Reba McEntire's Favorite Books Promise To Take You On A Journey

Reba McEntire knows a thing or two about a good journey. From the Oklahoma plains to the Grand Ole Opry, from rodeo circuits to the Country Music Hall of Fame, she's spent her life moving — sometimes chasing a dream, sometimes letting the road surprise her. But not all journeys happen on a tour bus or a stage. Some unfold in the quiet weight of a story, and she knows that all too well.

A great book, much like a great country song, beckons you in, shakes you up, and sends you somewhere new. Some settle you into the comfort of familiar voices, whilst others open doors you didn't even know were there. Some take the long way around, slow and winding, whilst others hit you like a storm. No two journeys are the same, but the best ones always leave you changed. The books chosen by the country legend promise adventure and reflection. You might not know where they'll take you, but as every good traveler knows, that's half the fun. And with Reba McEntire (who's still stunning without makeup) at the wheel, choosing her favorite reads for a feature with Amazon, you know you're in good company.

Time travel, war, love, betrayal — some books have it all. But "Outlander" will sweep you off your feet, straight into a world where love and war are equally ferocious. Diana Gabaldon's sweeping saga straddles historical fiction, epic romance, and swashbuckling adventure, with a hint of the supernatural for good measure. Reba McEntire put it simply to Amazon: "I recommend Diana Gabaldon's steamy series to anyone who likes romance, history and adventure." 

And it's steamy, all right; this tome can certainly keep up with the romance books we can't wait to get our hands on in 2025! Though "Outlander" is hardly a bodice-ripper in the traditional sense. When Claire Randall — a battle-hardened English combat nurse fresh from the ruins of the Second World War — places a hand on a weathered stone in the Scottish Highlands, she does not expect to wake up in a world that existed centuries before her own. But history has other plans, and in the blink of an eye, she is thrust into the Scotland of 1743 — a world of warring clans and a landscape as untamed as the men who rule it. 

The central love interest is Highland warrior Jamie Fraser, who's the most untamed of them all. He's as rough-hewn as the craggy moors he calls home, but his brute force is mellowed by a soft-spoken charm and a poetic tongue. Amid Jacobite uprisings, medicinal botany, and whispers of pagan mysticism, their romance is the kind that could only be forged in the fires of life-and-death survival. If you're looking for an escape hatch to another world, this is it.

If a life could be pressed into vinyl, Dolly Parton's would spin like a greatest hits collection. In "Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics," she lifts the needle on her most triumphant tracks, revealing her journey from Tennessee girl and small-town chanteuse to the heights of stardom. This is a voyage told in her own words, not just in prose, but in the lyrics that have defined her career and, in many ways, American music itself. 

Reba McEntire is a longtime chum of the "Jolene" superstar, and she captures what makes Parton's voice — both literal and figurative — so powerful: "Dolly and I have been friends for more than 30 years. She's one of the hardest workers I've ever met, and I love her faith, her sense of humor, her heart, and her confidence to be exactly who she is." This unwavering sense of self is the backbone of "Songteller," a book that explores the woman behind the rhinestones and big hair, and the storyteller behind the legend. 

Through 175 handpicked songs (a mere fraction of the nearly 3,000 she has penned), Parton retraces her steps. Beginning in a one-room cabin in the Smoky Mountains — where scraps of fabric became the "Coat of Many Colors" — the icon takes us to Nashville's headlight-washed honky-tonk heaven, where a flirtatious bank teller inspired "Jolene," and also paints a picture of the time she told Elvis Presley "no" when he wanted to record "I Will Always Love you."

Country music is built on truth-telling, but few told the truth as brutally as George Jones. In "I Lived to Tell It All," he looks back without flinching, revisiting the scars of time. Jones had a gift that set him apart — a voice that could wring every ounce of pain from a song. But outside the studio, he was a man at war with himself. His drinking derailed tours, broke marriages, and left his legacy caught somewhere between legend and a lost cause. He was unpredictable, sometimes self-destructive, but never insincere. 

Reba McEntire holds his story close — literally. In a corner of her restaurant, Reba's Place in Atoka, Oklahoma, a library stands in tribute to her mother, whose love of books outlived her. As McEntire herself said: "There's a library filled with the books my Mama, a schoolteacher, left behind when she passed. One of the books in the library is George Jones' touching memoir about music, love, and addiction." Let "I Lived to Tell It All" pull you into the backseat of a life derailed by vice, but ultimately driven by talent. This is country music after all: As in life, the best journeys are the ones that hurt a little.

Kristin Chenoweth spent a career commanding Broadway stages and dazzling audiences with her voice, but in "What Will I Do with My Love Today?" she turns her attention from the spotlight to story time, with a heartwarming children's book that celebrates the quiet power of everyday goodness.

Inspired by her own adoption and the rescue dog who changed her life, Chenoweth introduces young readers to Kristi Dawn — a little girl who looks for ways to share love in everyday moments. She sings in a church choir, helps her neighbor with gardening, and learns that family isn't just about who you're born to, but who you choose. For children, the book offers a path towards empathy, proving that generosity needn't be reserved for grand gestures. But its message — that kindness, like any journey, is made up of many small steps — is just as meaningful and packed full of positive quotes that will make your soul happy, especially for the adults reading along.

Reba McEntire champions the book's heart: "My friend and fellow Oklahoman Kristin Chenoweth's book is about teaching children that the more love you give, the more love you get back. I love this message of generosity and kindness."

Reba McEntire sees the story of Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline as one that still resonates today. She notes that the storied pair are "two women who can teach us so much about life, especially how to stand up for yourself and how to deal with being a woman in the world of country music today because they had to do it in THEIR day. They came together when they both needed a friend most." Success is so rarely a solo act, and in a business that could be cutthroat, they found solace in each other. McEntire added that "reading this powerful book makes you want to have that same bond with a friend."

She's right. In "Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust," we have an intimate portrait of a friendship that shaped both legends. Before Lynn was a household name, she was an eager newcomer trying to find her way. Cline, already a star, took her under her wing, showing her how to fight for what she was owed. Lynn's storytelling is as sharp as ever: straight-shooting, full of heart, and never short on humor. She fills the chapters with warmth and affection, but when Cline's story ends too soon, the silence left behind is deafening, and felt on every page. Ride through the highs and heartaches of a bond that shaped two legends; you'll be pulled along for every step.

For her final pick, Reba McEntire opts for a seasonal choice: "I've been turning the pages of 'Jesus Calling' and 'Jesus Always' for strength and inspiration for a while now. I know I will be keeping this new devotional close at hand this holiday season."

Sarah Young's "Jesus Listens: For Advent and Christmas" is a devotional designed to bring quiet moments of reflection to a holiday that often rushes by. With daily prayers and scripture, it offers a chance to step away from the Christmas frenzy and turn inward — making space for faith and peace. For those looking to be more intentional in their celebration, this book offers a way to approach Advent with purpose, drawing from the story of Christ's birth to guide each day with reflection.

Young gently guides readers on a journey from the first days of Advent through to the days of Christmas, so we may enter the new year with clearer direction. She transforms a month of holiday busyness into a time of stillness, shepherding us to move through the season with faith, as well as festivity.