We’ve all thought about it: not if but when we meet our favorite celebrity (whether it’s Robert Pattison or Andrew Garfield), how are we going to both play it cool and strategically impress them? The answer is quite simple: books. They’re a great conversation starter, and you might actually enjoy them. Here’s a list of 10 top picks from five celebs to get you started:
- ROBERT PATTISON
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Robert Pattinson likes to diversify; his booklist spans genres, including subjects ranging from poetry to economics. One personal favorite is Charles Bukowski’s The Last Night of the Earth Poems, a staple poetry collection from the legendary cynic whose contents are nearly as diverse as Pattinson’s recommendations. That said, if you’re more into politics than poetry, the new Batman also recommends Eat the Rich by P.J. O’Rourke (he is truly a man of the people) and the scientific sensation Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.
- ANDREW GARFIELD
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If you’re more into Marvel than DC, you might want to check out these recs from Spider-Man: No Way Home actor Andrew Garfield. He recommends J.D. Salinger’s angsty classic The Catcher in the Rye and the Booker Prize-nominated novel Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. If you’re a Garfield fan, you’ll likely note he starred in the 2010 film adaptation of Never Let Me Go!
- HARRY STYLES
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A musical genius and fashion icon, his name says it all. Styles has incredible artistic taste, and his favorite books reflect it. His picks include Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, a nostalgic cult-classic novel, and The Course of Love by Alain de Botton, a more playful, lighthearted romance.
- LANA DEL REY
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Lana is a true literary savant; her lists of reading recommendations are nearly ceaseless, so it’s tough narrowing it down to two choices. Yet, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov is one of my personal favorites. An extremely controversial, unsettling novel, Lolita follows the story of a criminal as he narrates his terrifying pursuit of the underaged Dolores Haze. Allen Ginsberg’s Howl is a modern classic in the poetry genre. The collection is a revolutionary social commentary of the Beats generation.Â
- TAYLOR SWIFT
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As a Sally Rooney fan, I have to include this pick from Taylor Swift. Known for Normal People, which Hulu adapted into a series, Conversations with Friends is Rooney’s debut novel. Centered in the college sphere, it’s simultaneously humorous, intelligent and insightful.
Voila! Now you can casually quote The Catcher in the Rye when you meet Andrew Garfield at a coffee shop or subtly impress T. Swift with your thoughts on Conversations with Friends. Or, maybe, you can simply take this list for what it is: good book recommendations!