From the memoir that changed Adele‘s life to the books that inspire BTS to create their songs, books have played a major role in shaping the lives of some of our favorite personalities. Many people want to walk in the shoes of their beloved celebrities to become like them or to be inspired and create their own paths.
The admirers check every aspect of their subject of interest’s lives which mainly includes fashion and knowledge. Some fans have taken a keen interest in knowing what kind of books their favorites read to shape their personality. If you are one of that curious bunch, then here are the top 5 books recommended by our favorite celebrities.
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Top 5 Celebrity Recommended Books
1) ‘Untamed’ by Glennon Doyle
Adele has openly shared that the New York Times bestseller ‘Untamed‘ had a significant impact on her life. The multi-award-winning singer urged her 39 million followers to ‘Do it, Read it. Live it. Practice it,’ declaring that ‘this book will shake your brain and make your soul scream.’ The memoir explores instincts and listening to the inner voice.
2) ‘The Echo Chamber’ by John Boyne
Chat show host and comedian Graham Norton is no stranger to the book world. A best-selling author himself with his debut novel ‘Holding’ which is being adapted into an ITV drama, he also hosts his own book club. He recommended John Boyne’s ‘The Eco Chamber’, describing it as ‘a fearless romp with big laughs along the way.’
Raced through @john_boyne latest. A fearless romp with big laughs along the way. Pretty sure the BBC chat show host isn’t based on me!! #theechochamber out August 5th pic.twitter.com/4V2GDxXC74
— graham norton (@grahnort) May 24, 2021
3) ‘The Power Of Now’ By Eckhart Tolle
Oprah Winfrey as we all know is a major influencer who talks proudly about being a powerful manifestor. She recommended ‘The Power Of Now’ which was given to her by Meg Ryan and Ellen DeGeneres. Oprah stated that this book helped her discover how to live in the “now” and “to not linger on past mistakes, but to learn from them and then let them go.” She also stated that this book is the “Mama Jama of super-soulful books“.
4) ‘Demian’ by Hermann Hesse
Almost all of the Korean band BTS members have read ‘Demian’. This book is heavily referenced in BTS’s 2016 album, ‘WINGS’. One of the members, RM was seen reading the book backstage during a music video shooting in 2015. It talks about spirituality and self-realisation as the protagonist, Sinclair, finds himself with the help of his classmate Max Demian.
5) ‘The Little Prince’ by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Emma Watson has recommended ‘The Little Prince’ as one of her favorite books of all time. Even, BTS member, RM has recommended this book as a must-read. Watson said, “I like books that aren’t just lovely but that have memories in themselves. Just like playing a song, picking up a book again that has memories can take you back to another place or another time.” The book follows a young prince who visits various planets in space, including Earth, and addresses themes of loneliness, friendship, love, and loss.
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6) ‘The Courage To Be Disliked’ by Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga
During the second season of ‘In the Soop’, SUGA from BTS is seen reading this philosophical book. Alfred Adler was one of the fathers of 19th-century psychology, alongside Freud. The authors examine his theories and express how people’s futures can be changed if they let go of what has happened in their pasts or how they will be perceived. It focuses on having the courage to change and be free from the boundaries one puts on themselves.
7) ‘Olive, Again’ by Elizabeth Strout
The ‘Unbelievable’ actress Toni Collette told Oprah in an interview that she loved Elizabeth Strout’s writing and that her book incredibly moved her. Collette says, “She knows and understands humanity on a level that very few people can express. So I was given an advanced copy of the sequel, ‘Olive, Again’—and man, I couldn’t put it down! It moved me to tears. I laughed out loud, and I just love everything that Elizabeth Strout writes.”
8) ‘Ladies Who Punch’ by Ramin Setoodeh
The model and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen shared that she loves gossip and the tension it involves. ‘Ladies Who Punch‘ is a 2019 nonfiction book by entertainment journalist Ramin Setoodeh about the daytime talk-show, ‘The View‘. Setoodeh provides explicit details of all the backstage drama among the show’s co-hosts. Teigen says, “I’ve been to that set [The View] many times and you can feel the tension. I live a fairly boring life, so I love hearing that side of it and the juicy gossip. I think it’s why I love ‘The Real Housewives’, because they fight so much. I would be so happy to just sit in on a dinner where other people were fighting.”
9) ‘Beloved’ by Toni Morrison
The ‘Halfway to Home‘ country star and actress, Rita Wilson, loves a good tear-jerker novel. Toni Morrison’s signature book ‘Beloved’ definitely fits her standard. Wilson shared that the consequences of slavery made her “cry so much.” ‘Beloved‘ was turned into a movie in 1998, starring Oprah, Thandie Newton, and Danny Glover.
10) ‘Freedom in Exile’ by Dalai Lama
Regina Hall known for her role in ‘Girls Trip’ revealed that the autobiography about the peace guru is one of her all-time favourite books. The Dalai Lama traces his childhood through his exile in the ’90s, due to The Chinese People’s Liberation Army. In the book, the Dalai Lama recounts the history of the Tibetan people, the devastating effects that communism had on his native land and people, and he also explores reincarnation in the 300-plus page read.
11) ‘The 5 Love Languages’ by Gary Chapman
The ‘Empire’ star, Taraji P. Henson read this book when she was newly-engaged. “I’d been single for so long and the book opened my eyes on what it would be like to commit to someone forever.” In it, author Gary Chapman offers advice on connecting with someone based on their “love language,” a term he uses to describe the ways we show and receive love.
