I was also drawn to authors who used history as a backdrop in their work, like Michael Crichton, Joseph Conrad, and Michael Shaara. Even the authors I thought were the funniest, like Kurt Vonnegut, Evelyn Waugh, and George Saunders, definitely wrote darker comedy. I loved learning about other places that weren’t my hometown and I was always drawn to a great story, the same way I’m drawn to a great hook in a song.Īnd even when I was young, I liked books that had something dark or grotesque about them, starting with Stephen King and eventually moving to Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Angela Carter, and Cormac McCarthy. Tell us a bit about the role books and reading has played in your life.Ĭolin Jost: Reading was always a big part of my life, even beyond school. Goodreads: It takes you exactly one paragraph into your memoir before you declare your love for books.

Jost talked with Goodreads about his love of Russian literature and the importance of books in his life, and he tells us who’s the most well-read of his Saturday Night Live colleagues. In it he talks about his childhood growing up in a family of firefighters on Staten Island, his Harvard education, and his work as head writer on the iconic sketch comedy show. Jost has just written his first book, the memoir A Very Punchable Face. Well, consider this an introduction to Colin Jost, the author. You might know comedian Colin Jost from his work as the co-anchor of Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update, or perhaps you know him as Scarlett Johansson’s fiancé. 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

You have a very punchable face