Are you wondering what your favourite Celebrity Book Club is reading this month? Do you enjoy book communities as a way to read along with others? If so, each of these celebrity book clubs is internet-based and open to all who follow. So if you’re like me and always on the lookout for the next great read, you will now find these picks all in one spot – That Happy Reader’s blog! Without further ado, let me introduce you to Celebrity Book Club Picks for January 2025.
Click on the book’s cover to add it to your Goodreads shelf!
Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club (Hello Sunshine)’s pick for January 2025:
Founded in 2017, Hello Sunshine always chooses books with women at the centre of the story. Their website notes “We make our choices thoughtfully and look for ways to deepen our connection to books, authors and ourselves”. This book club chose “The Three Lives of Cate Kay” by Kate Fagan as their January 2025 pick.
Length: 304 pages.
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Summary:
Cate Kay, the pseudonymous author behind a bestselling book trilogy turned blockbuster film series, is one of the most successful writers of her generation—despite never attending events or giving interviews. Her real identity, long kept secret, is finally exposed. As a young adult, Cate and her best friend Amanda had dreamed of escaping their troubled homes to pursue fame in California, but a devastating tragedy derailed their plans and sent Cate into hiding, assuming new identities to build a different life. Now, a startling revelation compels her to return home, the only path to reclaiming her sense of self.
BONUS: Watch an interview with the author here.
Good Morning America’s Book Club’s pick:
The GMA Book Club is officially called “Cover to Cover” and was started in the Fall of 2019. Their selections highlight diversity and books are chosen from both fiction and non-fiction genres. The book club chose “Homeseeking” by Karissa Chen as their January 2025 pick.
Length: 512 pages.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Summary:
In Homeseeking, widowed Haiwen spots Suchi, his first love, at a Los Angeles market—six decades after their separation in 1940s Shanghai. Their childhood bond, sparked by Haiwen’s violin, grew into a profound love, but their lives were torn apart when Haiwen secretly joined the Nationalist army, leaving Suchi with only his violin and a note asking for forgiveness. Spanning six tumultuous decades of Chinese history, the story follows Haiwen and Suchi’s journeys through war, famine, and immigration, from the song halls of Hong Kong and military camps in Taiwan to New York and California. While Haiwen clings to memories of their past, Suchi survives by refusing to look back, yet both carry the idea of home in their hearts. This sweeping, intimate tale explores family, sacrifice, and enduring love that transcends distance and time.
Read With Jenna (Jenna Bush Hager)’s pick:
In March 2019, the former First Daughter announced her book club on the Today show. Each month she chooses a book that is sure to generate discussion. Jenna chose “The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus” by Emma Knight as her January 2025 pick.
Length: 384 pages.
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Summary:
In The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus, Pen arrives at the University of Edinburgh for her first term, suspecting her divorced parents in Canada are hiding a secret. Drawn to Scotland by the presence of Lord Lennox, an old friend of her father’s turned famous writer, Pen is invited to his sprawling estate, where she begins uncovering the truth about her family while navigating her first love. As she faces the challenges of adulthood, Pen learns to rely on herself, in a story that explores campus life, sexual awakening, and the different ways women find paths to motherhood, asking how much we must look back to move forward.
Oprah’s Book Club:
Oprah Winfrey started this book club in 1996 as a segment on her TV show. Many obscure titles have risen to bestseller status as a result of her picks. Oprah’s latest pick is “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle.
Length: 313 pages.
Genre: Self-Help, Spiritual
Summary:
Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth builds on the success of The Power of Now to offer a transformative guide to personal spirituality and self-improvement, encouraging readers to transcend ego and fear to achieve inner peace and higher consciousness. By challenging modern notions of self and entitlement, Tolle provides a framework for spiritual evolution, inspiring individuals to contribute to a better and more harmonious world.
Other Recent Celebrity Book Club Selections:
Do any of these books appeal to you? I like several of these but hope to read A New Earth. Come back next month as I let you know what the February picks are!
ER LeVar
I’m kind of surprised at Eckhart Tolle being the Oprah pick, because it seems like such a different work than the usual Oprah pick. But who knows!
thathappyreader
Thanks for reading ER. I wasn’t surprised to see this kind of book myself.
JamieAdStories
I think Reese always chooses a good book.
thathappyreader
She often does, doesn’t she?
Jonetta | Blue Mood Café
I’ve got both Jenna’s and Reese’s selections and plan to listen to them this month.
thathappyreader
I’m on the fence with both of these so I look forward to reading your reviews Jonetta!
Carla@CarlaLovesToRead
I haven’t got any of these on my TBR shelves right now, but will eventually read or listen to them. Thanks for the update, Jodie.
thathappyreader
Thanks for reading Carla!
Jordanne || Ofaglasgowgirl
Some good picks in this line up, I don’t often pay attention to celebrity picks so this is interesting seeing them all, thanks for sharing! I like the sound of Oprah’s pick as I’m all about self improvement this year, and Jennas peaked my interest being in Scotland myself.
Jordanne || Ofaglasgowgirl
thathappyreader
I hope that you enjoy these books Jordanne.
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature)
Honestly none look like my type of read, but I do like the cover of The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus. Thanks for sharing!
thathappyreader
Maybe next month Lisa!