Well-read, southern-bred, multi-faceted… the list of words that describe Reese Witherspoon are never-ending. In addition to book-clubbing guru, we can now add bestselling author to Reese’s list! It’s absolutely fitting that our favorite Hollywood bibliophile would share a book, WHISKEY IN A TEACUP, with the world! But when she’s not producing, acting, designing clothes, writing, and altogether crushing life, Reese is devouring books and recommending great reads for her Reese Witherspoon X Hello Sunshine Book Club. We’ve been able to keep up with her book recs on Instagram and can confirm these books are worth reading. Here are some of our favorite Reese-approved books.
With IN A DARK, DARK WOOD; THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10; and now THE LYING GAME making appearances all over Reese’s Instagram, we think it’s safe to assume she’s a big fan of Ruth Ware. Ware’s latest thriller is an atmospheric, twisty novel about four friends whose past lies—and games—come back to haunt them. It will keep you on your toes until the last page.
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Reese’s January pick is a must-read for frequent library dwellers and all-around bibliophiles. On the morning of April 29, 1986, the stacks at the Los Angeles Public Library were consumed by flames. The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.
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When Nikole Paterson accompanies her actor boyfriend to a Dodgers game, the last thing she expects in a grandiose proposal (on the scoreboard, no less). Saying no isn’t the hard part, disappointing a stadium full of fans, however…? On top of being a Reese Witherspoon X Hello Sunshine pick, THE PROPOSAL received praise from Roxane Gay, BuzzFeed, Essence and the list goes on. If you love rom-coms films in book form, THE PROPOSAL is a fun, relatable, and sharp read.
When honeymooners Erin and Mark discover something in the water while scuba-diving, their decision to speak out or keep their discovery a secret trigger a devastating chain of events. Perfect for readers of Ruth Ware (another Reese Witherspoon favorite), SOMETHING IN THE WATER is the vacation read you never knew you needed.
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Last October, Reese Witherspoon made THE RULES OF MAGIC—Alice Hoffman’s prequel to PRACTICAL MAGIC—her RW Book Club pick for the month, which makes perfect sense because it has everything your book club could ever want: magic and family secrets. This novel tells the story of the two beautiful Owens sisters who will grow up to be the revered, and sometimes feared, aunts in PRACTICAL MAGIC, a beloved read of all Alice Hoffman enthusiasts.
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Reese made Celeste Ng’s LITTLE FIRES EVEYWHERE her September RW Book Club pick, saying, “Celeste Ng writes with stunning accuracy about the power of motherhood, the intensity of teenage love, and the danger of perfection. And a fire that destroys it all.” Book clubs everywhere are raving about this novel!
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Reese’s July RW Book Club Pick, THE ALICE NETWORK, is an enthralling blend of historical fiction, engaging drama, and mystery. It’s the story of two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—who are united in this fast-paced, breathtaking tale of courage and redemption.
Reese says Chanel Cleeton’s NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA is a “…beautiful novel that's full of forbidden passions, family secrets and a lot of courage and sacrifice." Sound like something you’d be into? Moving from Havana 1958 to Miami 2017, NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA follows a Cuban-American woman exploring the roots of her identity and unearthing a long-hidden family secret.
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