Life
30 Celebrities' All-Time Favorite Books You've Got To Read
Celebrities, they're just like you. While, sure, their job is likely quite different than yours and results in their lifestyle also often looking very different from your own, from parenting toddlers to that skincare product they love and even the books the read, they're not as different from you as you might think. If you're looking for new books to read, look no further than these celebrities' all-time favorite books you've got to read. After all, you sometimes look to them for the inside scoop on other products. Why should books be any different?
Oprah's Book Club might be the most well-known celebrity bookclub, but nowadays, other celebrities ranging from Emma Watson to Reese Witherspoon are also getting in on that bookclub game. Not only that, but in the age of Instagram, you can get book recommendations from nearly anyone just by scrolling through the app. Social media and magazine interviews also make celebrities more accessible and relatable — they can give you an up-close-and-personal look into some (if not all) aspects of their lives — so much so that you might start to trust them like you would a friend. If Reese recommends a book, you'll check it out. Still, you want to know what their very favorites are, not just that they enjoyed the book they read most recently. Get ready to add a whole lot of timeless and well-loved books to your reading list.
1Replay
Glamour reported that this book is Olivia Munn's favorite. It's about a man named Jeff who keeps "replaying" his past life events and decisions over and over again, allowing him to right wrongs, fix mistakes, and more. It'll make you think about what you'd do if you also could change your past.
2Just Kids
In a 2012 interview with Savoir Flair, actress Emma Watson said that she's "had Patti Smith's Just Kids on [her] bedside forever." This book, about her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe in the late 1960s and 1970s, is a tale of friendship and growing up.
3Tender Is The Night
While perhaps less read and less well-known than Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Tender Is the Night is a book that you should definitely read if you haven't already. It's about romance, sure, but it's also about tragedy and the downfall of a doctor, Dick Diver. In a different article, Glamour reported that this book is one of actress Jessica Biel's favorites.
4Interpreter Of Maladies
In a 2013 interview, Mindy Kaling told TIME that Interpreter of Maladies was a life-changing read, so it's safe to say that it's one of the actress's favorites. She also revealed that her character on The Mindy Project, Mindy Lahiri, was named after author Jhumpa Lahiri. The book is a collection of stories about what it's like to be forced to navigate and incorporate the Indian traditions with which they were raised and the strange, foreign new culture in which they're now living.
5One Hundred Years Of Solitude
In an interview with Shape, actress Sophia Vergara said, "Reading is my passion. I swear I don't even know how to turn on my TV," as she revealed that her favorite novel is One Hundred Years of Solitude. The novel is about the fictional town of Macondo and the Buendía family. As the family endures ups and downs, so too does the town, and the book has enchanted readers since it was first published in the 20th century.
6Their Eyes Were Watching God
Refinery29 reported that Yara Shahidi shared on Instagram that Their Eyes Were Watching God, which the young actress was, at the time, reading for her A.P. Literature class, is one of her favorite novels ever. The Zora Neale Hurston classic is a story of love (and the ups, downs, complications, and devastation that can go with it) in the South and is a book that everyone should read.
7A Wrinkle In Time
Tech exec Sheryl Sandberg told The New York Times in 2013 that her favorite book as a kid was a classic: A Wrinkle in Time. The book is about a fearless young girl, Meg Murry, who, with the help of her brother and their friend Calvin, has to find a way to save her father who's been captured by the Dark Thing. The film adaptation of the book, directed by Ava DuVernay, hits theaters in March 2018.
8The Orphan Master's Son
This book tells the story of North Korean Pak Jun Do, a boy whose mother is out of the picture and whose father runs a work camp for orphans. He becomes professional kidnapper, desperate to survive, and, when he falls in love with actress Sun Moon, he finds himself at odds with the North Korean leader. Glamour reported that The Orphan Master's Son is among Jamie Chung's favorite books.
9Song Of Solomon
This classic Toni Morrison work tells the story of Milkman Dead, born shortly after a neighbor dies trying to fly and forever in search of the ability to fly himself. Former First Lady Michelle Obama told a group of kids gathered at the White House in 2011 for Take Your Child To Work Day that the first book she ever loved was Song of Solomon.
10Lucy
The Oprah website noted that Zoe Saldana's favorite book is Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid. The book tells the story of a young woman named Lucy, who arrives in North America from the Caribbean to work as a nanny for a seemingly perfect couple. However, things aren't as perfect as they may appear — with her employers or with herself.
11The Master And Margarita
This book is about corruption, love, and good and evil. It'll keep you reading from start to finish. In the previously-mentioned piece, the Oprah website reported that this book is one of actor Daniel Radcliffe's favorites.
12Persuasion
Stylist reported that Persuasion, one of Jane Austen's arguably lesser-read works is one of celebrity cook and food writer Nigella Lawson's favorite books. The novel is a story about a love that lasts years and the complications, obstacles, and confusion that threatens to derail it.
13Arcadia
Jumping between events taking place 180 years apart, Tom Stoppard's play about secrets, truth, and time, among other things, is a good play to read if you don't read them often. Also, Glamour reported that it is one of Jon Hamm's favorites, so if you ever meet the actor, there's your conversation starter.
