Reese's Book Club

Last updated

Reese's Book Club is a celebrity book sales club run by Reese Witherspoon under her media company Hello Sunshine. Since its founding in 2017, the club has gained a reputation for boosting the careers of female authors such as Delia Owens, Celeste Ng, and Megan Miranda. [1]

Contents

Hello Sunshine has been involved in the adaptation of several Reese's Book Club Picks into films and television series, including Little Fires Everywhere, Where the Crawdads Sing , and Daisy Jones and the Six . [2] [3] [4]

History

Reese's Book Club was founded in 2017 and operates under Witherspoon's media company Hello Sunshine, led by Chief Executive Officer Sarah Harden. [5] [6] Harden was appointed to the position in 2018, after serving as interim CEO beginning in June 2017. [7]

Also in June 2017, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman became the first book selected as a Reese's Book Club Pick. [2] Since then, the club has highlighted a Book Club Pick every month, reportedly chosen by Witherspoon. [1] [8]

Reese's Book Club has gained a reputation for boosting the sales of its Book Club Picks. [2] [1] [8] [9] As of 2019, no Book Club Picks had sold fewer than 10,000 copies [8] and novels selected as Book Club Picks reportedly outsell other fiction books by 700%. [2]

In August 2020, Reese's Book Club announced that it would being selecting a monthly young adult Book Club Pick, with the first YA selection being You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson. [10]

Hello Sunshine Adaptations

Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine has optioned the film rights to several Book Club Picks, including Where the Crawdads Sing, [11] [3] Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Little Fires Everywhere, Daisy Jones and the Six,Tiny Beautiful Things, and The Last Thing He Told Me. [8] [4]

Brand Partnerships

In April 2022, Reese's Book Club partnered with furniture company Havenly to create a line of home decor called "Reading Room." [12] [13] [14]

Controversy

Where the Crawdads Sing

Reese's Book Club faced criticism in July 2019 after it was reported that Mark Owens, the ex-husband of Delia Owens, author of Reese's Book Club Pick Where the Crawdads Sing, was possibly connected to a murder that took place in Zambia in 1995. [15] [16] [17] [18]

The Nightingale

Reese's Book Club was the subject of controversy following the announcement of its March 2023 Book Club Pick The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. In a video posted to the Reese's Book Club Instagram page, Witherspoon explained that the novel, which tells the story of two women in German-occupied France during World War II, was chosen in response to rising antisemitism. Some criticized this choice, noting that the novel does not prominently feature any Jewish characters and was not written by a Jewish author. [19] [20]

