Celeb book clubs: Using stardom to get people to read, discover authors

While we love all things that celebs do, their book clubs are all the rage right now. With fans and readers looking for a community, celebrity book
clubs bridge the gap between the star and their bibliophile fans with social media live sessions, discussions and even newsletters. Here’s a glimpse.

Reese Witherspoon
Every month, book-lover-in-chief Reese Witherspoon chooses a book with a woman at the centre of the story and shares her pick on social media.
Followers: 3M; Started in: 2017
Books read: 97
Recent read: The Unwedding by Ally Condie
Fun fact: Reese’s production house, Hello Sunshine, has adapted many book club picks into films and series

Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa shares her love for literature each month with a book to represent diverse global voices.
Followers: 318K; Started in: 2023
Books read: 12
Recent read: Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
Fun fact: On her website, Dua has 50 book recommendations

Sonali Bendre
From titles by women authors to children’s books, Sonali Bendre has suggestions for everything on the club’s social media handle.
Followers: 47.1K
Started in: 2017
Books read: 12 books a year, sometimes more
Recent read: Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Fun fact: Sonali chooses a book every month for the members of the club, and has discussions at length with community members on social media live sessions

Oprah Winfrey
Philanthropist, writer and talk show host, Oprah Winfrey started her book club on her show. The club focuses on emerging authors and is very active on social media.
Followers: 857K
Started in: 1996
Books read: 105
Recent read: Long Island by Colm Tóibín
Fun fact: Around 14 paperbacks became bestsellers forty-two weeks after Oprah picked them