I’m collecting Reese’s Book Club picks — here’s why you should, too!
Reese Witherspoon has always been a person I looked up to. Ever since I saw her as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, she fueled my desire to also become a sassy and fierce lawyer someday.
After seeing her in this iconic role, I saw her constantly participating in feminist movements. She is actively involved in promoting women and children’s advocacies through various endeavors.
Reese serves on the board of the Children’s Defense Fund. She is also named the Global Ambassador of Avon Products in 2007. Serving as honorary chair of the charitable Avon Foundation, she continues to contribute to women’s causes.
Furthermore, she co-founded Hello Sunshine, a film and television production company focused on female-led stories. In addition to that, she also launched her own book club, dedicated to promoting books with female-centered stories written by women; of different colors and backgrounds.
How I started collecting Reese’s book picks
Once upon a time, I came across a book by Taylor Jenkins Reid called Daisy Jones and The Six. I wasn’t unfamiliar with the book, as I read one of Reid’s books before. One night, I bought a secondhand copy of the book on a whim. When it arrived, I saw that it had a stamp of the Reese’s Book Club logo.
At that time, I had known of the book club but I paid minimal attention to it. I was not the type of reader to purchase books just because it had stamps of approval from the people I like.
I finished reading Daisy Jones in a span of two days. It was that good. When I closed it, looked at the front cover, and saw the logo, I thought to myself, “Wow, Reese really has good taste.” It’s like the universe heard me because just a few days after that, I saw another Reese-approved book listed on the Facebook marketplace.
It was Where The Crawdads Sing. Even though I had enjoyed reading Daisy Jones, I didn’t necessarily start collecting books from Reese’s list. I still read reviews about Crawdads from those who had read it or attempted to read it. Some of the people from BookTok didn’t finish because apparently, it was hard to read because it was written too academically, whatever that means.
But something gravitated me towards Crawdads. I bought it, despite the fear of it disappointing me or me disappointing Reese. And, thank God, I read it. It became one of my favorite books of all time.
So far, I collected six books from Reese’s Book Club picks. I typically source preloved ones because, first, I’m on a tight budget and, second, I love how books look when it’s actually been read.
Why you should start, too!
The books had a similar footing — they focused on women’s narratives; their struggles, personalities, adventures, and relationships (with others and with themselves). It is refreshing to see the different stories of women put into the spotlight. And the fact that it was authored by women, provides an accurate depiction of what women actually experience in real life. Their stories are not sugarcoated nor romanticized. The heroines were flawed but strong, as women are in real life.
But at its core, the book club is essentially about the joy of reading. And joy isn’t something they keep to themselves.
People, men and women and everyone in between, should be able to read at least one of these books in their lifetime. Whether a book club pick or not, we should support female writers and their women-centered stories. I promise you wouldn’t regret it.
If you’re interested, here is the link to Reese’s Book Club picks. I hope that a book from this list piques your interest.
