Reese's Book Club 2020: See Reese Witherspoon-Approved Reads

After an impressive batch of selections for 2019, Reese Witherspoon has a whole new dozen books for you to sink your teeth into — metaphorically, of course — for 2020. The Oscar-winning actress’ literary organization, which she has dubbed Reese’s Book Club and is part of her media empire, will give readers a new book selection each month.

Sarah Harden, CEO of Hello Sunshine, told Publishers Weekly Reese started the book club as a way to bring women’s stories to the forefront — much like she does with her TV and film producing ventures. “We are just getting started,” Sarah told the outlet of Reese’s Book Club, promising they are here to stay. “In 2020, expect to see us doing more in real life with our community and building out what it means to be a member of this magical circle of book lovers.”

Reese Witherspoon in 'Legally Blonde' — Tracy Bennett/MGM/Kobal/Shutterstock

“From the minute I could read, I’ve always had my nose in a book,” Reese, 43, gushed in an Instagram post on World Book Day 2019. “I love a great story – tales of adventure, historical fiction, mysteries. Through these stories I’ve traveled back in time, to the ends of the earth and what a journey it has been!!! Happy reading, everybody!”

Some of Reese’s favorite books have even been turned into shows or movies — just look at Big Little Lies, The Morning Show and Little Fires Everywhere as well as Gone Girl and Wild. These female-centric projects allowed Reese to team up with some of her friends, like she has done with Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Aniston and Kerry Washington.

“Every month, Reese picks one book she loves with a woman at the center of the story and shares it with her book club,” a description on the organization’s website reads. “A community propelled by meaningful connections with stories, authors and fellow members, Reese’s Book Club sparks thought, joy, and conversation–online and in real life. Join the conversation @ReesesBookClub across social media. It’s all about the love of story. #ReadWithReese.”

Scroll down to see the 2020 selections from Reese’s Book Club and get to reading!

January

Plot (via Penguin Random House): A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.

Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living, with her confidence-driven brand, showing other women how to do the same. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains’ toddler one night, walking the aisles of their local high-end supermarket. The store’s security guard, seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, accuses Emira of kidnapping two-year-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make things right.

But Emira herself is aimless, broke, and wary of Alix’s desire to help. At twenty-five, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix’s past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other.

With empathy and piercing social commentary, Such a Fun Age explores the stickiness of transactional relationships, what it means to make someone “family,” and the complicated reality of being a grown up. It is a searing debut for our times.

Reese’s Book Club’s take: “Set in Philadelphia, the story centers around Emira Tucker, a black babysitter, and Alix Chamberlain, a white woman who employs Emira to watch her children. The story takes a turn when an incident at a local grocery store completely changes the course of both of their lives.”

You can buy the book here!