I’ve always loved the idea of being in a book club but I somehow never found the time. Now with the stay-at-home order, I can’t use the “I’m too busy” excuse anymore, and I’m proud to say – I’ve done it! We just completed our first book and meeting last weekend and now it’s time for us all to nominate books for next month.
In my search of where to start with a recommendation, I keep finding lists of books endorsed by celebrities and it’s been a fun starting point for selecting a nomination of my own.
I’ve decided to do a roundup here of celebrity book club selections as a jumping-off point for finding a book to nominate.
Oprah Winfrey
Easily the most famous celebrity book club in existence, Oprah has been reading with fans for years. Her first book club was established in 1996, and it was a discussion segment of her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show. The segment ran for 15 years and included 70 books.
Now, her second book club has a more digital presence. Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 allows for readers to engage digitally. The new version of the book club incorporates the use of Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and more.
A few books I’m interested in from her many years of expertise:
- The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
Reese Witherspoon
Each month Reese Witherspoon picks books she loves and there is always a woman at the center of the story. Recently, she also started adding a YA book club pick each month.
She has an active Instagram account promoting the picks, or you can view the full list at Hello Sunshine.
I’m inspired to read:
- This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett
- The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
- The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
- The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
- The Cactus by Sarah Haywood
Sarah Jessica Parker
SJP started a book club in partnership with ilovelibraries.org. The site has tons of great resources for starting your own book club, supporting libraries, and facilitating conversations around books.
Though this book club is no longer active, the list can still be found and there are quite a few I am interested in reading!
A few books I have my eye on from SJP’s Book Club List:
- Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country by Sarah Smarsh
- Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo
- No One Is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts
Emma Watson
Emma Watson’s book club: Our Shared Shelf is popular on Instagram and Goodreads. Though Emma has taken a step back from the book club, her list of picks is still a great one to look at for inspiration.
I’m interested in reading:
- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
- The Color Purple by Alice Walker
- The Power by Naomi Alderman
Emma Roberts
Emma Roberts and her bestie Karah Preiss share their love of reading through their book club Belletrist. They are very active on Instagram and have a newsletter that you can sign up for promoting each pick. Along with book picks, they also promote indie bookstores and encourage support of local spots.
A few of their picks that I’d like to read:
- Blue Ticket: A Novel by Sophie Mackintosh
- The Vanishing Half: A Novel by Brit Bennett
- These Ghosts Are Family: A Novel by Maisy Card
Jenna Bush Hager
Jenna Bush Hager started her book club on the Today Show about a year and a half ago. One of the best features of her book club is that she posts articles on her site featuring “if you loved xx book, then read these” — I love the follow up for readers that want more!
A few of her picks that I am interested in reading:
- A Burning by Megha Majumdar
- All Adults Here by Emma Straub
- A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum
I loved reading about how these celebrity book club’s got started and feel even more inspired to keep reading and sharing the amazing stories that are found in books.
If you have any recommendations for what I should nominate, let me know in the comments!