Jenna Bush Hager’s book club is a celebrity book club list covering mostly modern literary fiction that features character-driven novels and/or new authors.
Here, you’ll not only get the fully updated list. You’ll also benefit from helpful details about the latest pick and top recommendations, plus you’ll get a printable PDF to track your book club reading in this celebrity book club. Let’s get literary!
Latest Read With Jenna Book Club Pick for October 2024
The Today Show’s Read with Jenna Bush Hager book club reads books offered by Book of the Month. Many of the selections are character-driven and/or diverse.
- Finalist for the Kirkus Prize for Fiction
The Mighty Red is set in Argus, North Dakota, where a wedding intertwines the lives of several characters. Gary, nervous about inheriting two farms, wants to marry Kismet, a free-spirited former Goth, to solve his problems. But Hugo, Kismet’s best friend, also loves her and plans to disrupt this. Meanwhile, Kismet’s mother, Crystal, works for Gary’s family and wrestling with her worries.
Set amidst the great recession of the late 2000s, the story explores themes of time—personal, ecological, and economic—while its characters grapple with their dreams and struggles in a stark prairie landscape.
Top Picks From The Today Show’s Book Club
Several books have seen massive success through Read With Jenna on The Today Show. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt sold more than one million copies.
As a fan of literary, character-driven fiction myself, I’ve read and loved a lot of Jenna Bush Hager’s favorite books. (In fact, for the first few years I read every single book she picked.)
If you’re wondering where to start or what to read next, below are the ten best picks. They make great book club picks for your own book clubs too!
TOP PICKS
Black Cake – (My review: ★★★★☆; also a Barack Obama book recommendation) Beloved by readers generally and one of my favorite books of 2022. This story’s core is a Caribbean black cake made from a family recipe. It’s tied to a voice recording filled with the mystery of a young swimmer. She flees her island home under suspicion of murder and as a long-lost child. Yes, it’s as good as it sounds!
Dear Edward – (My review: ★★★★☆) The kind of book you never forget. It’s an especially unique coming-of-age story detailing the teenage years of a 12-year-old boy after he is the sole survivor of a plane crash. You’ll love the characters and the arc of grief, resilience, and hope that grew in the years following the crash.
The Dutch House – (My review: ★★★★★) One of the best books of the 21st century, this is an all-time favorite, especially on audio (narrated by Tom Hanks). After the Conroy family move into “The Dutch House” outside of Philadelphia, siblings Danny and Maeve are left to raise themselves. Maeve becomes like a mother to Danny as they grow through decades of life and often return to the nostalgia of their childhood home. The ending gave me CHILLS.
The Four Winds – (My review: ★★★★☆) Everyone loves a good Kristin Hannah book. This Dust Bowl/Depression-era story delivered everything her readers crave, including a strong female in harrowing historical circumstances.
Malibu Rising – (My review: ★★★★☆) Everyone also loves a good Taylor Jenkins Reid book. This 1980s Malibu family drama also delivered everything her readers crave, including well-drawn characters and an addictive plot. It’s the story of one forgettable night that forever changes one family and ends in flames.
Nothing to See Here – (My review: ★★★★☆) A book so good I read it in one day. It’s a story about a down-on-her-luck woman. She becomes the nanny of her former friend’s stepchildren. They tend to burst into flames when agitated. Sound odd? It did to me too, but it WORKS. It was a great metaphor to tackle what happens to children when life spins out of their control.
Searching for Sylvie Lee – (My review: ★★★★☆) An exceptional, suspense-filled mystery. It’s about the disappearance of a woman, and the ties that bound her with her sister and mother in a Chinese immigrant family. So immersive and intriguing.
Remarkably Bright Creatures – (My review: ★★★★☆) A universally beloved book with a whole lot of heart. A janitor at an aquarium forms a friendship with an octopus and tries to reveal the truth about what happened to the janitor’s son, who disappeared over thirty years earlier.
The Secret History – (My review: ★★★★★) One of Jenna’s and my favorite books of all time. It’s a modern classic that’s exquisitely crafted from start to finish. This dark academia literary thriller takes the reader to a New England university in the 1980s. There, a group of friends becomes obsessed with classic mythology and spirals down dark (and deadly) paths. It contains some of the best writing I’ve ever read.
A Woman is No Man – (My review: ★★★★★) Blew me away. It’s a window inside the lives of conservative Arab women living in America, and you won’t soon forget peering in. It’s about strength, education, choice, immigration, the “American Dream” and so much more. It’s, without question, a must-read.
Jenna Bush Hager’s Book Club List: Fully Updated
Below is the complete (and updated) book list in chronological order. It starts with the oldest pick and ends with the most recent pick.
For the ones I’ve read, I’ve added star ratings in parentheses after the titles.