Book Club Picks

Reese's Book Club Picks
Year and Month "Picked"TitleAuthorGenreNotes
April 2024The Most Fun We Ever Had Claire Lombardo contemporary fiction, literary fiction
March 2024Anita de Monte Laughs Last Xochitl Gonzalez historical fiction, magical realism
February 2024Redwood CourtDeLana R.A. Dameroncoming of age fiction, historical fiction
January 2024First Lie WinsAshley Elstonthriller
December 2023Before We Were InnocentElla Bermancoming of age fiction, thriller
November 2023Maybe Next TimeCesca Majorfiction, romance, magical realism
October 2023Starling House Alix E. Harrow fantasy
September 2023Mother-Daughter Murder Night Nina Simon mystery, thriller
August 2023 Tom Lake Ann Patchett fiction
July 2023 Yellowface R. F. Kuang fiction, thriller, satire
June 2023Cassandra in Reverse Holly Smale science fiction
May 2023Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?Crystal Smith Paulhistorical fiction
April 2023Romantic Comedy Curtis Sittenfeld romance
March 2023 The Nightingale Kristin Hannah historical fiction
February 2023The House of Eve Sadeqa Johnson historical fiction
January 2023The House in the Pines Ana Reyes thriller
December 2022The Marriage Portrait Maggie O'Farrell historical fiction, thriller
November 2022 Tiny Beautiful Things Cheryl Strayed essays adapted into a television series by Hello Sunshine [21]
October 2022Our Missing Hearts Celeste Ng dystopian fiction
September 2022On the Rooftop Margaret Wilkerson Sexton historical fiction
August 2022Wrong Place, Wrong Time Gillian McAllister mystery, science fiction
July 2022Honey & Spice Bolu Babalola romance
June 2022Counterfeit Kirstin Chen thriller
May 2022 The Dictionary of Lost Words Pip Williams historical fiction
April 2022True Biz Sara Nović coming-of-age fiction
March 2022The Club Ellery Lloyd mystery
February 2022The Christie Affair Nina de Gramont historical fiction, romance
January 2022Honor Trinity Umrigar
December 2021Lucky Marissa Stapley thriller
November 2021 The Island of Missing Trees Elif Shafak historical fiction, romance
October 2021 Sankofa Chibundu Onuzu
September 2021L.A. Weather María Amparo Escandón
August 2021 We Were Never Here Andrea Bartz thriller
July 2021ThePaper Palace Miranda Cowley Heller romance
June 2021Seven Days in June Tia Williams romance
May 2021 The Last Thing He Told Me Laura Dave thrilleradapted into a television series by Hello Sunshine [22]
April 2021Northern Spy Flynn Berry thriller, historical fiction, spy fiction
March 2021Infinite Country Patricia Engel domestic fiction
February 2021The Sanatorium Sarah Pearse thriller
January 2021 Outlawed Anna North western, historical fiction, alternate history fiction
December 2020The Chicken Sisters KJ Dell'Antonia domestic fiction, humor
November 2020Group Christie Tate memoir
October 2020His Only Wife Peace Medie Adzo domestic fiction, humor
September 2020The Last Story of Mina Lee Nancy Jooyoun Kim thriller, mystery, historical fiction
August 2020Everything Inside Edwidge Danticat short stories
June/July 2020 I'm Still Here Austin Channing Brown memoir
June/July 2020 The Guest List Lucy Foley thriller, mystery
May 2020The Henna Artist Alka Joshi historical fiction
April 2020 Untamed Glennon Doyle memoir
March 2020The Jetsetters Amanda Eyre Ward
February 2020The Scent Keeper Erica Baurmeister magical realism, coming of age fiction
January 2020 Such a Fun Age Kiley Reid coming of age fiction, domestic fiction
December 2019Conviction Denise Mina mystery
November 2019 The Giver of Stars Jojo Moyes historical fiction
October 2019Fair Play Eve Rodsky self-help
September 2019The Secrets We Kept Lara Prescott historical fiction, spy fiction, thriller, romance
August 2019The Last House Guest Megan Miranda mystery, thriller
July 2019Whisper Network Chandler Baker mystery
June 2019The Cactus Sarah Haywood romance, humor
May 2019From Scratch Tembi Locke memoir adapted into a television series by Hello Sunshine [4]
April 2019 The Night Tiger Yangsze Choo historical fiction, magical realism
March 2019 Daisy Jones & The Six Taylor Jenkins Reid historical fictionadapted into a television series by Hello Sunshine [23]
February 2019The Proposal Jasmine Guillory romance
January 2019 The Library Book Susan Orlean true crime, memoir
December 2018One Day in December Josie Silver romance
November 2018The Other Woman Sandie Jones thriller
October 2018This Is How It Always Is Laurie Frankel domestic fiction
September 2018 Where the Crawdads Sing Delia Owens historical fiction, mysteryadapted into a 2022 film by Hello Sunshine [24]
August 2018Still Lives Maria Hummel mystery, thriller
July 2018Next Year in Havana Chanel Cleeton historical fiction, romance
June 2018Something in the Water Catherine Steadman thriller
May 2018You Think It, I'll Say It Curtis Sittenfeld short stories
April 2018Happiness Heather Harpham memoir
March 2018 Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows Balli Kaur Jaswal
February 2018The Light We Lost Jill Santopolo romance
January 2018Braving the Wilderness Brené Brown self-help
December 2017The Last Mrs. Parrish Liv Constantine thriller
November 2017This is the Story of a Happy Marriage Ann Patchett essays
October 2017The Rules of Magic Alice Hoffman historical fiction, magical realism, fantasy prequel to Practical Magic
September 2017 Little Fires Everywhere Celeste Ng domestic fictionadapted into a television series by Hello Sunshine [25]
August 2017The Lying Game Ruth Ware thriller
July 2017 The Alice Network Kate Quinn historical fiction, spy fiction
June 2017 Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine Gail Honeyman humor, romance
Reese's Book Club YA Picks
Date "Picked"TitleAuthor
Winter 2022Anatomy Dana Schwartz
Fall 2021Within These Wicked Walls Lauren Blackwood
Late Summer 2021The Downstairs Girl Stacey Lee
Summer 2021Tokyo Ever After Emiko Jean
Spring 2021 Fire Keeper's Daughter Angeline Boulley
Winter 2021You Have a Match Emma Lord
October 2020Fable Adrienne Young
September 2020 Furia Yamile Saied Méndez
August 2020 You Should See Me in a Crown Leah Johnson

