19 Beloved Winter Books From Our Favorite Celebrity Book Clubs to Read Over the Holidays

‘Anatomy: A Love Story’ by Dana Schwartz

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Reese Witherspoon’s January YA pick in 2022 was Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz. 

The gothic tale follows “an ambitious self-trained surgeon named Hazel who refuses to allow societal constraints keep her from pursuing her dreams in medicine,” Witherspoon described. Hazel then meets Jack, a resurrection man who could be the key to Hazel’s future. When Hazel is kicked out of a medical lecture for being a woman, she brokers a deal with the professor: if she can pass the medical exam, she can continue to pursue her medical career.

‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tart

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Jenna Bush Hager’s December 2022 pick was the best-seller The Secret History by Donna Tart.

In a nutshell, the book follows a working-class student named Richard Papen who finds himself in Hampden College, a small liberal arts college in Vermont. Soon after joining, he finds himself drawn to an exclusive small group of classics students who all share a deep, dark secret.

‘One Day in December’ by Josie Silver

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One Day in December by Josie Silver was Witherspoon’s rec in December 2018. This pick tells the story of Laurie who one day sees a man on the street and immediately knows he’s “The One.” Sadly, however, her bus drives off without them ever talking. A year later, she finally meets mystery man Jack, but he’s dating her best friend Sarah. “What follows for Laurie, Sarah, and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered,” the description reads. 

‘The Love of My Life’ by Rosie Walsh

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Before you come for us, we know Good Morning America isn’t a celebrity, but their book club picks are truly ones to look out for! 

In March 2022, the morning show recommended The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh. The book follows husband and wife Emma and Leo as he begins to uncover his wife’s secrets when suffers a serious illness. But as he starts to unravel the truth, he discovers the woman he loves doesn’t really exist,” the description says. “Even her name isn’t real.”

‘In the Shadow of the Mountain’ by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado

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Nothing screams “winter” than the idea of tracking up the icy and painful path of snowy Mount Everest, right? In Silvia Vasquez-Lavado’s memoir, In the Shadow of the Mountain, she lets readers into how the grueling adventure opened up her mind, and her life, to the struggles she’d been facing and the secrets she had been keeping. 

“At times hair-raising, nerve-racking, and always challenging, Silvia remembers the acute anxiety of leading a group of novice climbers to Everest’s base, all the while coping with her own nerves of summiting,” the description reads. 

This was one of Emma Roberts’ book club picks in March 2022. 

‘The Comfort of Crows’ by Margaret Renkl

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Witherspoon’s 2024 September book club pick was The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl.

“Our 100th @reesesbookclub pick, #TheComfortOfCrows by @margaret.renkl is a beautiful love letter to nature and the world around us,” Witherspoon wrote at the time. “Divided into fifty-two chapters, it follows the creatures and plants in Margaret’s backyard over the course of a year, capturing both the joy of nature’s ongoing pleasures and the grief of fleeting moments. 🍃🐝🌷🦋.”

‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier

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Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier was recommended by Emma Watson’s book club, Our Shared Shelf Group. The novel follows the female protagonist as she meets and falls for Maxim de Winter, a wealthy widower. When he promises her a new life away from her unbearable boss, she takes the opportunity and moves to Manderley, his isolated estate. 

Soon, however, she becomes haunted by de Winter’s late first wife, Rebecca.  

‘The Nightingale’ by Kristin Hannah

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The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah tells the story of two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, as they’re separated in France during World War II. “One is a mother whose husband has gone to war to fight the Nazis, and another who becomes a spy, who aids the resistance against Nazi forces,” Witherspoon explained. This was her recommendation in March 2023. 

‘The Frozen River’ by Ariel Lawhon

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In December 2023, Good Morning America picked another winter-y book. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon follows midwife and healer Martha as she helps uncover the death of a man who was found dead in the ice in the frozen Kennebec River. 

“Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth,” the description reads. “Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.”

