There's an added lustre to book recommended to you by a friend – as opposed to those you you've greedily pulled from the shelves of a local book store. A recommendation feels buttressed by the recommender's character – especially if it comes courtesy of a person we particularly admire. Maybe they're incredibly fashionable or cerebral or salacious and camp. Whatever it is we love about them, it's only natural that we might find ourselves attempting to become their poseur. At least when it comes to their Goodreads list.
If that someone is you, then you too might have wondered what some of your favourite artists, directors and creative minds might be recommending their own friends, in a feeble attempt to obtain – through some type of literary osmosis – just a glimmer of their creative oeuvre. So below, we've rounded up a reading list of sorts, for those looking to add to their autumn reading lists.
1. Solange: Citizen by Claudia Rankine
Solange is already a wellspring of book recommendations – namely through her Saint Heron Community Library – but when asked about her own reading proclivities, the singer told Elle that Rankine's book: "really blew my mind. A friend of mine in Marfa, Texas, who owns the bookstore there gave it to me as an anniversary present and it is truly a beautiful, honest, and poignant book of poetry about black existence."
2. Celine Song: The Art Of Loving by Erich Fromm
The Past Lives and Materialists director obviously has a lot to say on the notion of love – and her reading list is certainly skewed toward the topic. Song told Bustle that Fromm's book taught her some poignant lessons on love, and is one she recommends often. "When somebody asks me, ‘Oh, I want to know more about love, I want to think more about love more deeply,’ [The Art of Loving] is a book that I gift."
3. Camille Rowe: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The model-turned-actor is already well-known for her impeccable taste in books (and her impressive collection of first editions), but her favourite by far is Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov's seminal novel The Master and Margarita, in which the devil himself turns up to terrorise the Russian literary community. Rowe told Coveteur back in 2016: "My favourite book is The Master and Margarita, and I had a boy get me the first American edition of it, so that was really rad."
4. Zoë Kravitz: Franny and Zooey by J.D.Salinger
The Salinger classic is one that Kravitz told Vogue back in 2017 was one of her most re-read novels: "it reminds me of high school and his imagery is just really amazing." She also told Harper's Bazaar two year's earlier: "I also love J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zooey in particular."
5. Pedro Pascal: East of Eden by John Steinbeck
During a recent press tour, Pascal took to the internet to solidify his favourite books – including the Steinbeck tome East of Eden. If you want more recs from Pascal, there's also a whole Instagram account dedicated to documenting his literary faves.
6. Sofia Coppola: Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham
It comes as a surprise to no one that Coppola is a book fiend as well as a cinephile, and her favourite is an American classic from 20th-century playwright and author W. Somerset Maugham. She's said it's one of her favourite books, saying "“I loved that book in my youth, I love a tragic romance, that is the ultimate for unrequited love."
7. Pamela Anderson: American Gods by Neil Gaiman
We love to see a dark fantasy/magical realism at work – and Anderson's been quoted as saying Gaiman is one of her favourite authors (you may recognise his work from Coraline). In particular, Anderson loves his novel American Gods (which she told Simon & Schuster back in 2010), which blends Norse, Native American and pagan mythology across a kaleidoscopic journey across an Americana landscape.
8. Ayo Edebiri: The Idiot by Elif Batuman
Edebiri told The Face back in 2022 that she "loved The Idiot – it’s one of my favourite books, about a girl who goes to college in Boston and learns so much she feels she’s stupid. I related to that for many reasons that are probably not too hard to read into."
9. Taylor Russell: Just Kids by Patti Smith
Smith's memoir is one of the most beloved and well-read books of the 21st century, and Russell counts herself as a major fan. In an interview with Elle, Russell is quoted as having "read the book about 10 times" and has Smith’s lightning bolt tattoo replicated on the inside of her left wrist. “She’s one of my heroes, ” Russell continued.
10. Jacob Elordi: A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke
Elordi has touted fellow actor Ethan Hawke's novel as a masterpiece, telling Jack Edwards in an interview that it was one of his favourites.
Images throughout the article taken from talents' Instagram accounts.