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reese Witherspoon</span> American actress (born 1976)

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2006 and 2015, and Forbes listed her among the World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2019 and 2021. In 2021, Forbes named her the world's highest earning actress, and in 2023, she was named one of the richest women in America with an estimated net worth of $440 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl Strayed</span> American writer (born 1968)

Cheryl Strayed is an American writer and podcast host. She has written four books: the novel Torch (2006) and the nonfiction books Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (2012), Tiny Beautiful Things (2012) and Brave Enough (2015). Wild, the story of Strayed's 1995 hike up the Pacific Crest Trail, is an international bestseller and was adapted into the 2014 Academy Award-nominated film Wild.

Maria Hummel is an American writer. Her poetry collection, House and Fire, was winner of the 2013 APR/Hickman First Book Prize. She has written five novels: Goldenseal, Lesson in Red, Still Lives, Motherland and Wilderness Run.

Taylor John Smith is an American actor. He is known for his role as John Keene in the series Sharp Objects. Notable films in which he has appeared are Wolves (2016), You Get Me (2017), Hunter Killer (2018), The Outpost (2020), Shadow in the Cloud (2020), and Where the Crawdads Sing (2022).

Balli Kaur Jaswal is a Singaporean novelist, having family roots in Punjab. Her first novel Inheritance won the Sydney Morning Herald's Best Young Australian Novelist Award in 2014, and was adapted for a film presented at the 2017 Singapore International Festival of the Arts. Her second novel Sugarbread was a finalist for the 2015 inaugural Epigram Books Fiction Prize. Her third novel, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows was released in 2017, and garnered her a wider international following, driven in part by being picked as a selection for Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine online book club. Movie rights for Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows have been sold to Scott Free Productions and Film4. In 2019, the Business Times described Jaswal as "the most internationally well-known Singapore novelist after Crazy Rich Asians’ Kevin Kwan."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hello Sunshine (company)</span> American media company

Hello Sunshine is an American media company founded by actress Reese Witherspoon and Strand Equity Founder and Managing Partner Seth Rodsky in 2016. Pacific Standard, the production company Witherspoon co-founded with Bruna Papandrea in 2012, is now a subsidiary of Hello Sunshine.

<i>Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine</i> 2017 novel by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is the 2017 debut novel by Gail Honeyman, and the winner of the 2017 Costa Debut Novel Award. The story centres on Eleanor Oliphant, a social misfit with a traumatic past who becomes enamoured with a singer, whom she believes she is destined to be with. The novel deals with themes of isolation and loneliness, and depicts Eleanor's transformational journey towards a fuller understanding of self and life.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is an American author most known for her novels The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & the Six, One True Loves, Malibu Rising, and Carrie Soto is Back.

