There are all sorts of celebrity book clubs out there - Oprah, Reese Witherspoon, Jenna Bush - even Good Morning America has their own book club. How do their book selections influence your reading, if at all?
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I canât say they donât influence my reading at all, although theyâre not a primary factor in which books I choose to read. I think these celebrity book groups elevate a workâs profile, so I become aware of it more than I might if it was just sitting in a bookstore. I guess I feel that if someone whoâs high profile recommends it, then itâs likely worth reading.
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I somewhat agree, I think that seeing that a book is in a celebrity book club doesnât necessarily mean Iâll like it, but I generally assume the writing will be high quality.
I donât live in the States so TV and news programs here often include news on books or interviews with authors.
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I do enjoy seeing what book celebrities are reading. Oprah, Jenna, Reese Witherspoon, GMA. I actually like some of their picks. Some I chose to read before I seen what they are reading. Do I always like their picks? No. It is fun though to see what they are reading.
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I often listen to podcasts and author interviews that are coming to us from outside the United States. I find some of my favorite reads there.
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Margaret, where are you living, if you donât mind my asking?
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I generally use reviews from a variety of sources. Not hugely influenced by celebrity book clubs unless book selection has received favorable reviews from other sources. I have found that foreign authors are generally producing more stimulating reading material. Just finished âAgainst the Loveless Worldâ by a Palestinian author.
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I do not rely on recommendations from celebrity book clubs. I get offers from many publishers to review ARCS. I have to admit that I cannot even finish some of the books because they are boring or not my style.
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Celebrity book clubs / recommendations have never been my go-to resource for book recommendations. I tend to use BookBrowse, NPR and wandering the shelves - virtual or real.
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I read The BookBrowse Top 20, Pulitzer winners, and Booker Prize winners every year. If they coincide with a celebrity pick, even better!
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Sometimes I may read a book from Celebrity book clubs. Most generally, I tend to like Oprah recommendations. I like Book Browse recommendations because they cover many topics so I can pick or choose what appears interesting. I also use GoodReads suggestions. I like a lot of variety!
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I love Oprah. I use Goodreads also. I love BookBrowse. I also read Bookmarks magazine. My library used to have Book Page, which I enjoyed also.
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Sometimes, I read a book or books recommended by a celebrity. It depends on whether the book sounds like something I would enjoy or if it has a plotline that sounds intriguing.
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Like Margaret, I live outside the US so I donât pay much attention to the US celebrity book clubs. Most of the recommendations I follow come from Canadian or UK sitesâinterviews, CBC Books, UK reviewers/book bloggers, and British/Canadian book prize lists. BookBrowse is the only US site I regularly visit.
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I would not necessarily read anyoneâs recommendation from a book club based on celebrity status unless it was someone I admire: Tom Hanks from acting and science âcelebritiesâ like Richard Powers or Carl Zimmer.
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I appreciate the convenience of being able to turn to âcelebrityâ book club lists but like any other book that might be recommended, regardless of the person who recommends it, I donât generally read a book just because someone else recommends it. I will always consider its merits first and foremost. In other words I wouldnât read a book based solely upon a âcelebrityâ recommendedation. That said, the lists are a worthy place to start for possible titles to add to a list that already stretches to the horizon and back. 