Books
Although Oprah Winfrey has been going strong with her highly influential book club since 1998, in the past couple of years alone there has been a noticeable increase in the amount of high profile bibliophiles who want to bring their love of reading to their fans and followers. These social media driven, online celebrity book clubs include Emma Watson's Our Shared Shelf on Goodreads and Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine book club. The best part is that most of these clubs focus in specifically on books written by women and about women's issues.
If you've been trying to narrow down your summer reading list, why not take a peek at what some of your favorite celebrities are reading over the next few months? Below are the most recent picks from various celebrity-run book clubs. If you want to be introduced to books you may not have otherwise heard about, or you just want to pad your list with some amazing picks written by women, or you just want to, you know, read like a celebrity? Yeah, there's going to be something on this list for you. Be sure to check out the backlist picks from your favorites for never-ending TBR fun.
Emma Watson Is Reading 'The Hate U Give' by Angie Thomas
Through Our Shared Shelf Emma Watson will be reading Angie Thomas's groundbreaking YA novel, The Hate U Give through the end of June. The book follows Starr Carter, who was the only witness when her unarmed best friend Khalil's was killed by a police officer. As she tries to bridge the gap between her fancy prep school and the poor neighborhood she lives in, Starr is also feeling the pressure to reveal what went down that night as the news turns Khalil into a villain and people take to the streets in protest.
....And 'The Radium Girls' by Kate Moore
The second June pick for Our Shared Shelf is The Radium Girls by Kate Moore. This nonfiction book tells the story of the women who scored coveted jobs in radium-dial factories during World War I — then became mysteriously ill. What follows is the story of one of the biggest workers' rights scandals of America's early 20th century.
Reese Witherspoon Is Reading 'Something In The Water' by Catherine Steadman
Reese Witherspoon and her Hello Sunshine book club are diving into Catherine Steadman's Something in the Water this summer. The gripping thriller follows Erin and her husband Mark on their honeymoon to Bora Bora. While scuba diving in the crystal blue sea, they find something in the water. Suddenly the newlyweds must make a dangerous choice: to speak out or to protect their secret. And their decision will trigger a devastating chain of events.
Emma Roberts Is Reading 'Welcome To Lagos' by Chibundu Onuzo
Emma Roberts's Belletrist book club is reading Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo. Deep in the Niger Delta, officer Chike Ameobi deserts the army and sets out on the road to Lagos. He is soon joined by a wayward private, a naive militant, a vulnerable young woman and a runaway middle-class wife. The shared goals of this unlikely group are simple yet complicated: Freedom and a new life.
Florence Welch Is Reading 'On Boxing' by Joyce Carol Oates
Florence & The Machine singer Florence Welch's book club Between Two Books will be taking a more old-school route this summer by devouring the Joyce Carol Oates book On Boxing. This 1987 release is a classic collection of essays on, you guessed it, boxing. But she uses the sport to explore masculinity and violence, and to explored issues of race, poverty, and athletics as entertainment.
Sarah Jessica Parker Is Reading 'Anatomy Of A Miracle' by Jonathan Miles
Sarah Jessica Parker is reading Jonathan Miles's Anatomy of A Miracle with her book club through the American Library Association this summer. Rendered paraplegic after a traumatic event, Cameron Harris lives with his sister in their battered Biloxi, Mississippi neighborhood. But one afternoon Cameron suddenly and inexplicably rises out of his wheelchair. In the aftermath of this "miracle," Cameron finds himself a celebrity at the center of a contentious debate about what's taken place.
...And 'A Place For Us' by Fatima Farheen Mirza
Though A Place For Us is not a book club pick, it is the first book from Parker's imprint with Hogarth and it is shaping up to be one of the biggest books of the summer. The novel follows the lives of an Indian-American Muslim family, gathered together to celebrate the eldest daughter, Hadia's, wedding, and all of the messy ways that parents and children struggle to relate to one another.
Oprah Is Reading 'The Sun Does Shine' by Anthony Ray Hinton
The OG of celebrity book clubs, Oprah's Book Club is reading Anthony Ray Hinton's memoir The Sun Does Shine. In 1985, Hinton was charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. He knew that it was a case of mistaken identity, but with a different system of justice for a poor black man in the South, Hinton was sentenced to death by electrocution. For the next 27 years he was a beacon — transforming not only his own spirit, but those of his fellow inmates — before he won his release in 2015.