<i>Little Fires Everywhere</i> (miniseries) 2020 American drama television miniseries

Little Fires Everywhere is an American drama television miniseries, based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Celeste Ng. It premiered on Hulu on March 18, 2020 and consists of 8 episodes. The series stars Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, both of whom were also executive producers, alongside Liz Tigelaar, Lauren Neustadter, and Pilar Savone. Set in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights, Ohio, during the late 1990s, it features Witherspoon and Washington as mothers from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Shine On with Reese is an American talk show hosted by actress Reese Witherspoon. The show was announced on July 10, 2018 and had its premiere one week later on DirecTV.

<i>Daisy Jones & the Six</i> 2023 American drama television miniseries

Daisy Jones & the Six is an American musical drama television miniseries developed by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Set in the Los Angeles music scene of the 1970s, the series charts the rise and fall of the fictional titular rock band through a documentary style series of interviews with the members and footage of concerts and recording sessions, complete with vocals by series leads Riley Keough and Sam Claflin. It also stars Camila Morrone, Suki Waterhouse, Will Harrison, Josh Whitehouse, and Sebastian Chacon as the band members.

Delia Owens is an American author, zoologist, and conservationist. She is best known for her 2018 novel Where the Crawdads Sing.

<i>Where the Crawdads Sing</i> 2018 novel by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing is a 2018 coming-of-age murder mystery novel by American zoologist Delia Owens. The story follows two timelines that slowly intertwine. The first timeline describes the life and adventures of a young girl named Kya as she grows up isolated in the marshes of North Carolina. The second timeline follows an investigation into the apparent murder of Chase Andrews, a local celebrity of Barkley Cove, a fictional coastal town of North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daisy Edgar-Jones</span> British actress (born 1998)

Daisy Jessica Edgar-Jones is a British actress. She began her career with the television series Cold Feet (2016–2020) and War of the Worlds (2019–2021). She gained recognition for her starring role in the miniseries Normal People (2020), which earned her nominations for a British Academy Television Award and a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reese Witherspoon filmography</span>

Reese Witherspoon is an American actress. She made her acting debut in The Man in the Moon (1991). Her second box office performance was with Kiefer Sutherland in Freeway (1996) in which Witherspoon played a youth troubled by victimization and neglect who has a violent murderous streak, but in the name of protecting vulnerable youth from sexual predation by seemingly perverted men. She then rose to prominence in 1999 with Cruel Intentions and for her portrayal of Tracy Flick in the black comedy Election, which earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical nomination. She achieved fame for her work on romantic comedies with her role as Elle Woods in the comedy Legally Blonde (2001) and its 2003 sequel, as well as her starring role in Sweet Home Alabama (2002). She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in the 2005 biographical musical film Walk the Line. She also received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in the 2014 drama Wild.

Get Organized with The Home Edit is a 2020 reality streaming television series about The Home Edit, a professional organizing company founded by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin. It began with The Home Edit book, followed by home organization and lifestyle products, and the streaming series.

<i>Where the Crawdads Sing</i> (film) 2022 film by Olivia Newman

Where the Crawdads Sing is a 2022 American mystery drama film based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Delia Owens. It was directed by Olivia Newman from a screenplay by Lucy Alibar and was produced by Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter. Daisy Edgar-Jones leads the cast, featuring Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, Michael Hyatt, Sterling Macer Jr., Jojo Regina, Garret Dillahunt, Ahna O'Reilly, and David Strathairn. The story follows an abandoned yet defiant girl, Kya, who raises herself to adulthood in a North Carolina marshland, becoming a naturalist in the process. When the town's hotshot is found dead, she is the prime suspect and is tried for murder.

Candle Media is a Blackstone-backed, Los Angeles–based media company co-founded by former Disney executives Kevin A. Mayer and Thomas O. Staggs. Candle Media owns the companies Moonbug Entertainment, Hello Sunshine, and the production company of Israeli thriller series Fauda, Faraway Road Productions. It also owned a minority stake on Westbrook Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolina (Taylor Swift song)</span> 2022 promotional single by Taylor Swift

"Carolina" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for the soundtrack of the 2022 murder mystery film Where the Crawdads Sing. Released via Republic Records on June 24, 2022, the song is titled after the Carolinas region in the United States, and sung from the perspective of the film's protagonist, Kya. "Carolina" was met with strong acclaim from music critics, most of whom felt the song's ambience matched the film's atmosphere, and is reminiscent of Swift's 2020 indie folk albums, Folklore and Evermore. Reviews commended the song for Swift's vocals, songwriting style, and the overall "haunting" mood.

