Reese's_Book_Club

Reese's Book Club

Reese's Book Club

Book club run by Reese Witherspoon

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]

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

More information Year and Month "Picked", Title ...
More information Date "Picked", Title ...

References

  1. [1]
    Grady, Constance (2019-09-13). "How Reese Witherspoon became the new high priestess of book clubs". Vox. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  2. [2]
    Donnelly, Elisabeth. "Celebrity Book Clubs Are Actually Selling Books". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  3. [3]
    "Reese Witherspoon to Adapt Bestseller Where the Crawdads Sing Into a Movie". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  4. [4]
    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. [5]
    "The CEO of Reese Witherspoon's production company says 'empowerment feminism' is gaslighting women". Fortune. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  6. [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. [7]
    Otterson, Joe (2018-01-26). "Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Names Sarah Harden CEO". Variety. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  8. [8]
    "How Reese Witherspoon Made These Books into Bestsellers". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  9. [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. [10]
    "Reese Witherspoon's popular book club will now cover Young Adult books too". Good Housekeeping. 2020-08-19. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  11. [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. [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. [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. [14]
    "Reese's Book Club Wants You To Embrace "Shelf-Care" With Its New Havenly Collection". The Zoe Report. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  15. [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. [16]
    "Why 'Where the Crawdads Sing' Is So Controversial". Time. 2022-07-13. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  17. [17]
    Goldberg, Jeffrey (2022-07-11). "'Where the Crawdads Sing' Author Wanted for Questioning in Murder". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  18. [18]
    Terasaki, Kimberly (2022-07-11). "'Where the Crawdads Sing' Controversy Explained". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  19. [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. [20]
    Herndon, Jaime (2023-03-08). "Hey, Reese: About that Book Club Selection..." BOOK RIOT. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  21. [21]
    "'Tiny Beautiful Things' Nails Those Awkward Conversations About Aging". Glamour. 2023-01-15. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  22. [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. [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. [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. [25]
    Andreeva, Nellie (2018-03-12). "Hulu Nabs 'Little Fires Everywhere' Limited Series Starring Reese Witherspoon & Kerry Washington". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
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