Many a celebrity will pen an autobiography, memoir, or collection of essays in their lifetime but fewer venture into the world of fiction. From a Sherlock-themed mystery by six-time NBA MVP and basketball legend with an IMDb page Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to a collection of short stories from six-time Academy Award nominee and two-time winner Tom Hanks, here are some fiction titles from actors who have decided to share stories with audiences away from the stage and screen.
Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
“The new novel by NBA All-Star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, starring brothers Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes. It is 1873, and Mycroft Holmes is in service to the Crown once again. A distant relative of Queen Victoria has been slain by the Fire Four Eleven killer, a serial murderer who leaves no mark upon his victims. Mycroft allows Sherlock to take the case.”
Truly Like Lightning – David Duchovny
“The X-Files star and best-selling author of Miss Subways follows the experiences of a former Hollywood stuntman-turned-Mormon polygamist who is blackmailed by an ambitious developer to enroll his children in public school.”
Postcards from the Edge – Carrie Fisher
“In a stunning literary debut, Carrie Fisher chronicles the excruciatingly funny adventures of Suzanne Vale – young film star and drug addict, who survives a rehab clinic only to rejoin the equally harrowing world of Hollywood. Out there on the edge, despair flips into hilarity, and we’re left laughing as Suzanne struggles to come to terms with her various fantasylands. Carrie Fisher’s reading evokes the deliciously irreverent humor that forms the lens through which she looks at life in the ’80s.”
Someday, Someday, Maybe – Lauren Graham
“The stage and screen star best known for her work in such series as Gilmore Girls presents the story of a struggling actress in 1990s New York City who searches for work and the perfect hair product while befriending a rival and resisting her father’s pressure to get a “real” job.”
Uncommon Type: Some Stories – Tom Hanks
“The two-time Oscar winner presents a first collection of short fiction that includes the stories of a bowling champion who fears his celebrity has ruined his love of the game and an eccentric billionaire and faithful assistant who, while searching for acquisitions, discover romance and real life in a down-and-out motel.”
A Bright Ray of Darkness – Ethan Hawke
“The four-time Academy Award-nominated actor and director shares the blistering story of a young man making a Broadway debut in Henry IV at the same time his marriage implodes. By the author of Rules for a Knight.”
The Perfume Burned His Eyes – Michael Imperioli
“After the loss of both his father and grandfather, sixteen-year-old Matthew moves from Queens to Manhattan with his mother. There he learns to navigate a new school, a new neighborhood and a neighbor upstairs, Lou Reed.”
No One Belongs Here More Than You: Stories – Miranda July
“The creator and star of Me and You and Everyone We Know presents a collection of short works featuring profoundly sympathetic protagonists whose inherent sensitivities render them particularly vulnerable to unexpected events.”
An Object of Beauty – Steve Martin
“Lacey Yeager takes New York City’s art world by storm, charming men and women, old and young, rich and even richer with her magnetic charisma and liveliness and experiencing the highs and lows of the art world from the late 1990s into the present day.”
Home Stretch – Graham Norton
“A survivor of a car accident that killed a group of his young friends, including a bride and groom the day before their wedding, leaves Ireland to put distance between himself and his guilt and secrets.”
One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories – B.J. Novak
“A debut collection by a writer for the Emmy Award-winning series The Office includes the title story, in which a boy’s lucrative sweepstakes win proves more harm than good for his family.”
Montaro Caine – Sidney Poitier
“A first novel by the Presidential Medal of Freedom-winning actor and author of Life Beyond Measure follows the experiences of a corporate CEO who, two decades after discovering a coin made of materials not known on Earth, finds his views on faith, race and the meaning of life challenged by a wrenching battle for ownership of the coin.”
Bonfire – Krysten Ritter
“Successful environmental lawyer Abby Williams is forced to confront her small-town past while investigating a high-profile corruption case back home...”
