These are Elvis Costello's three favorite cautionary tales

Elvis Costello, who made everyone’s favorite song about Margaret Thatcher, has a new memoir out. It’s called Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink.

But Costello isn’t just a writer, he’s also a reader. Ahead of an appearance at the New York Public Library on Friday night, Costello answered a couple questions about his reading habits for NYPL’s blog. Turns out, he loves cautionary tales:

What are the three books you can’t live without, and why?

The Pat Hobby Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald – A cautionary tale

Adolf Hitler: My Part In His Downfall by Spike Milligan – A cautionary tale

My Last Sigh by Luis Buñuel – A cautionary tale

The Pat Hobby Stories are a bunch of short stories Fitzgerald wrote about a broke, alcoholic screenwriter. Adolf Hitler: My Part In His Downfall is a World War II memoir. My Last Sigh is a memoir of the (wonderful) filmmaker Luis Buñuel.

The music world is tough, but Elvis seems to be doing pretty well! Why so many cautionary tales?

Elvis, my friend…are you OK? Call me!

Ethan Chiel is a reporter for Fusion, writing mostly about the internet and technology. You can (and should) email him at [email protected]