I’m not a fan of influencers or gossip magazines or tabloid news. I’m not wowed by famous people, don’t select my clothes based on what the stars are wearing, and couldn’t care less about lifestyles of the rich and famous.

But books? That’s a whole different matter.

I’m here now to proclaim my heartfelt opinion: Celebrity book clubs are good for readers, good for authors, good for the publishing industry, and… dare I say it?… good for the world in general!

Why? Because they get people to read, of course.

If you’re here reading this blog, chances are you’re a book fanatic — like me! — and need no encouragement to pick up a book wherever, whenever. (The hard part is getting us to put the books down — amirite?)

But for plenty of less avid readers who sometimes need a bit of inspiration or motivation, celebrity book clubs can be the perfect way to spread the word and get books into more readers’ hands. And even for die-hard book lovers (*raising my hand*), checking out celebrity book club picks can lead to discovering books that might not otherwise have crossed our radar.

I think we can all agree that Oprah Winfrey is the godmother of the modern-era celebrity book club. There are plenty to choose from now, but in 1996, when she unveiled her first book and introduced the book club concept on her daytime talk show, it was a groundbreaking moment.

Per Wikipedia: The book club’s first selection on September 17, 1996, was the then recently published novel The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard.

Since then, Oprah has been joined by many, many other celebrity-sponsored book clubs — some with consistently great picks, some that make me give a little side-eye — and while I say (again) that anything that gets people reading is fabulous, not every club or selection will be for every reader.

Beyond that, being chosen for one of the high-profile celebrity book clubs is often a breakthrough moment for authors. These books tend to end up on bestseller lists, and it’s no exaggeration to say that the impact can be life-changing (and certainly career-changing) for authors.

These days, if I remember, I keep my eye on the monthly selections for Reese’s Book Club (Reese Witherspoon), GMA Book Club (Good Morning America), Read with Jenna (Jenna Bush Hager of The Today Show)… and Oprah too, of course.

I thought I’d share some of the books I’ve love that I’ve either discovered through these book clubs, or read and then discovered that they were book club selections.

And finally, going back to the GOAT of celebrity book clubs…

Among other wonderful things that Oprah has done by popularizing great books through her book club, she’s made a point of including classic fiction among her selections. Here’s a look at some of the classics she’s chosen over the years — I’m highlighting the ones that I’ve read, although until just now, I didn’t realize that they were Oprah picks!

And here are other Oprah books I’ve read. As with the other book clubs mentioned, I didn’t necessarily pick up these books directly because of Oprah… but I think for many, she gets the credit for making them so widely discussed and shared, which one way or another really raised awareness of these books.

I should point out that it’s thanks to Oprah that I first read a book by author Chris Bohjalian (Midwives)… and he’s become one of my favorite authors!

This round-up really just scratches the surface when it comes to celebrities promoting books! I’ve highlighted the book clubs that seem to consistently choose books I enjoy — although I certainly pick and choose which of their selections to read, even for the clubs I follow. Again, not every book is for every reader! And also, if I read every single one of their selections, when would I find the time to read anything else???

I’ll note that I’ve found some other interesting books that are tied to celebrity book clubs; notably, in the last year or so, I’ve read two of Mindy Kaling’s recommended books, and have a couple of others bookmarked to come back to at some point:

As I’ve said, there are lots of celebrities promoting lots of books, and while I might not be interested in all of them — either the celebrities or the specific books — I do wholeheartedly endorse anything that gets more people interested in reading and discussing books!

Do you follow celebrity book clubs? Are there any whose picks you find especially worthwhile? Have you ever discovered an amazing book thanks to one of these (or any other) celebrity book club? I’d love to hear your experiences!

Purchase links: There are obviously too many books in this post to provide links to every single one! But if you’re interested in clicking through, here are a few places to start:

Amazon – Oprah’s Book Club
Amazon – Reese’s Books Club
Amazon – Read with Jenna
Amazon – Mindy’s Book Studio
Amazon – GMA Book Club
Bookshop.org – Celebrity book club picks recommended by Bookshelf Fantasies