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Book clubs are you ready? Time for celebrity book club picks for December 2023! 🤩
I absolutely love books, and I’m always curious about the latest celebrity book club picks and most popular books they are being read right now. The book choices of these clubs really inspire me and help me decide what to read next.
My list contains picks from some of the most popular book clubs, such as Read With Jenna, Oprah, and Reese Witherspoon book clubs!
Here’s a complete list of celebrity book club picks for December 2023.
Read with Jenna
Read with Jenna Book Club has selected We Must Not Think of Ourselves by Lauren Grodstein for their December 2023 pick.
This novel set during World War II, focusing on the Warsaw Ghetto and a little-known historical group that aimed to preserve the lives and stories of Jewish occupants in that tragic time.
We Must Not Think of Ourselves by Lauren Grodstein
The protagonist, Adam Paskow, becomes a prisoner in the Warsaw Ghetto and is approached to join a secret group of archivists. Tasked with gathering testimonies from friends, students, and neighbors, Adam learns about their lives, fears, and strategies for survival. Amidst the harsh conditions, Adam falls in love with his flatmate, Sala Wiskoff.
The story explores their relationship, the challenges they face, and the difficult choices Adam must make when a potential escape from the Ghetto arises.
The novel, inspired by the real-life Oneg Shabbat project, is a poignant tale of love, determination, and sacrifice in the face of adversity.
Reese’s Book Club
For December2023, Reese Whiterspoon has selected Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman as their book club pick. This is a story about the complexities of friendship, guilt, and the lasting impact of a traumatic event.
Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman
The story revolves around the aftermath of a tragic event that occurred during a summer in Greece ten years prior. Three best friends—Bess, Joni, and Evangeline—spent their summer together, but only two returned home. The novel explores the repercussions of this incident, revealing that Bess and Joni were cleared of any involvement in Evangeline’s death, yet the media subjected them to intense scrutiny.
Joni, one of the friends, seizes the opportunity to turn her infamy into a career as a motivational speaker. In contrast, Bess chooses to lead a controlled and small life to avoid risking everything once again. However, the past comes back to haunt them when Joni, in need of an alibi, turns to Bess for help. Despite Bess’s initial reluctance, she feels obligated to assist her old friend.
As Bess and Joni attempt to move on from their troubled past, they confront the challenges of facing reality and the question of whether one can truly be considered innocent in the eyes of a society that may still see them as guilty.
GMA Book Club
GMA Book Club Pick for December 2023 is The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. This is a historical mystery novel set in Maine in 1789.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
The story revolves around Martha Ballard, a midwife and healer, who is summoned to examine the body of a man found frozen in the Kennebec River.
Martha’s diary serves as a record of the community’s births, deaths, crimes, and scandals. Months earlier, she documented an alleged rape involving two respected gentlemen, one of whom is now found dead. When a local physician dismisses it as an accident, Martha takes it upon herself to investigate the murder.
As the winter unfolds, Martha faces challenges, prejudices, and a growing scandal. The novel explores Martha’s pursuit of justice in a time when women were often silenced.
For my book club questions for this book, click here!
Oprah’s Book Club
Oprah’s book club pick hasn’t selected their Decemer 2023 book club pick, since last month’s Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward. As far as I know, Oprah doesn’t select new book club picks every month, but as she reads them. So we’ll have to wait a little bit more! However…
Let Us Descend, is a powerful and haunting reimagining of American slavery set in the years before the Civil War. For all books by Jesmyn Ward in order, click here!
Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
The story follows Annis, an enslaved girl who has been sold south by the white man who fathered her. Annis becomes the reader’s guide through a brutal landscape, from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the slave markets of New Orleans and the heart of a Louisiana sugar plantation.
Amidst the harrowing journey, Annis seeks solace in memories of her mother and tales of her African warrior grandmother. Throughout the narrative, Annis opens herself to a world beyond the physical realm, connecting with spirits of earth, water, myth, and history.
This novel is a profound exploration of Black American grief and joy, a tale of rebirth and reclamation, making it a masterful and deeply moving addition to Ward’s literary legacy.
For my review and summary of the book, click here!
For my book club discussion questions for this book, click here!
Read with Marie Claire
Read with Marie Claire book club pick for December 2023 is Alice Sadie Celine by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright. This is a novel that explores the complex relationships and lives of three women: Alice, Sadie, and Celine.
Alice Sadie Celine by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
The story begins with Alice’s less-than-glamorous performance in a local theater production, where her best friend Sadie fails to show up. Sadie, pragmatic and serious, enlists her mother Celine to attend the play. Celine, a professor of women’s and gender studies, becomes captivated by Alice’s performance and sees her in a new light.
The novel unfolds over decades, tracing the evolution of Alice and Sadie’s friendship, Celine’s decision to leave her husband, and the societal shifts in 1990s Berkeley and contemporary Hollywood.
The plot revolves around the unexpected affair between Alice and Celine, testing the limits of their love for Sadie and challenging their beliefs about power, agency, and feminism. With wit and relatability, the book offers a mesmerizing portrait of the inner lives of these three very different women.
