It’s time I came clean about a summer obsession I’ve
enjoyed for many years.
On the whole I’m happy for the ups and downs of celebrity lives to pass me by. However,
there’s one strand of celebrity culture I’m proud to embrace, the rise of the
celebrity book club and in particular their recommended summer reading lists.
WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT CELEBRITY BOOK CLUBS?
Nowadays book recommendations are available from a host of
different sources – book bloggers, book tubers, bookish websites, Facebook
reading groups, newspapers and women’s magazines – so why do I love celebrity
book clubs so much?
Successful book club hosts make recommendations that
encourage discussion, meaning their choices are both interesting and thought
provoking. Most also select a varied range aimed to appeal to female readers,
who make up the majority of book club members.
WHICH CELEBRITY BOOK CLUBS TO FOLLOW...
So if you’re planning on relaxing with a great book this
summer, why not take a peek at some of the books these celebrities recommend…
REESE WITHERSPOON (HELLO SUNSHINE)
 |
| Reese Witherspoon |
I discovered Reese Witherspoon’s book club on Facebook and
was instantly drawn to the variety of of fiction and non-fiction featured. Witherspoon
actively champions women authors, telling female driven stories, both through
her book club and media production company Hello Sunshine. Examples
of her production work include both Wild, an inspirational memoir by Cheryl Strayed, and Liane Moriarty’s bestselling Big Little Lies. Hello Sunshine has also optioned the film rights for Gail Honeyman’s
fantastic Eleanor Oliphant is Completely
Fine.
But back to the book club side. #RWBookClub was where I
discovered one on my favourite books of 2018 (thus far) Celeste Ng’s, Little Fires Everywhere. Also,
Witherspoon is über savvy when it comes to marketing and makes it easy to
follow her book club on a variety of social media platforms, including Twitter and Instagram.
RICHARD AND JUDY (in association with WH SMITH)
The couple that got me hooked on celebrity book clubs was
husband and wife team, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. The Richard and Judy book club began
as part of their television chat show in the early 2000s but is now accessed
online. Like Witherspoon, Richard and Judy use social media to the max, sharing
author interviews and bonus material via their podcast, where authors not only
share the inspiration for their novel but also their writing process and helpful
writing tips. It’s also possible to see the couple interview authors about the
books selected on You Tube, or join in the conversation on both Facebook and
Twitter.
Richard and Judy’s Late Summer picks include the poignant Three Things About Elsie by Joanna
Cannon, alongside Rachel Hore’s Last
Letter Home and Leila Slimani’s Lullaby,
both novels I mean to add to my reading list. I can’t finish with Richard and
Judy without mentioning my favourite of their 2018 Summer picks, which was Together by Julie Cohen. Head over to the website to read Richard and Judy's full review here...
FERN BRITTON (in association with TESCO and Harper Collins)
The shiny new kid on the celebrity book club block is writer
and broadcaster Fern Britton, who has teamed up with supermarket giant Tesco to
recommend books by publisher, Harper Collins. I was delighted to discover that
Fern’s first picks were How Hard Can It
Be by Allison Pearson, Mother,
the Romantic Novelists’ Association winning debut novel by Hannah Begbie and
the epic historical novel, Last Letter
from Istanbul by Lucy Foley.
I’ve already read and loved both How Hard Can It Be and Last
Letter from Istanbul, with Mother riding
high on my to-be-read list, so I can tell that Fern’s Picks are ones I’ll
definitely watch in future.
ZOE BALL #ZBOS
A television book club has been sadly missing from the UK
schedule for some time and so I was delighted when it was announced that Zoe Ball
was to host a new weekend book club. It’s one for early risers though, as
Ball’s book club discussion is included in her Saturday and Sunday chat show at
8.30am on ITV, where she reviews her choice with a celebrity guest.
Viewers/readers are also given the opportunity to upload a
video review of the titles selected - something I haven’t plucked up the
courage to do just yet! However, if 8.30am sounds too early for the weekend, never fear as each author in the spotlight has produced a short film providing a feel
for their story. Ball’s choices include Rowan Coleman’s Summer of Impossible Things (one of my favourites of 2017),
Sally Magnusson’s The Seal Woman’s Gift,
Maggie O’Farrell’s I Am, I Am, I Am.
For the full list, as well as catching up on previous episodes, follow the link…
YOUR FAVOURITE CELEBRITY BOOK CLUBS
So which celebrity book clubs do you ALWAYS check out? Which amazing authors have you discovered? Which brilliant books have your read? ...
Please get in touch and let me know.
Perhaps I am seduced by celebrity after all!
Happy summer reading,
Please get in touch and let me know.
Perhaps I am seduced by celebrity after all!
Happy summer reading,
Rae xxx
Hi Rae, what an entertaining thought - checking out the books celebs' read rather than the ones they 'write'. I have so much trouble keeping up with the books for my own local group that I couldn't read all these, too. I do check out the back page interview in Radio times every week to see what the featured celeb watches. anne
ReplyDeleteHello Anne, I only buy the Christmas bumper edition of the Radio Times but the book page is the first I turn to! Thanks for dropping by. xx
DeleteAnother great post, Rae. I didn't realise that celebrities' recommendations were from specific affiliated publishers. I assumed, in my naivety, they were chosen from a wider range of literature. I wonder if there are any celebrity book clubs who support the smaller independent publishers ...
ReplyDeleteI think most celebrity book clubs make their selection from a range of publishers who pitch titles they believe will fit the readership. Fern’s Picks is the first i’ve come across affiliated with a specific publisher. There may be more...
ReplyDeleteAs I understand it publishers have to pay to have their books included especially in the televised book clubs - which is one of the reason there is rarely - if ever - books from smaller independent publishers, they can't afford the fee. Fern's Picks is interesting in that she is a HarperCollins author so maybe she's simply putting her name to the selection that they've made? Or maybe she's being paid?
DeleteI had no idea about celebrity book clubs. What a great post. Thanks, Rae.
ReplyDeleteMost celebrity book clubs include historical fiction novels, Terry. Xxx
ReplyDeleteI must have been living under a stone because apart from Richard and Judy I didn't know such things existedn. But I'm left with just one question - how do I get them to take mine? And soon!
ReplyDelete