Books
There is still a month left of summer, do you know what books you're bringing to the beach? If you can't decide which of the many incredible titles to add to your TBR pile, may I suggest checking out the books celebrities are reading this summer. You may not be able to live like the stars, but at least you can read like them.
From Oprah's original book club to the rise of new star-powered ones, including Emma Watson's Our Shared Shelf and Emma Roberts's Belletrist, there is no shortage of reading suggestions coming out of Hollywood these days. It seems like, over the last year, the must-have accessory for celebrities isn't a statement shoe or a designer bag, but a book — or, in many cases, a lot of books. If you've searched online, then you know that you don't have to look very hard to find the rich and the famous promoting not only their favorite products, but their favorite reads. Celebrities — they're just like us! Or at least, they like to read just like us.
If you're looking for your next beach read, then check out these nine books celebrities are recommending, and see what they have to say about each one.
Reese Witherspoon is reading 'Next Year in Havana' by Chanel Cleeton
"I can never resist a good romance," Hollywood superstar Reese Witherspoon wrote on Instagram in a post announcing her Hello Sunshine July pick. "It's a beautiful novel that's full of forbidden passions, family secrets and a lot of courage and sacrifice. It follows two different generations of women in Cuba: Elisa, who was forced to flee from there during the revolution, and her granddaughter Marisol, who has returned. In the end, it's all about love. I can’t wait for y’all to read this one!"
Oprah is reading 'The Sun Does Shine: How I found Life and Freedom on Death Row' by Anthony Ray Hinton
Is nonfiction more your thing? Then you'll love what Oprah is reading this summer. As the book club queen explained on Instagram, The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton is an "unimaginable memoir" that tells the story of an innocent man falsely convicted of a crime he did not commit and held on death row for 30 years. A title Oprah is "SO passionate about," it's a book every American interested in the justice system should read.
Emma Roberts is reading 'Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession' by Alice Bolin
One of two incredible nonfiction picks for her Belletrist Book Club this July, actress Emma Roberts said Dead Girls is "a book for any mystery/true crime fanatic... or even a casual fan." She also admitted it "made me think about my own fascination with true crime in a way I never considered before," and take it from someone who has read it, it will make you think differently, too.
Mindy Kaling is reading 'The Hellfire Club' by Jake Tapper
According to actress, writer, and comedian Mindy Kaling, Jake Tapper's The Hellfire Club is "so good." On Instagram, the A Wrinkle in Time star admitted she could not put it down. "Guys, if you like political thrillers," she wrote," this is the one!"
Emma Watson is reading 'Milk and Honey' by Rupi Kaur
Founder of the Our Shared Shelf actress Emma Watson has selected her book club's first poetry title, Rupi Kaur's Milk and Honey. "Unlike poems I have often spent weeks unraveling, Rupi’s poems are not designed to obscure meaning or entertain too much ambiguity - they hit you like punches to the stomach," Watson wrote in an Instagram post announcing the July/August selection. "They are immediate, visceral and not easily digested. I am loathe to say Rupi has made poetry “accessible” because while this is the truth (Rupi’s poems and illustrations fit well into those famously square shaped Instagram frames), there is nothing easy or accessible about what Rupi chooses to talk about. In fact, the topics she chooses, are audacious."
Sarah Jessica Parker is reading 'OK, Mr. Field' by Katherine Kilalea
You may know her as a fashion icon, but Sarah Jessica Parker has also made quite the name for herself in the book world. She recently took to Instagram to recommend three incredible titles, "[a]ll women authors who are most assuredly worth your time," including OK, Mr. Field by Katherine Kilalea, which is out now. According to the actress and publisher you should "read back to back an exciting bundle and robust testimony to the accumulating list of very special female voices publishing today from all over the globe."
Rashida Jones is reading 'Moan: Anonymous Essays on Female Orgasm' edited by Emma Koeing
"The more of the spectrum of women's desires we share, the better," wrote actress Rashida Jones on Instagram. According to the Parks and Recreation star, Emma Koeing's Moan is "a wonderful collection of essays that are funny, honest and necessary."
Sophia Bush is reading 'A Little Radical: The ABC's of Activism' by Danica and Jason Russel
Who says kids' books are just for kids? Actress and all-around inspiration Sophia Bush says that although A Little Radical is technically for children, she still reads gets a lot out of reading it. "It's the A, B, C's of Activism," she wrote on Instagram. "It teaches kids, and adults too, how to love on the world. How to be part of a team, and how each person's heart, commitment, and action make the world a better place."
Brie Larson is reading 'The Heroine's Journey' by Maureen Murdock
Actress and icon Brie Larson isn't just recommending Maureen Murdock's feminist classic The Heroine's Journey on Instagram, she's sharing quotes from it. "This is the sacred marriage of the feminine and masculine," she wrote, "when a woman can truly serve not only the needs of others but can value and be responsive to her own needs as well." I don't know about you, but that is the kind of affirmation I would love to hear more of.
