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Dakota Johnson is the latest star to hop on the celebrity book club train and her first pick is definitely worth adding to your reading list — along with other recent selections from book club veterans Reese Witherspoon and Oprah Winfrey.
Johnson launched her book club, TeaTime, on March 1 which is tied to her production company TeaTime Pictures, and her first selection is currently on sale for 11% off. Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino is the actress’s first pick, a tender novel about a woman who doesn’t feel at home on earth so believes she is an alien. “This is a book that I will recommend to people for the rest of my life,” Johnson told Bustle in early March.
‘Beautyland’ by Marie-Helene Bertino
Beautyland follows the tale of a woman who struggles to feel at home on Earth and manages to make contact with her extraterrestrial relatives, beings who have sent her to report on the happenings of planet Earth.
The book resonates with Johnson who says she is not immune to feeling the way the protagonist, Adina Giorno, feels. “I don’t know if I’m from anywhere or I belong anywhere,” Johnson told Bustle. “So, yes, I do relate to the alien.”
“It feels like we’re setting the bar so high, which I am proud of,” Johnson said of her bold and interesting first book club selection. “Our book club is literary fiction. It’s not beach reads. It’s not silly. It’s not all female authors, but it is female-forward, and it’s a lot of first-time novelists.”
Like other popular celebrity book clubs, Johnson is hoping to foster a sense of community and conversation around the book choices. “TeaTime and I have an Instagram channel where you can have a chat with whoever signs up, and every few days we’ll be releasing a deep dive as we read along together,” she told Bustle. Already, TeaTime has shared supplementary materials for those reading Beautyland, including a reading list, watchlist and playlist curated by Bertino featuring books, movies and songs that tie in with her novel’s themes.
Bertino is the award winning author of short story collection Safe as Houses (2012), and two novels, Parakeet (2020) and 2AM at the Cat’s Pajamas (2014).
Before you go, click here to see 10 of Reese Witherspoon’s best book club picks.
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