When it comes to the love of great and thought-provoking books, celebrities truly are just like us: they love to share them with friends and engage in meaningful conversation, maybe over snacks or a glass of wine. And what better way to share with the largest amount of readers than with their own book clubs?
Oprah Winfrey started the celebrity book club trend in 1996, with The Deep End of the Ocean becoming the first Oprah’s Book Club pick. Reese Witherspoon has been recommending books since 2017, including faves like Yellowface and We Were Never Here. With The Last Romantics, TODAY Show co-host Jenna Bush Hager kicked off her online #ReadWithJenna book club in 2019, and welcomes discussion on Instagram, Facebook and Goodreads; the Good Morning America Book Club also formed that year, with Dominica as their first selection. Gwyneth Paltrow’s online GOOP Book Club began in 2020 to open up important conversations on books like Luster and Lost & Found. Even former president Barack Obama is known for sharing his summer reading lists, with An American Marriage and Birnham Wood among his recommendations.
Finding your own book club pick is easy at Rakuten Kobo. Search by popular genres like romance, mystery, science-fiction, and young adult, or browse our Staff Picks page to see which buzzworthy books have us excited every month. Join the conversation with us online, or form a book club of your very own. You don’t need to be famous to get booklovers talking!