14The Seat Of The Soul
In a commencement speech at Skidmore College, Oprah Winfrey disclosed that The Seat of the Soul was the book that changed her life, CNBC reported. The book changes the way you approach interacting with others, facing obstacles, and accomplishing hopes and dreams, and teaches you more about why you act the way you do and what it is that motivates you so that you can take charge of your own life.
15The Fountainhead
A story about integrity, ego, progress, and, occasionally, hopelessness, The Fountainhead is a controversial classic. It's also, as the actress told Stylist in an interview, Eva Mendes's favorite book.
16Crime And Punishment
In 2013, writer Joyce Carol Oates told the Boston Globe that Crime and Punishment is her all-time favorite book because it had such a big impact on her. This book is about Raskolnikov, a poor student who thinks that he is above the rules of society because he is so brilliant. To test that, he decides to murder a St. Petersburg pawnbroker. Very quickly, however, he learns that things are not going to go according to plan.
17Emma
In a piece she penned for the Oprah website, author J.K. Rowling revealed that her favorite book is Emma by Jane Austen. If you've seen Clueless, you already know the story, sort of, but it's about a young woman named Emma who believes that she will never fall in love and is trying to arrange an advantageous marriage for her friend Harriet. She's in love with Mr. Knightley, however, but won't admit it. Like Cher in Clueless, Emma isn't as much in control of the situation as she might like. If you've never read this book, you should — it's a delight.
18The Golden Notebook
Author Anna keeps her thoughts organized in four different notebooks, but when she falls for an American writer, she has to try to find a way to combine her four notebooks into one golden notebook. Stylist reported that Gwyneth Paltrow counts this feminist tale as one of her favorites.
19Pride And Prejudice
This book tells the story of independent and headstrong Elizabeth Bennet, the second of five daughters, her sisters, her overbearing mother, and her dry-witted and snarky father. Mrs. Bennet is working hard to ensure that each of her daughters marries "well" (meaning a wealthy husband) and couldn't be more pleased when wealthy Mr. Bingley comes to town. It's a classic and beloved favorite for a reason. Plus, Stylist noted that Keira Knightley, who played Elizabeth Bennet in the film adaptation, has long loved it.
20The Things They Carried
Actor Jake Johnson told BuzzFeed that he loves the book The Things They Carried and continued to think of it often after reading it. The book is about a group of men who fought in the Vietnam war, including character Tim O'Brien who, after surviving the war and making his way home, became a father and a professional writer. It's a story about war, survival, and the importance of storytelling.
21When You Are Engulfed In Flames
In this collection of essays, David Sedaris discusses some of the humdrum events of daily life, as well as some more unique situations that aren't quite as universal. Glamour reported that this book is one of actress Rachel McAdams's favorites.
22The Prophet
In a 2015 interview with Harper's Bazaar, actress Salma Hayek said that The Prophet is the one film that she watches over and over again, just as she reads the book over and over again. The book is about a prophet who, when he gets ready to leave the town in which he's lived, has to answer questions from his fellow town residents about all kinds of topics so that he can impart his wisdom before he goes.
23Year Of Yes
If you've ever wanted to be best friends with show-runner, producer, and writer Shonda Rhimes, reading this book will make you feel like you're close. The book is about her life before she found success in Hollywood as well as the year she spent saying "yes" to everything that came her way, no matter how scary it seemed. She'll inspire you to be brave too. Plus, Scandal actress Kerry Washington told E! News that it's one of her all-time favorite books.
24Cloud Atlas
This book interweaves six different stories that cut across age, time, and circumstances and show how their purposes and futures can change in ways that might be unexpected. Glamour noted that actress Natalie Portman thinks this book is one of the best ever. It's heavy, but a page-turner.
25The Dream Of A Common Language
Mental Floss reported that, in her memoir Wild, author Cheryl Strayed brought two books with her on her trip, one of which was The Dream of a Common Language. Though she burned other books on the trail to lighten her load, she couldn't bring herself to dispose of this one. This collection of poems capture a woman's whole being, as the Boston Evening Globe noted in a review. It's required reading.
26The Secret Garden
This classic novel is about initially obnoxious and curious orphan Mary Lennox moving in with relatives after her parents die of cholera and, along with her cousin Colin and another child, Dickon, discovering a secret garden that's been abandoned since Colin's mother died years ago. Stylist reported that this is one of Anne Hathaway's favorite books.
27Same Kind Of Different As Me
This book tells the story of Denver, living under a sort of slavery until he hops a train to escape in the 1960s, and Ron, a multimillionaire art dealer, who both meet Miss Debbie, who changes both of their lives. Adrienne Bailon told Latina that Same Kind of Different as Me is one of her favorite books.
28Thérèse Raquin
Glamour reported that this French novel is a favorite of starlet Kate Winslet. This dramatic book tells the story of love, adultery, and revenge. It was published in the 19th century, but the story still captivates today.
29The Cement Garden
Stylist reported that one of actress Kate Beckinsale's favorite books is The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan. This book is quite dark, but is about the parts of childhood that adults try to forget.
30Madeline
Beloved YA icon Judy Blume told the Strand, a bookstore in New York City, that Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans, was the "first book [she] fell in love with." If you've somehow avoided reading this classic, now is the perfect time to get to know spunky Madeline.
Check out Romper's new video series, Romper's Doula Diaries:
Watch full episodes of Romper's Doula Diaries on Facebook Watch.
