From Oprah’s controversial American Dirt pick to female-driven picks from Witherspoon and Hager, there’s a lot to keep your attention in this dreariest of months. Find out what we’re all reading (and where you can buy) below.
Oprah Winfrey
Our next book club selection is “American Dirt” by @jeaninecummins! From the first page, first sentence, @oprah was IN. It’s a heart-wrenching page-turner, and you won’t be able to put it down. If you’ve been wanting to #ReadWithUs, now’s your chance to join the club and the conversation. Download your copy on @applebooks, link in bio.
A post shared by Oprah’s Book Club (@oprahsbookclub) on Jan 21, 2020 at 5:47am PST
Oprah ruffled some feathers with her pick of American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins, a book that’s now been criticized for its portrayal of the immigrant experience. Nonetheless, the book club is moving forward with this tale of a Mexican woman escaping to the US as an undocumented immigrant, with the reading schedule indicating we’ll wrap up on February 24.
Reese Witherspoon
Lou can hardly contain his excitement! 😂 This month we are reading #TheScentKeeper by @ericabauermeisterauthor and y’all… it is SO GOOD! This magical story is about a young woman, Emmeline, confronting the modern world for the very first time. 💫 As she embarks on a journey of digging up her past, she is confronted with truth about love, family and who she really is. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts, head on over to @reesesbookclub and let’s discuss! 📚#readwithreese
A post shared by Reese Witherspoon (@reesewitherspoon) on Feb 1, 2020 at 9:57am PST
Witherspoon’s pick is The Scent Keeper, by Erica Bauermeister. “This magical story is about a young woman, Emmeline, confronting the modern world for the very first time,” Witherspoon wrote on her Instagram. ” 💫 As she embarks on a journey of digging up her past, she is confronted with truth about love, family and who she really is. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts.”
Jenna Bush Hager
I’m in LOVE with February’s #ReadWithJenna book: “The Girl With The Louding Voice,” by Abi Daré! It is the fictional story of a Nigerian girl named Adunni who dreams of getting an education despite challenging circumstances. I fell in love with Adunni—her hope, humor and grace. And in the month of love — this is a love story about one young girl whose resilience and grit drive her until her voice is heard, loud and clear.
A post shared by Jenna Bush Hager (@jennabhager) on Feb 3, 2020 at 5:38am PST
“I’m in LOVE with February’s #ReadWithJenna book: The Girl With The Louding Voice, by Abi Daré!” Hager writes on Instagram. “It is the fictional story of a Nigerian girl named Adunni who dreams of getting an education despite challenging circumstances. I fell in love with Adunni—her hope, humor and grace. And in the month of love — this is a love story about one young girl whose resilience and grit drive her until her voice is heard, loud and clear.”
Andrew Luck
“I had never been in a surf club. In California you heard about Windansea, which was based in La Jolla and had some big-name members. There was also a club, supposedly based in Santa Barbara, called Hope Ranch, that for some reason sounded like very heaven to me and my friends. None of us knew anyone who belonged to it. We didn’t even know its colors. Maybe it didn’t exist at all. Still, the idea of Hope Ranch hovered, immaterial, a dream of supercoolness in our geeky, overheated wannabe brainpans.” PAGE 33* 🌊 🌊 🌊 #sea #library #sealibrary #barbariandays #surfing #surf #waves #williamfinnegan #pulitzerprize #biography @corsairsin #book #bookstagram #ocean #life #travel #wonderlust #youth #dreams #60s #70s #80s #california #hawaii #fiji #borrow #read #page33
A post shared by Sea Library Books (@sea.library) on Jan 7, 2020 at 10:42pm PST
Luck’s pick for young readers this month is Knight Kyle and the Magic Silver Lance by Oliver Pötsch, an installment of the Adventures Beyond Dragon Mountain series, beautifully illustrated by Sibylle Hammer. The “veterans” pick is Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life, a Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography by William Finnegan, a New Yorker staff writer known for his writing about surfing. Finnegan walks readers through his fascinating life trajectory, with his experiences surfing as the connecting thread.