Looking for a new book club to join? Lucky for you, these celebs have you covered!
Celebrities choose their favorite books to share with fans, usually by working directly with major publishing houses and selecting a frontlist title that speaks to them. Occasionally, celebs will pick a backlist title from their personal library.
The queen of the celebrity book club, Oprah started her now-iconic club back in 1996. Fans of classic literature by Toni Morrison, William Faulkner, Leo Tolstoy and Gabriel García Márquez should be sure to check out Oprah’s picks. She features the best of books, old and new!
The TODAY book club, #ReadWithJenna, features fan-favorite backlist titles like Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History” released in 1992, as well as hit debut titles like Jessamine Chan’s “The School for Good Mothers” released in 2022. Jenna has only been selecting books since 2019, but we already love her taste, which ranges from historical fiction to mystery, memoir, and beyond!
Reese’s Book Club has quickly become a favorite among readers, and we can see why! Picks like “Where the Crawdads Sing,” “Little Fires Everywhere,” and “Daisy Jones and the Six” have been major crowd pleasers. She even has a few YA picks for both young and young-at-heart readers.
Emma Roberts and her best friend, Karah Preiss, run the book club Belletrist. Picks often feature protagonists in their 20s and 30s and explore questions related to womanhood, identity, queerness, race and coming-of-age. Notable picks include “Sex and Rage” by Eve Babitz, “Her Body and Other Parties” by Carmen Maria Machado, and “An American Marriage” by Tayari Jones.
The Goopiest celebrity on this list, Gwyneth Paltrow has been on a book club hiatus since June 2022, but you can still check out backlist picks like “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies” by Deesha Philyaw on the Goop website.
Musician Noname has a phenomenal book club with chapters across the country, so you can check if there’s one in your area! There are also Zoom sessions available to all. The club’s one major rule is don’t buy from Amazon, and support a Black-owned bookstore if you can. If you can’t, the library is always a great option. Author picks include the legendary Toni Morrison, bell hooks, Yaa Gyasi, James Baldwin, Angela Davis and Alice Wong, to name a few.
Supermodel Kaia Gerber runs a casual book club through her Instagram page, often featuring memorable conversations with other celebrities such as fellow supermodel Emily Ratajkowski, actress Laura Dern and author Carmen Maria Machado.
Emma runs a semi-secret book club on Instagram under the handle @someb00kswotiread. They don’t have a strict monthly format, so this is a great fit for anyone who wants to read more but gets stressed out by scheduling. A few of their notable picks: “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin, “Swimming in the Dark” by Tomasz Jedrowski and “The Mermaid of Black Conch” by Monique Roffey.
Dua is the newest book club girlie on the scene, and we love that for her! Her book club, called Service95, started in June. Her first two picks are “Shuggie Bain” and “Pachinko.” Join this club if you feel like starting something new!
Musician Florence Welch, of Florence and the Machine, runs a book club called Between Two Books. Recent picks include “If I Had Your Face,” “The Haunting of Hill House” and “Priestdaddy.” If you gravitate toward genre-bending titles or horror books, you should definitely check this one out!
If you think book clubs are just for the girls, think again! Former quarterback Andrew Luck is also an avid reader and book club founder. Although his club has been on hiatus since August 2020, the backlist picks are worth checking out. Take a look on Instagram at @albookclub.
Watson ran a popular book club from 2016-2019 called Our Shared Shelf. The club began as a way for readers to engage with intersectional feminism. Be sure to check out Watson’s backlist picks, including “Pachinko,” “Beloved,” “Sister Outsider,” “All About Love,” “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “The Color Purple.”
The principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, Isabella Boylston, is also the host of the Ballerina Book Club. A sci-fi and fantasy lover, Boylston recommends top genre picks such as “The City We Became” by N.K. Jemisin.
Shonda Rhimes, Jimmy Fallon, Sarah Jessica Parker
Still not satisfied with these celebrity book clubs? Try digging up reading recs from other literary stars like Shonda Rhimes, Jimmy Fallon and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Or maybe your favorite author is a celeb whose book club you’d like to join! You can check out Fable to choose from thousands of book clubs, including ones moderated by your favorite authors.
Best of luck on your bookish journey!
Jackie Karneth is a publicist with Books Forward is an author publicity and book marketing firm committed to promoting voices from a diverse variety of communities. From book reviews and author events, to social media and digital marketing, we help authors find success and connect with readers.
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