The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin (My review: ★★★★★)
The Unwinding of the Miracle by Julie Yip-Williams (My review: ★★★★☆)
A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum (My review: ★★★★★)
Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok (My review: ★★★★☆)
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes (My review: ★★★☆☆)
Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn (My review: ★★☆☆☆)
The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall (My review: ★★★☆☆)
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (My review: ★★★★★)
(Related Post: The Dutch House Review | The Dutch House Book Club Questions)
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (My review: ★★★★☆)
Late Migrations by Margaret Renkl (My review: ★★★★★)
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano (My review: ★★★★☆)
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare (My review: ★★★★☆)
Writers & Lovers by Lily King (My review: ★★★★☆)
Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore (My review: ★★★☆☆)
All Adults Here by Emma Straub (My review: ★★★☆☆)
A Burning by Megha Majumdar (My review: ★★★☆☆)
Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan (My review: ★★★☆☆)
Here for It by R. Eric Thomas (My review: ★★★☆☆)
The Comeback by Ella Berman (My review: ★★★★★)
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (My review: ★★★☆☆)
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam (My review: ★★★☆☆)
White Ivy by Susie Yang (My review: ★★★☆☆)
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (My review: ★★★★☆)
Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour (My review: ★★★☆☆)
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (My review: ★★★★☆)
Send for Me by Lauren Fox (My review: ★★★☆☆)
What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster
Good Company by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (My review: ★★★★☆)
Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
The Turnout by Megan Abbott
Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang (My review: ★★★☆☆)
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (My review: ★★★☆☆)
The Family by Naomi Krupitsky (My review: ★★☆☆☆)
Bright Burning Things by Lisa Harding
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson (My review: ★★★★☆)
Groundskeeping by Lee Cole
Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow (My review: ★★★★★)
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (My review: ★★★★☆)
These Impossible Things Salma El-Wardany
The Measure by Nikki Erlick (My review: ★★★★☆)
(Related Post: The Measure Book Club Questions)
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford
Solito by Javier Zamora
The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn
The Cloisters by Katy Hays
The Secret History by Donna Tartt (My review: ★★★★★)
Sam by Allegra Goodman
Maame by Jessica George (My review: ★★★★☆)
Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown
Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
The Celebrants by Steven Rowley (My review: ★★★☆☆)
Banyan Moon by Thao Thai
Summer Sisters is a Judy Blume (My review: ★★★★☆)
Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood
The Sun Sets in Singapore by Kehinde Fadipe
We Must Not Think of Ourselves by Lauren Grodstein
The Waters by Bonnie Jo Campbell
Good Material by Dolly Alderton
The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (My review: ★★★★☆)
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio (My review: ★★★☆☆)
Real Americans by Rachel Khong (My review: ★★★★☆)
Swift River by Essie Chambers
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
The Wedding People by Alison Espach (My review: ★★★★☆)
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
The Mighty Red by Louise Erdich
Complete Printable PDF Checklist
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About Jenna Bush Hager’s Book Club
about
Read with Jenna is the book club on The Today Show hosted by Jenna Bush Hager. Jenna most often selects modern literary fiction by debut authors. They are always available through Book of the Month Club. Her picks are announced once a month, usually on the first Tuesday of the month on The Today Show with Hoda Kotb.
The Read with Jenna book club started in March 2019. It recently celebrated its fifth anniversary on air in 2024.
To join Jenna’s Book Club, follow The Today Show TV segments and social media for monthly picks. Then, read the selected books and participate in discussions on television, her podcast, and social media.
Fun Fact: In December 2019, I was on The Today Show to discuss one of the books from Jenna’s reading list with her and Hoda Kotb! It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which was both scary and exhilarating.
Recap
The Today Show’s book club list offers an excellent collection of modern literary fiction. These books are often character-driven and from new authors. They are always available at Book of the Month Club.
SHOP THE POST
To recap, if you’re wondering where to start or what to read next from Jenna Bush Hager’s book club, below are her ten best book recommendations:
More Celebrity Book Club Lists
- Oprah’s Book Club List
- Reese’s Book Club List
- Good Morning America Book Club List
- Jimmy Fallon Book Club List
- Netflix Book Club List
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
Would like to suggest that Jenna consider “NIGHTBIRDS” a first novel by Kate J. Armstrong published Feb. 28, 2023 by Penguin Random House. A fantasy like the Great Gatsby focusing on the magic of three girls.
Why isn’t Solito on this list?
It’s on there!
@Jules Buono, How strange, I printed the list but it isn’t on my printed list. I keep checking to make sure I’m not missing it.
Marie,
My apologies for the inconvenience. I thought you were talking about the blog post. You are correct that Solito was missing from the PDF! I am so sorry about that. I have updated the list accordingly and uploaded it to this blog post. Hope it helps.
This is such a clever post! I tend to really enjoy Jenna’s picks (Louding Voice, Dear Edward) but I am curious about her partnership with Book of the Month. I guess each month one of their picks will also be her monthly book club pick. Seems redundant to me- but hopefully either way it’s a good rec!
Yes, I think that’s how it works. I think it may get tricky since BOTM offers pre-releases sometimes. (For Dear Edward, she picked it the month after BOTM pre-released it.) I will miss her truly personal recommendations but think it’s a good partnership overall.