<i>Something from Tiffanys</i> 2022 American Christmas romantic comedy film by Daryl Wein

Something from Tiffany's is a 2022 American Christmas romantic comedy film directed by Daryl Wein, from a screenplay by Tamara Chestna, starring Zoey Deutch, Kendrick Sampson, Ray Nicholson, and Shay Mitchell. It is based on the novel of the same name by Melissa Hill.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Grady, Constance (2019-09-13). "How Reese Witherspoon became the new high priestess of book clubs". Vox. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Donnelly, Elisabeth. "Celebrity Book Clubs Are Actually Selling Books". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  3. 1 2 "Reese Witherspoon to Adapt Bestseller Where the Crawdads Sing Into a Movie". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  4. 1 2 3 O'Connell, Mikey (2022-09-30). "Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter Are Doing Just Fine Without the Boys Club". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  5. "The CEO of Reese Witherspoon's production company says 'empowerment feminism' is gaslighting women". Fortune. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  6. Diane, Kaci (2021-10-14). "Sarah Harden On How Hello Sunshine Is Building A Media Company With A Difference". The WIE Suite. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  7. Otterson, Joe (2018-01-26). "Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Names Sarah Harden CEO". Variety. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "How Reese Witherspoon Made These Books into Bestsellers". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  9. Hunt, Elle (2022-12-12). "Legally bookish: Reese Witherspoon and the boom in celebrity book clubs". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  10. "Reese Witherspoon's popular book club will now cover Young Adult books too". Good Housekeeping. 2020-08-19. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  11. "Reese Witherspoon Reflects On Taking 'Where The Crawdads Sing' From Book Club To The Big Screen (Exclusive) | Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  12. Tingley, Anna (2022-04-27). "Reese Witherspoon's Book Club and Havenly Team Up for Dreamy Home Decor Collection". Variety. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  13. Arneson, Krystin (2022-04-27). "Havenly and Reese's Book Club just launched a cozy collection of furniture for book lovers". CNN Underscored. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  14. "Reese's Book Club Wants You To Embrace "Shelf-Care" With Its New Havenly Collection". The Zoe Report. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  15. Miller, Laura (2019-07-30). "The Dark History Behind the Year's Bestselling Debut Novel". Slate. ISSN   1091-2339 . Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  16. "Why 'Where the Crawdads Sing' Is So Controversial". Time. 2022-07-13. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  17. Goldberg, Jeffrey (2022-07-11). "'Where the Crawdads Sing' Author Wanted for Questioning in Murder". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  18. Terasaki, Kimberly (2022-07-11). "'Where the Crawdads Sing' Controversy Explained". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  19. Nava, A. Mana (2023-03-16). "A Reese's Book Club Pick Is Under Fire (Again)". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  20. Herndon, Jaime (2023-03-08). "Hey, Reese: About that Book Club Selection..." BOOK RIOT. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  21. "'Tiny Beautiful Things' Nails Those Awkward Conversations About Aging". Glamour. 2023-01-15. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  22. Richard, Nate (2023-04-12). "'The Last Thing He Told Me' Review: Jennifer Garner Stars in Apple TV+'s Forgettable Mystery Series". Collider. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  23. Riley Utley (2023-02-18). "That Time Reese Witherspoon's Vacation Was Interrupted Because Daisy Jones And The Six's Producer Really Wanted Rights To The Book". CINEMABLEND. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  24. Lang, Brent (2018-12-07). "Reese Witherspoon to Produce 'Where the Crawdads Sing' Adaptation for Fox 2000 (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  25. Andreeva, Nellie (2018-03-12). "Hulu Nabs 'Little Fires Everywhere' Limited Series Starring Reese Witherspoon & Kerry Washington". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-04-13.