By Christa Protano
Need a new book recommendation? Then be sure to mark your calendar for August 9th, aka National Book Lovers Day. Your favorite Bookstagrammers are sure to be abuzz with plenty of recommendations for your next page-turner. Likewise, this is the perfect opportunity to start sharing your favorite reads, too—provided you do the work first, of course.
Two years ago, I got into the habit of posting all of my reads on Instagram at the end of each month. I’ve found it’s a great way to keep track of what I’ve read throughout the year and start a conversation with fellow bookish followers. I also love when a friend posts her own monthly reads, that way I can add some of her faves to my book stack. After all, it’s always better to get a book recommendation from someone you know rather than a random list, right? Perhaps that’s why celebrity book clubs are so popular….
While most of us don’t know Oprah, SJP or Jenna Bush Hagar personally, these women definitely feel like our “friends.” And when they recommend a book, it usually becomes an instant best seller. At Canterbury Classics, we were super excited to learn that a few of our favorite classic novels were deemed worthy by these female powerhouses. So if you’re in the mood for a literary masterpiece, don’t take our word for it—just listen to your favorite celebrity book lover and pick up one of these Word Cloud or leather-bound classics.
Read with Jenna founder Jenna Bush Hagar may only pretend to read classic novels (gasp!), but Louisa May Alcott’s tale of the March sisters is one she couldn’t let pass her or her daughters by: “I read it to my girls and then we watched the Greta Gerwig version,” she told Entertainment Weekly.
Another vote for Little Women comes from TV producer and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes, who says that she reads this heartwarming tale “every year at Christmas because it makes her happy.” First published in 1868, this coming-of-age story takes place from Christmas Day 1863 to Christmas Day 1866 during the Civil War, and centers around Jo, an outspoken young woman whose love of books and writing take precedence over finding any kind of romance.
Speaking of Ms. Rhimes, Jane Eyre also made it to her top five list of favorite books by female authors. “It’s one of those books that when you read it, it kind of changes you,” she says. No surprise there considering that when Charlotte Brontë first published this classic in 1847, it became an instant bestseller, so popular that the publisher commissioned a second printing in just three months. This particular dark romance features a young girl—plain, poor, and alone—who endures abuse, abandonment, and ridicule only to become a loving, compassionate young woman of great moral character. It remains Charlotte Brontë’s greatest achievement.
In 2010, two of Charles Dickens novels made it to Oprah’s Book Club: A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations. Although these novels were written more than a hundred years ago, no home library today would be complete without them. This Canterbury Classics edition collects some of Dickens’s most famous and beloved works in one handsome tome. For those who’ve never read Dickens, it’s the perfect opportunity to experience his unique and compelling writing. And for those who are already Dickens devotees, an introduction by a renowned scholar will provide additional context and food for thought.
You may follow Sarah Jessica Parker on Instagram for the shoes, but it’s her love of books and her advocacy for libraries that stops us from scrolling right past her frequent recommendations. In addition to Little Women, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden and A Little Princess made her list of picks on Good Books. Both these classic children’s books are available in colorful Word Cloud editions featuring black-and-white illustrations, heat-burnished covers, foil stamping, and specially designed endpapers.
The beloved Jane Austen is one of actress and comedian Mindy Kaling’s favorite authors and Emma holds a special place on her bookshelf. The memorable title character is perhaps Austen’s most popular female protagonist. Emma, a matchmaker at heart, is obsessed with love and romance—for others. As for her own love life, she wants nothing of it. She even feels repulsed by the amorous declarations she receives. But as her matchmaking schemes go awry, and her friend Harriet shares her feelings toward a certain friend, Mr. Knightley, Emma soon becomes aware of her own heart’s longings.
It’s a matter or life imitating art for actress Emma Watson who loves a good book or two. In addition to the incomparable Hermione Granger, Watson has played a few memorable characters in films based on books, as well as the beloved book-loving Belle in the live-action version of 2017’s Beauty and the Beast. So when she created he own feminist book club or recommends a read, we immediately add the title to our TBR list. Among her favorite classic authors, the Brontë sisters hold a coveted spot, which makes total sense considering their work helped give rise to the feminist literary movement of the late 19th century. This leather-bound edition of the Selected Works of The Brontë Sisters includes the most acclaimed novels of each of the Brontë sisters: Charlotte’s Jane Eyre, Emily’s Wuthering Heights, and Anne’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.
A Little Bit of Poetry
Like Watson, another Emma is taking the reading world by storm: Emma Roberts. Roberts co-founded the online reading community, Bellatrist, with writer/producer Karah Preiss. The two started their platform in 2017 as a book club and have since turned it into a production company as well. Amongst their recommendations, you’ll find Jane Austen’s Emma as well as the poetry of Robert Frost, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and John Keats.