12) ‘Let the Trumpet Sound’ by Stephen B. Oates
John Legend said that he started developing a social consciousness when he read biographies about people like Dr. King and other leaders who put themselves on the line to make big change happen. The 1982 biography details Martin Luther King Jr.’s childhood and how his Southern upbringing inspired him to become a formidable figure in the civil rights movement. “I always thought about myself and what it meant to live a good, impactful life, and how it was important for me to use whatever platform I had to make a change,” Legend adds.
13) ‘Waiting to Exhale’ by Terry McMillan
“I learned about friendship through this book,” Kelly Rowland says. “Some stuff I didn’t quite understand because it was talking about marriage and I read it in my teens, but it taught me how important my friends are.”
McMillan’s 1992 novel, which was later adapted into a movie in 1995, is about sisterhood. It follows four Black female professionals living in Phoenix who are each struggling to find both love and their purpose in the world.
14) ‘The Four Agreements’ by Don Miguel Ruiz
Vanessa Hudgens says that ‘The Four Agreements’ is one of her favorite books of all time. “I remember reading The Four Agreements at a very transitional time. It helped me move forward and rethink how I want to live my life,” Hudgens says.
15) ‘What Alice Forgot’ by Liane Moriarty
The ‘Glow’ star, Alison Brie said that she was a fan of Liane Moriarty’s books and that she had already read her other book ‘Big Little Liars’. “It’s about a woman who has forgotten a chunk of her memory so she’s thinking about her life from ten years ago versus her current life, which is very different.” Brie continues: “It’s also about being grateful for the people and relationships in your life. The book reminded me of how lucky I am to have my amazing husband [Dave Franco] and our cats.”
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16) ‘The Mastery Of Love’ by Don Miguel Ruiz
The former ‘Pretty Little Liars’ star, Shay Mitchell says, “I think it’s a Bible that everyone should read, and I do quite often.” The 1999 self-love title outlines the importance of putting your own happiness first in order to create meaningful relationships with others.
17) ‘The Pisces’ by Melissa Broder
When it comes to ‘The Pisces‘, ‘The Deuce‘ actress Emily Meade says reading it had the ability to “save me.” “It’s definitely comforting and I relate to it in a lot of ways,” she says. Melissa Broder’s debut fantasy novel is about a woman named Lucy who is filled with anxiety after a devastating breakup. She eventually learns to love again thanks to a merman she meets under the sea.
18) ‘Breasts And Eggs’ By Mieko Kawakami
Natalie Portman recommended this book on her Instagram. It follows three women—a mother, a daughter, and an unnamed narrator—as they struggle with their identity and bodily autonomy in modern-day Japan. Portman stated that she loved “Kawakami’s depiction of what it is to be female today in Japan.”
19) ‘Hunger’ By Roxane Gay
This memoir is about trauma. It follows the life of Roxane Gay after she was raped as a 12-year-old. This traumatic event shapes her future, her relationship with her body and with food, among other things. This book is one of the favourite book of actress, model and activist Jameela Jamil. She said that “reading it hurt, but it also helped heal me because it was the first time I ever felt less alone in my experience.”
20) ‘Mercy House’ By Alena Dillon
‘Mercy House‘ tells the story of Sister Evelyn and her fellow group of nuns. They all run Mercy House, a safe haven for the abused and the abandoned. When Bishop Hawkins arrives, a man with whom she shares a dark past, she must fight to defend what she loves while he investigates the house. Actress and comedian Amy Schumer loved it and shared on her Instagram that it “grabbed me from the start and still hasn’t let go.”
21) ‘The Overstory’ By Richard Powers
This book won Pulitzer prize and follows the story of five trees and how they changed the lives of nine Americans. The trees brought the nine Americans together to address deforestation. It’s a very unique book, and some chapters are told in the trees’ perspectives. Actress Halle Berry shared on Instagram that the book was “an epic—rooted in the addictive beauty of nature and the powers that bring us together in advocacy.”
22) ‘The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse’ By Charlie Mackesy
This book is the story of four unlikely friends who contemplate life’s most important lessons. It is accompanied by beautiful drawings from the pen of Charlie Mackesy. ‘The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse’ has captured the imagination of readers around the world. Chris Hemsworth shared a picture of him with the book on Instagram and encouraged his followers to ‘give it a read’. He added the title is ‘one of my favorites.’
23) ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ By Bernardine Evaristo
Daisy Edgar Jones became an overnight sensation last year when she starred as Marianne in the BBC drama ‘Normal People’. To her legion of followers on Instagram she shared her admiration for ‘Girl, Women, Other’ by Bernadine Evaristo. “The story takes us into multiple different perspectives, it explores race, sexuality, modern femaleness, Britishness and so much more,” wrote Daisy. She also described the book as “one of the most powerful, honest, funny and moving pieces of writing I’ve ever read.“
24) ‘Conversations With Friends’ By Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift after reading Sally Rooney’s ‘Conversations With Friends’ wrote on Instagram, “Can confirm it’s phenomenal.” She also gifted the book to her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, who starred in the series adaptation of the book with the same name. ‘Conversations With Friends’ stars Alwyn as a famous actor who has an affair with a young bisexual poet
25) ‘Matrix’ By Lauren Groff
Sarah Jessica Parker shared on Instagram about ‘Matrix’ and asked her followers to read the book. She said, “Once you have this book in your hands I feel certain you too will be consumed.”
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