Belletrist Book Club
The Belletrist Book Club pick for December 2023 is Data Baby by Susannah Breslin.
This a memoir by Susannah Breslin. It explores her unique childhood as one of over a hundred children enrolled in a 30-year psychological study at the University of California, Berkeley. The book reflects on the impact of being a lifelong research subject on her identity and life choices.
Data Baby by Susannah Breslin
As a toddler, Breslin becomes part of an exclusive laboratory preschool, where researchers study personality development. Decades later, facing challenges like an abusive marriage and breast cancer, she begins to question how her upbringing under constant observation shaped her.
The memoir takes readers through experiment rooms, puzzles with no solutions, and condemned laboratories, revealing the hidden secrets behind the renowned study.
This novel is a candid and witty exploration of Breslin’s quest to understand herself and the universal message of self-discovery. It delves into the question of whether the study knew her better than she knew herself and encourages readers to reflect on their own paths in an era dominated by technology’s influence on personal identity.
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble book club pick for December 2023 is Absolution by Alice McDermott.
This is a powerful novel that explores the lives of American women on the fringes of the Vietnam War.
Absolution by Alice McDermott
Set in Saigon in 1963, the story revolves around Tricia, a shy newlywed married to a navy intelligence officer, and Charlene, an experienced corporate spouse and mother of three. Despite their different backgrounds, they form a cautious alliance, navigating the societal expectations of being supportive wives while grappling with their own desires to make a positive impact in Vietnam.
Fast forward sixty years, Charlene’s daughter reconnects with Tricia, prompting them to reflect on their time in Saigon. Together, they revisit the events of that pivotal year, examining Charlene’s well-intentioned yet complex actions.
The novel delves into the challenges faced by these women as they find themselves on the periphery of politics, history, and their husbands’ convictions. It explores themes of folly, grace, obligation, sacrifice, and the quest for absolution in a world marked by unintended consequences and America’s tragic involvement in Southeast Asia.
Noname Book Club
Noname Book Club picks for December 2023 are Freedom Is a Constant Struggle by Angela Y. Davis, a collection of essays that explore the connections between historical and global struggles against state violence and oppression, as well as Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi, a historical account that examines a century of conflict in Palestine from a Palestinian perspective.
And here are their synopses:
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle by Angela Y. Davis
This is a collection of essays, interviews, and speeches by Angela Y. Davis, a renowned activist and scholar. In this book, Davis emphasizes the importance of black feminism, intersectionality, and prison abolitionism in contemporary movements.
Reflecting on the legacies of past liberation struggles, such as the Black Freedom Movement and the South African anti-Apartheid movement, Davis draws parallels and analyzes current challenges, ranging from Ferguson to Palestine. In the face of widespread injustice, she challenges readers to envision and contribute to the ongoing movement for human liberation, asserting that “Freedom is a constant struggle.”
The book also features contributions from Cornel West, a prominent advocate for racial justice, and Frank Barat, a human rights activist. Together, they engage in discussions about various issues, including Black liberation, prison abolition, and solidarity with Palestine. Overall, the book encourages readers to think critically about social justice and to actively participate in the pursuit of freedom.
Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
Hundred Years’ War on Palestine begins in 1899 with a letter from Yusuf Diya al-Khalidi, the mayor of Jerusalem and Rashid Khalidi’s great-great-nephew, warning about the perils of displacing the indigenous people in the face of Zionist calls to create a Jewish national home.
Rashid Khalidi draws on untapped archival materials and family accounts spanning generations to provide a comprehensive history. Rather than framing the conflict as a tragic clash between two competing claims to the same territory, Khalidi presents a narrative of a colonial war on the Palestinians. This war is portrayed as initially led by the Zionist movement and later by the state of Israel, with support from major powers like Britain and the United States.
The book covers significant events, including the 1917 Balfour Declaration, the destruction of Palestine in 1948, Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, and the ongoing, often futile, peace process.
Mocha Girls Read
Mocha Girls Read’s book club pick for December 2023 is Verity by Colleen Hoover.
This is a gripping psychological thriller and one of the best books from Colleen Hoover, definitely worth reading!
Verity by Colleen Hoover
The story follows Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer, who accepts a life-changing job from Jeremy Crawford. Jeremy’s wife, Verity Crawford, is a bestselling author unable to finish her book series due to an injury. Lowen is hired to complete the series and discovers an unpublished autobiography by Verity.
The manuscript contains chilling secrets about Verity’s past, including a traumatic event that changed her family forever. As Lowen grapples with whether to reveal the shocking truth to Jeremy, her feelings for him intensify.
The novel explores the complex dynamics of love, trust, and the consequences of revealing disturbing truths.
For a chapter-by-chapter summary of this novel, click here!
And check out this post for some of the best quotes from this novel!
I hope you enjoyed this list of December 2023 celebrity book club picks! Happy reading! ❤️