The 5 Very Best Book Club Picks Of 2024

Literature is having a moment. Specifically, it's a moment tied to a certain kind of celebrity. Kendall Jenner was papped on a yacht leafing through "Tonight I'm Someone Else," by Chelsea Hodson. Bella Hadid was photographed toting Stephen King's "The Outsider" as she boarded a flight to France. Even fashion House Valentino recruited 17 authors for its "Narrative II" campaign. 

In some cases, this newfound aesthetic of bookish intellectualism is thought to be the product of carefully cherry-picked titles, stage-managed by celebrity book stylists (rumored to really exist). But for many celebrity book clubs, there's a wholesome merit to how they have brought great literature into the limelight.

2024 has been a real treat for celebrity book club followers. Throughout the year, stars have selected an outstanding range of reads from debut authors and literary heavyweights alike. And with plenty of clubs to choose from, it seems there's never been a better time to be a reader.

Many celebrities have latched onto the book club trend of late, but Oprah has been sharing her favorite reads since 1996. Her August 2024 pick, "Long Island," by Colm Tóibín, welcomes us back into the world of Eilis Lacey, the protagonist of his acclaimed 2009 novel, "Brooklyn." Set in the 1970s, two decades after Eilis first came New York, she is now a mother of two living in the coastal region of the state, where her seemingly stable life is upended by news of her husband Tony's affair. The betrayal forces her to confront the pull of her past as she returns to Ireland for the first time in 20 years. Toíbín deftly teases drama with restraint, and masters the tension of unresolved desires and lingering connections.

Fans of "Brooklyn," which famously put Toíbín on the map of commercial literary success (and launched the career of actress Saoirse Ronan in its movie adaptation), will appreciate how, over a decade later, "Long Island" continues its study of identity and belonging. While the original installment showed the immigrant experience with a tender precision, the sequel offers a more complex, introspective look at Eilis as she navigates loyalty, loss, and the pull of home. It's easy to see why Toíbín, a firmly established master of his craft, is featured in Oprah's Book Club.

Ever since the New York Review of Books revived her work from out-of-print obscurity in 2015, Eve Babitz has been at the center of a literary renaissance. Babitz's writing is acerbic, magnetic, and quintessentially Californian in a way that captures the sun-soaked spirit of the West Coast, whilst also hypnotizing audiences on the East Coast (and beyond). 

So, when Kaia Gerber — model and daughter of Cindy Crawford — selected "Sex and Rage" as the August 2024 read for her Library Science book club, she showed her taste. First published in 1979 and later reissued in 2017, "Sex and Rage" tells the story of Jacaranda Leven, a free-spirited writer caught between the seductive excess of Los Angeles and the punishing clarity of New York.

To read Babitz is to feel the heat waves on Sunset Boulevard, the sultry caress of a canyon breeze, and the numinous haze of a Mulholland Drive afterparty — all at once. Through Jacaranda, Babitz channels the beguiling pull of LA's artistic underbelly. Think palatial homes, raucous merrymaking, and the reckoning realities of ambition and self-destruction. And much like the city she immortalized, Babitz's work is inexhaustibly compelling. Here we have a heady cocktail of glamour and chaos that makes you want to linger a little longer, even when the party's over.

Of course, no discussion of A-lister book clubs could be complete without mentioning Reese Witherspoon, whose take on the idea has made her one of the biggest hitters in the world of celebrity literary endorsements. For February, the "Legally Blonde" lead opted for "Redwood Court" by DéLana R. A. Dameron, and took to Instagram to say: "It's all about home and a sense of belonging. I can't wait for you to read it." 

Dameron earned her Master of Fine Arts at New York University, but shared with the INDY that she was inspired by her own upbringing in the South. "The characters are very close to people in my family and my neighborhoods where I grew up," she said. "I'm interested in telling a truthful story about ordinary Black Southern folk in a very specific time frame (the '90s) in a very specific place (Columbia, South Carolina)."

"Redwood Court" follows Mika Tabor, a young girl growing up in a close-knit Black suburb in the South. In Dameron's series of intricately wrought vignettes, we see a detailed tableau of familial relationships and neighborly connection. "The time for books like 'Redwood Court' is long overdue," Dameron said, as in, books that see the existence of Black, Southern families as enough. There is no explosive trauma demonstration. What there is, is power in community, and we as readers are well positioned to learn of its value through Mika.

In October, Natalie Portman chose Rachel Kushner's "Creation Lake" for her book club, which had only been released a short while before. Known for her sharp storytelling in hits like "The Mars Room," Kushner brought us a new novel with an interesting spin on the spy story, subverting the tropes of the genre to pose larger questions about identity, revolution, and human nature itself.

The book follows Sadie Smith, an American undercover agent embedded in a French anarchist motorbiking commune. As she surveils its members, readers see her navigate a web of mistrust and ideology whilst remaining detached. Kushner keeps us hooked with Sadie's wry and skeptical voice, as the commune's leader — Bruno Lancombe — delivers his own philosophical musings that serve as a stark foil to Sadie's cynicism. 

It's certainly a unique player among the 2024 literary releases, and with Kushner's weight and skill, it's no surprise the novel garnered extensive coverage in revered outlets like The New Yorker upon its launch. Beyond its thoughtfully curated selections, Natalie's Book Club is also worth following for its regular giveaways. What is not to love?

The Service 95 book club is helmed by pop star Dua Lipa, so it's fitting that she turned to the work of another singer for her May 2024 highlight. The songstress in question is Michelle Zauner, best known as the frontwoman of indie band Japanese Breakfast. Her memoir, "Crying in H Mart," is deeply imbued with pathos, tracing her Korean-American roots and the grief of losing her mother, Chongmi, to cancer. The self-portrait fuses food and family with love and loss, as Zauner shares her unforgiving pursuit of maternal approval. Just be warned: as well as tugging at your heartstrings, this book will also have you hankering for a bowl of kimchi stew.

On the Service95 website, Dua Lipa offered her take on the autobiographical reflection, writing, "The love and aroma from the dishes practically rises from the page ... it's a story that is both beautiful and heartbreaking; it is as raw as it is precious. I bawled my eyes out, but I also loved it and I hope you do too." Dua Lipa isn't the only pop princess lining up for "Crying in H Mart" — Olivia Rodrigo, too, told Rolling Stone it was one of her favorite reads.

For 2024's top book club picks, we scoured a comprehensive range of celebrity-spearheaded book clubs to curate the ultimate catalogue of five standout reads. Reese Witherspoon's Reese's Book Club, Oprah Winfrey's Oprah's Book Club, Dua Lipa's Service95, Natalie Portman's Natalie's Book Club, and Kaia Gerber's Library Science all contributed to an interesting, eclectic mix of options that helped broaden our reading lists. Our choices weren't limited by publication dates, with work spanning as far back as the 1970s, since we love it when good texts can find fresh meaning with new audiences. 

The works we sought this year all extend beyond the page, speaking not only to wider cultural conversations, but also resonating with readers at home on a more personal level — as proved by their impressive popularity on social media.