Growing up, Moreau wasn't allowed to go to the theatre or the cinema by her French father (her English mother was a dancer). When her parents separated, she turned to books in her childhood, reading them in the Parisian apartment that she lived in with her mother and sister. "I read many books far too soon," she said in an interview. "They made me sick with terror and fascination."  

"When a child is told something isn't allowed, what do they do?" exclaimed Moreau in an interview. "They read!" Apart from limiting her consumption of pop culture, Moreau's father didn't allow her to read. Moreau was 10 when she picked up La Faute de l'Abbé Mouret by naturalist writer Émile Zola. The book is one of the most prominent works of the French naturalism literary movement, with a story centering on a young priest in a small village. "It was a symbol, every season of the year, every season of life was mixed up, and that sprout was showing me desire, but I knew nothing about desire," Moreau said of the novel.

A lot of Moreau's roles were from adapted screenplays. Luis Buñuel cast her in The Diary of a Chambermaid, an adaptation of Octave Mirbeau's 1900 novel. Rainer Werner Fassbinder adapted a novel by Jean Genet for his last film, Querelle. Moreau's most famous role to date was also one borrowed from the books — Jules et Jim was Francois Truffaut's adaptation of Henri-Pierre Roché's 1953 novel, centering on a liaison between two bohemian friends and their love for one woman, played by Moreau. 

It's no surprise that someone with a love for books has also inspired contemporary authors. Salman Rushdie is a fan of Moreau, mentioning her in his essay, In Praise of Strong Women. "Films have mattered to me as much as books, and so images of women in film inhabit my imagination as powerfully as those of literary characters," he wrote. The author singled out Moreau singing Le Tourbillon in Jules et Jim as one of those iconic moments.

One of the books Moreau loved is the autobiography, One Day You'll Understand by Jerome Clement, the president of France's Arte television. In the book, Clement embarks on a journey to learn about the Jewish side of his family who disappeared during World War 2. Moreau played the role of Clement's mother in the film adaptation, which was released in 2008. "Jerome is a close friend of mine," said Moreau. "I read his book when it was published, and I was very moved."