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Celebrity bookworms are here to stay.
Ever since Oprah Winfrey started her iconic book club in the ’90s, celebrities including Reese Witherspoon, Emma Roberts, Dua Lipa and Jenna Bush Hager have joined the ranks, picking monthly books that skyrocket to the top of the bestseller lists.
“I absolutely love reading, I love the idea of sharing how books make people feel … books are really important to me and if I can share that in some way, then I feel like I’m on the right track,” Lipa told Elle UK in 2023.
Roberts, who started Belletrist with best friend Karah Preiss in 2017, told AP that giving book recommendations brings her “so much joy.”
Witherspoon, meanwhile, built an empire on books with her Hello Sunshine media company, highlighting diverse female authors.
See below for all the May celebrity book club picks.
Goodreads rating: 3.92/5
“I read ‘So Late in the Day’ as a kind of parable about lazy misogyny,” Lipa wrote of her May book club pick. “It’s a lesson in what you risk losing if you can’t bring yourself to change. Claire delivers this without melodrama or judgment and with endless grace. You’ll want to read this book at least twice to see how she does it.”
Goodreads rating: 3.53/5
“As we settle into spring, I’m so excited to announce our @readwithjenna May pick — ‘Caller Unknown’ by @gillianmauthor ! This is a fast-paced, electric thriller that will have you reading into the night,” Bush Hager announced.
“We rarely choose mysteries and thrillers in the book club, so I can’t wait for everyone to read this one.”
Goodreads rating: 4.04/5
“This month we’re reading ‘My Dear You,’ a collection of stellar short stories from Rachel Khong,” Johnson’s TeaTime book club wrote alongside their announcement.
“These stories go deep beneath the surface, touching on the particular awkwardness of dating in your thirties and asking: What does it mean to be an Asian woman in America? Or an American? Or a human? Along the way, the characters stop to consider interventions from the supernatural, the earthly, the robotic, and the immortal.”
Goodreads rating: 4.54/5
“My next @oprahsbookclub selection is ‘John of John’ by @douglas_stuart. The supremely talented author brings us a devastating new queer story set on the remote Scottish Isle of Harris, where a young man returns home to care for his grandmother and faces his religious, stern father,” Winfrey said of her new read.
“The novel is an immersive portrait of what it means to belong in a place you call home, and the courage to claim your truth. It’s simple transformational.”
Goodreads rating: 4.39/5
“This month’s book pick is one that’s close to my heart. Lena Dunham’s latest memoir, ‘Famesick,’ is hilarious, raw, and deeply human, and she happens to be a writer I’ve loved for a long time and someone I am lucky enough to call a dear friend,” Portman wrote.
“Thank you @lenadunham for your brilliant words. I couldn’t recommend this read more, I can’t wait to hear what you all think.”
Goodreads rating: 4.39/5
“We’ll be reading ‘The Things We Never Say’ by Elizabeth Strout! I love Elizabeth Strout’s novels and can’t wait to dive into this one with you all,” Couric announced for her May read.
Goodreads rating: 3.89/5
“From the past to the present, May’s #GMABookClub pick is sure to stand the test of time,” “GMA” wrote in their May announcement.
“’Homebound’ by Portia Elan is a big-hearted story sparkling with examples of community at its best: at our most curious, most creative, most loving, and most resilient.”
Goodreads rating: 3.83/5
“This book feels like a secret I’m not supposed to share…but it’s too good not to! Set in New York’s art world, full of lies, money, and very messy choices, our May @reesesbookclub pick is ‘The Fine Art of Lying’ by Alexandra Andrews,” Witherspoon said of her pick.
Goodreads rating: 4.21/5
“Our May Book of the Month is ‘Almost Life’ by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, a novel that lives between choices, between timelines, between who you are and who you thought you’d be,” Belletrist wrote alongside their new book.
“‘Almost Life’ is tender, reflective, and a little bit disorienting in the best way. We cannot wait to read this one with you.”