Trends may come and go, but you know what’s always hot and cool? Reading. Don’t just take it from me; Take it from your favorite celebrities.
We’ve seen the paparazzi pics: Addison Rae holding up The Woman in Me by Britney Spears. Sarah Jessica Parker reading Booker Prize nominations on the subway. It’s fun to get a glimpse into a superstar’s life, and it might even make you a more adventurous reader to keep up with their latest picks!
Here are some of the books that celebs have been spotted toting around, and the bookshops they’re frequenting.
Stars who are avid readers
Skylight Books in LA has hosted many celebrities as authors, speakers, and customers. Notably, Chris Pine has been seen leaving with plenty of books, including Lady Joker by Kaoru Takamura, Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazzterica, and more international picks.
Photography by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0
Sweet Pickle Books in NYC, which trades jars of pickles for book donations, has been visited by actors and musicians like Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, Jacob Elordi, Emma Roberts, Joe Jonas, and Troye Sivan.
Photography by Raph_PH – CC BY 2.0
Roberts has also been a long time supporter of Book Soup in LA, and often uses her book club, Belletrist, to promote and collaborate with the bookshop.
Photography by dominick D, CC BY-SA 2.0
Heartthrob Pedro Pascal is an avid reader, and has recommended or been seen with books like Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. You know, light reads.
Photography by Gabriel Hutchinson Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0
Actor Yara Shahidi shared her top ten reads with One Grand Books in New York City, including Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.
Photography by ColliderVideo, CC BY 3.0
In addition to popping up at Sweet Pickle Books, Elordi has earned a reputation for being spotted with a book in his back pocket. He’s been seen reading Prima Facie by Suzie Miller, the audio of which is narrated by actress Jodie Comer, and A Bright Ray of Darkness, the debut novel from Actor Ethan Hawke, narrated by Hawke himself.
Photography by Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0
Singer Lorde is also an avid reader—so much so that fans have created an instagram account to track the books she has recommended or been seen reading. Picks range from Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder to A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare.
Photography by Raph_PH, CC BY 4.0
In episode one of her new docuseries, The End of an Era, singer Taylor Swift listens to the audiobook of The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, causing a viral interest in the book.
Photography by Cosmopolitan UK, CC BY 3.0
Actor Kerry Washington paid a visit to Rep Club bookshop in LA to promote her memoir, Thicker than Water, on audio with Libro.fm 😉
Photography by Arlington National Cemetery, Public Domain
The perfect listen: celebrity narrators
Not only are celebs reading great books—they’re narrating them, too.
Children of Anguish and Anarchy
“I absolutely love Tomi Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orisha series. It’s fucking cool and epic and inspiring! The series focuses on Black protagonists living in a world where magic just returned, and the books deal with themes of love, desire, power, and politics. The series is a combination of a lot of things I love. And my favorite actress and vocalist/singer, Cynthia Erivo, narrates this final book.”
— Jared • All Good Books
See more from the Legacy of Orisha series.
View the audiobook
Alchemy of Secrets
“Stephanie Garber has a gift for crafting stories that completely pull you in, and this one is no exception. Think academia, buried family secrets, and a touch of magic… even if we’re technically not supposed to call it that. It’s the perfect recipe for a gripping, atmospheric read. This book is for anyone who ever wished college came with a little more thrill, a little more danger. It asks the question, what if the legends and folklore we’ve heard were real, and what if we dared to chase them?”
— Rachel • Dog-Eared Books
View the audiobook
Pachinko
In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger. When she discovers she is pregnant–and that her lover is married—she accepts an offer of marriage from a gentle, sickly minister passing through on his way to Japan. But her decision to abandon her home, and to reject her son’s powerful father, sets off a dramatic saga that will echo down through the generations.
View the audiobook
His Dark Materials: Lyra’s Oxford
When a witch’s daemon crashes onto the roof of Jordan College, Lyra and her daemon, Pan, are eager to help. But as this unlikely trio scours the winding streets of Oxford in search of a famed alchemist, their journey takes a deadly turn…
View the audiobook
Giovanni’s Room
“Oh wow, this one hurt…Rife with toxic masculinity, internalized and outward homophobia, European frankness, and American artifice, this 1950’s queer romance will leave you hurting, in a claustrophobic Parisian flat, drunk, and without a cent to your name.”
— Josh L. • The Underground Bookshop
View the audiobook
Wuthering Heights
Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before: of the intense passion between the foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and her betrayal of him. As Heathcliff’s bitterness and vengeance is visited upon the next generation, their innocent heirs must struggle to escape the legacy of the past.
View the audiobook
The Summer I Turned Pretty
“The perfect beach read! You will get swept up into Cousins and never want to leave. This book is narrated by Lola Tung, the actor who plays the role of Belly in the series adaptation.”
— Grete • More Than Words
Love this audiobook? See the full Summer I Turned Pretty series.
View the audiobook
Tom Lake
“Storytelling at its very best!! Set during the pandemic summer of 2020 when they are toiling at harvesting the cherries on their Michigan farm during the lock-down, a mother regales her three 20-something daughters the story of her youth when she dated an actor who would later become famous. The performance of Meryl Streep, who reads this audio book, is just phenomenal!”
— Anne • Newtonville Books
View the audiobook
Our Missing Hearts
“I really enjoyed this dystopian look at our possible future with a special focus on Asian hate. There’s this thing about art; spoken, written, drawn. Humanity needs art. And brave souls, if were going to keep being human… it was so well read by Lucy Liu! Brava! I also enjoyed the author’s note at the end.”
— Melanie • The Well-Read Moose
View the audiobook
Gather Together in My Name
In this second book in a series of autobiographies, the poet, still in her teens, gives birth to a son, tries to keep a job, falls in love, dances, falls out of love, chases after her kidnapped baby, and goes to work in a house of prostitution thinking she is helping the man she loves.
View the audiobookCelebrity book recommendations and book clubs
It wouldn’t be a blog post about celebrity readers without highlighting celebrity book clubs! Here are a few to check out and read along with:
Natalie’s Book Club
with Natalie Portman
Service95 Book Club
with Dua Lipa
The Laufey Book Club
with Laufey
Noname Book Club
with Noname
Whether you’re a pop-culture fanatic or just a lover of books, we hope these celebrities inspire you to try something new!