Fahrenheit V13: Kentucky Considers Some of His Favourite Books

As we transition into a new calendar year, Kentucky can proudly say that he made the absolute most of 2025. The year included the release of his debut full-length album, Second Chance Music, some standalone singles, and his “Houseboat Tour” documentary. The stage name of singer-songwriter Jordan Holman, Kentucky, has really hit his stride, with a burgeoning fanbase that has really connected with the personal approach he brings to each and every song.

Second Chance Music is an extremely personal album, one dedicated to anyone who has ever felt like they lost their way or doubted if they would ever get a second chance. Kentucky’s story is one of resilience, focus, commitment, and renewal. With an epic 2025 behind him, he is excitedly looking towards 2026 as an opportunity for more personal growth and to connect with new audiences.

As with many musicians, Kentucky is an avid reader. He joins us today for Fahrenheit V13 to discuss the wide, wonderful world of books, including his favourite (an unconventional choice), his reading habits, and his favourite authors.

What is the book that has made the most impact on you as a person?

Kentucky: “The bible, specifically the gospels. The reason is that it is the first time in written history that we have a person espousing peace as a total way of life with no exceptions. I actually looked it up recently to see if any religious, political, philosophical, or cultural figures had ever promoted literal peace on earth as a complete way of life, and was sort of half-surprised that indeed the first person to do so was alleged Jesus.

“But then, when I thought about it more, I realized that it made sense just simply based on the massive echoing impact that Jesus’ alleged words and actions have had on all of history since they allegedly happened. His teachings about peace, including those found in the Gnostic Gospels (aka the ones that the Roman Empire and all governments and churches since then refuse to allow in the bible), are truly new and one of a kind, even to this day, if they are followed.”

Who are your favourite writers?

“Leo Tolstoy, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, Patti Smith, Hemingway, Milan Kundera, Hugh MacLennan, George Orwell, Robert Pirsig, Cormac McCarthy, Bill Carter, Christopher Lamb, and Alan Moore.”

What’s a book that you think everyone should be required to read from cover to cover throughout their time in school?

“The Three Questions by Leo Tolstoy. It gives you a simple guide on how to live your life that everyone can understand.”

What’s the scariest book you’ve ever read?

“A tie between It by Stephen King, and 1984 by George Orwell, with a runner-up going to Shake Hands With The Devil by Romeo Dallaire.”

How often do you find or make time to read? Are you paperback, hardcover, or ebook?

“I read every single day, sometimes a little, sometimes for hours. I make that time, especially as an adult, or it wouldn’t happen. But, I don’t mean that I schedule it. What I do is live my life in a certain way such that I can read whenever the hell I feel like it, because I place it as a top 10 priority. It’s above hanging out with friends, above watching a movie, above shopping (yuck), above social media… You get the idea.

“I read mostly paperbacks, although I will spring for a hardcover if the book or its author has deep and special meaning to me. I read nothing on an ebook. And I also read the New York Times every day on my phone, as well as various articles, op-eds, and news from various sources throughout the day on my phone and computer.”

Are there any particular editions or collections of books you’d be excited to collect and own?

“Yes, an 1800s-era copy of Dante’s Inferno by Dante Alighieri, with the original etchings by Gustav Doré. That would really float my boat and put me in touch with something that I can’t even name. I’ve been looking for a long time, and I have not yet found it, leaving my name at many American bookstores throughout the years.”

What’s the longest book you’ve ever read? Did you enjoy it despite its length?

“I’m pretty sure it would be War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It is 1,300 pages or so, depending on how it’s printed and font and page size, etc. War & Peace was so hard to keep track of mentally when I was 16 that after the first 400 pages, I gave up. It was the first and only time I couldn’t continue reading a book. I simply wasn’t evolved enough, smart enough, developed enough to handle it at 16.

“When I picked it back up and started all over again around 30, I plowed through it over the course of several weeks, and it changed my life, the way I think, and most of all, my perspective on how to perceive myself in the context of my social, historical, and cultural surroundings. So yeah, I enjoyed it deeply. But more than that, it changed who I am, and I love that.”

Do you enjoy graphic novels or comics?

“I love them, and I consider them to be very important to our culture because they have a unique way of allowing us to see ourselves a step removed from ‘real life,’ which allows us to swallow harder truths than we can when a book’s characters are not literally comic/illustrated. I think that The Watchmen by Alan Moore is probably the most significant work in that art form, and certainly in Western culture.

“However, there are extremely important and beautiful Japanese works that I am not qualified to speak on, and I do think that some of the mid-’80s work by Alan Moore and a handful of others in Batman, Captain America, and especially in Daredevil are significant achievements in literature.”