‘Blue Sisters’ by Coco Mellors

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Jenna Bush Hager coined Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors as a “modern-day Little Women” when she selected the book in September 2024. The novel follows the four Blue sisters — Avery, Bonnie, Nicky and Lucky — as they reunite for the first time in years after a sudden death. 

“Like Little Women, home is always when the sisters are unified and together,” Bush Hager explained. “I loved these characters who span continents and yet their DNA and the history of their childhood is like a compass that brings them back when they need it most.”

‘Foster’ by Claire Keegan

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Natalie Portman’s December 2023 book club pick might have readers yearning for the chilly countryside. Foster by Claire Keegan tells the story of a young girl sent to live with foster parents on a farm in rural Ireland while her mother carries another child to term in a house already bustling with siblings. “There’s a warmth and complexity to Keegan’s characters that I hope you all connect with as much as I have!” Portman wrote. 

‘The Cloisters’ Katy Hays

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The Cloisters Katy Hays was Jenna Bush Hager’s November pick from 2022. The novel follows aspiring medievalist Ann as she starts working at The Cloisters, a mysterious branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted entirely to the art and architecture of the Middle Ages. 

“The book reminds me of The Talented Mr. Ripley, but with twists that are Gone Girl,” Bush Hager said at the time. “It’s a story about female ambition and what’s permissible when one person is born on Park Avenue and given everything, and the other person has to work hard for what they want.”

‘Brat’ by Gabriel Smith

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Brat by Gabriel Smith is a horrifying and eye-opening recommended by Kaia Gerber back in May 2024. In the novel, the main character, coined as a “brat,” returns to his family home only to unlock secrets from his parents, and himself. 

“Part ghost story, part grief story — Gabriel (the name of both the protagonist and the author) explores elements of body horror, empathy, unreliable storytelling, and glitching reality in this brilliant/forthcoming gothic novel,” Gerber wrote at the time. 

‘The Story of the Forest’ by Linda Grant

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The Story of the Forest by Linda Grant is the latest novel to get Sarah Jessica Parker’s stamp of approval. The novel follows Mina and her brother Jossel as they move across the world from the Baltics to England upon the looming threat of WWI. What follows is a multigenerational story of family, tragedy, perseverance, and much more. 

‘Maybe Next Time’ by Cesca Major

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Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major is a book that had Witherspoon “sobbing in a good way” before being selected as her November 2023 pick.

The novel follows Emma, a mom and wife who gets too caught up in work and taking care of her kids to remember that it’s her and her husband’s wedding anniversary. When her upset husband, Dan, leaves the house in a flurry, Emma doesn’t realize it is the last time she will ever see him…. until she wakes up and gets to live the entire day over again.

‘Camp Zero’ by Michelle Min Sterling

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In April 2023, Jenna Bush Hager raved about her book club pick, Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling. 

The novel follows a variety of perspectives living in Camp Zero, a new building project in remote northern Canada that’s supposed to be the beginning of a new way of life. 

“You’ve never been anywhere like the world Michelle created,” Bush Hager said in her announcement. “That’s one of the things I love about reading. It’ll take you to places you’ve never traveled.”

‘Marlena’ by Julie Buntin

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Back in 2017, Marlena by Julie Buntin was one of Emma Roberts’ first recommendations in her book club, Belletrist. The novel follows fifteen-year-old Cat as she moves to a new town in rural Michigan and meets Marlena, her “manic, beautiful, pill-popping” neighbor. In a year, however, Marlena is dead and Cat is left to build her life back up again in the dead of winter. 

‘Pachinko’ by Min Jin Lee

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Emma Roberts’ book club has also recommended the National Book Award finalist Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. The touching novel follows four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family fighting to control their destiny in 20th-century Japan. 

‘Bittersweet’ by Susan Cain

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While this Oprah Book Club pick might not be everyone’s first thought when thinking about a winter book, Bittersweet by Susan Cain might have you in the feels in the all the right ways. 

This book is a blend of personal stories, research and case studies to delve into the “bittersweet” journey of sorrow and grief. 

“It has the power to transform the way you see your life and even the world,” Winfrey said of her pick. “I’ve started to look at my own life in the world differently.”