4 celebrity-approved books to add to your TBR
Celebrity book clubs and recommendations abound, and with so many options it can be hard to decide what to add to your TBR. Hopefully the holiday season means plenty of downtime to read as much as your heart desires! But if you’re struggling to narrow down the selection, here are a few highlights we think are worth checking out.
Read with Jacinda Ardern
A Beautiful Family
by Jennifer Trevelyan
This recommendation comes directly from former prime minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern. Following a young girl as she attempts to unravel a years-old mystery one summer, Jennifer Trevelyan’s debut is a page-turning suspense that explores familial bonds, white lies, and the end of childhood innocence.
Margot Robbie Endorsed
Animals
by Emma Jane Unsworth
Actress Margo Robbie recommends Unsworth’s sophomore novel to the girlies – in particular, anyone who was “in [their] early 20s, living in London as a girl in the last decade.” Following a thirty-something being asked to confront her carefree lifestyle, Animals is a poignant, darkly funny ode to female friendship and finding your own path.
Service95 Book Club (Dua Lipa)
Brightly Shining
by Ingvild Rishøi
Dua Lipa’s Service95 Book Club pick for December, Brightly Shining is a Norwegian Christmas novella about the strength of sisterhood amid dark and challenging circumstances. Lipa calls it “the perfect Christmas read–full of wonder, hope, and magic. But as you might have come to expect from me, there’s also a darker side.”
Australia's Biggest Book Club
The Right Hand
by Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks
The December pick for Australia’s Biggest Book Club – and the only nonfiction title on our list – is Missing Perspectives founder Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks’s The Right Hand. Diving deep into the stories of the chiefs of staff serving well-known world leaders, Saintilan-Stocks explores loyalty, pressure, and the relationships that shape decision-making in this all-access pass to the highest corridors of power.
Be sure to check out our full list of recommendations, and don’t forget you can borrow these – and so many other great titles – from your library on the Libby app.
*Title availability may vary.
Published Dec 19, 2025
Kate Frick
Kate Frick is a librarian for Sora, the student reading app. They love reading books to babies, going on long walks while listening to their favorite podcasts, and playing games of all shapes and sizes… and reading, of course!