reveals Her Favorite Childhood Book Series And It's So Perfect
If Hillary Clinton has a mystery to solve -- like, say, why she lost the election -- her favorite childhood book heroine can help her figure it out.
Clinton spoke all about books at the BookExpo in New York City on Thursday evening. She was interviewed onstage there by Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild.
During the talk, Strayed asked her about her favorite books growing up.
"I've always loved reading," Clinton told Strayed.
"I think, like a lot of young girls of my time, I read every Nancy Drew book," she said.
Clinton admitted she liked the earlier Nancy Drew books better than the later ones, and she said Nancy was very much an icon to her.
"She just seemed like such a go-getter and really smart and brave--" Clinton said.
"-- Kind of like someone we know," Strayed cut in.
"I read a lot of books when I was growing up," Clinton continued, "but that had a big impact on me, because she was -- dare I say -- a little of a role model, you know? And I always felt so bad because her mother had died. I mean she's taking care of the house, she's going to school, she's solving mysteries -- I mean, really."
Clinton also revealed the books that she read in the aftermath of her devastating election loss.
After the election, she read a lot of mystery books, she divulged.
"I am a very devoted mystery reader, but I also have some favorites," Clinton teased.
She said she loves Jacqueline Winspear and her Maisie Dobbs, as well as authors Donna Leon and Louise Penny.
Clinton got to meet Penny after the election, and she said it was "really fun" to talk to her about her series.
"I read a lot of mysteries," Clinton said, "and it was very comforting that it was somebody else's problem."
During the interview, Clinton said that her husband, Bill, is her most trusted reader when she's writing books and pieces of her own, as she's doing now.
Last month, it was announced that Bill is writing a political thriller with author James Patterson. Based on her lifelong love of mysteries, I'm betting Clinton is going to have a new favorite to rave about soon enough.