Let’s start with a little celebrity book club history. Back in 1996, Oprah Winfrey, one of the world’s most recognizable names at the time, turned her attention to books as she began her own book club. Periodically she chose a title and with her blessing, sales skyrocketed for the book and everyone seemed to be reading and talking about it. Over fifteen years, 70 titles were chosen for this honor, nearly all New York Times Bestsellers. The book club was rebooted after Oprah’s talk show ended, and while still popular, never quite regained the same level of fervor. However the tale of book clubs doesn’t end there. Many bookish celebrities have seen the opportunity to use their fame and platforms, to elevate authors and titles.
Reese Witherspoon- Hello Sunshine Book Club
Probably the most popular of the new book clubs, Hello Sunshine chooses a new book each month and announces it through their website, instagram and facebook pages. Reese has a good sense for well-written books with mass appeal. Some of her former selections include books that have become the most talked about titles in the past few years like Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.
Sarah Jessica Parker- SJP Picks @ ALA Book Club Central
This initiative through the American Library Association, is still relatively new, but gaining momentum. The selections are chosen a few times a year, not following a monthly schedule like many other clubs. Sarah Jessica, like Reese, writes a quick write-up of why she chose each title. This personalization helps you get a sense of what resonates from the book more than you can gather from jacket copy. Past choices have included She Would Be King by Wayétu Moore and No One is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts.
Emma Roberts & Karah Preiss- Belletrist
Actress Emma Roberts (daughter of Eric, niece of Julia) and Karah Preiss began as friends who loved to talk about books. After a while, they wanted others to share in their discussions of thought-provoking reads, and so they began Belletrist. Choosing new titles announced on Instagram monthly, the selections tend toward more off the beaten path titles such as Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok and The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon.
Andrew Luck- Andrew Luck Book Club
The former Indianapolis Colts quarterback is an avid reader and wants to share his love of reading with fans of all ages. Each month he chooses a title for “Rookies”, his younger readers and “Veterans”, his more mature readers. Andrew chooses a wide range of books in regards to genre, but all incredibly well written and well reviewed. There are a lot of classics and nonfiction in his lists, but also some contemporary fiction for both teens and adults.
If you are looking for more recommendations from a famous face, also checkout Emma Watson’s Our Shared Shelf on Goodreads.com, Lauren Graham’s #LGBookClub on Twitter, and Jimmy Fallon’s Annual The Tonight Show Summer Read. Finally the queen of celebrity book clubs is coming back. Oprah is planning to launch a new version of her book club with Apple+ in the near future. If you are a lover of books and always looking for a new recommendation, check out any of these clubs.