Books Celebrities Recommend Most

Based on 3573 sourced recommendations from 85 celebrities. Updated October 30, 2026.

1. 1. The Bible

   

   By Unknown/Other

   Recommended by 17 of 85 celebrities

   • Russell Brand Source
   • Maya Angelou Source
   • Steve Harvey Source
   • Matthew McConaughey Source
   • Kathie Lee Gifford Source
   • Donald Trump Source
   • Oprah Winfrey Source
   • Mark Zuckerberg Source
   • Justin Bieber Source
   • Mark Wahlberg Source
   • Neil deGrasse Tyson Source
   • Dolly Parton Source
   • Denzel Washington Source
   • Carrie Underwood Source
   • Serena Williams Source
   • Bill Gates Source
   • Barack Obama Source

   The Book of Acts is what made me become a Christian. I love the book of Acts

   Source

2. 2. Sapiens

   

   By Yuval Noah Harari

   Recommended by 8 of 85 celebrities

   • Richard Branson Source
   • Penn Jillette Source
   • Mark Zuckerberg Source
   • Karlie Elizabeth Kloss Source
   • Joe Rogan Source
   • Chris Evans Source
   • Bill Gates Source
   • Barack Obama Source

   My next book for A Year of Books is Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Harari.

   Source

3. 3. Man's Search For Meaning

   

   By Viktor Frankl

   Recommended by 7 of 85 celebrities

   • Tony Robbins Source
   • Emma Watson Source
   • David Blaine Source
   • Elon Musk Source
   • Anderson Cooper Source
   • Jimmy Fallon Source
   • Bill Gates Source

   Viktor Frankl’s book, MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING, provides the most compelling and triumphant account I have ever read of humanity’s ability to persevere through the unimaginable.

   Source

4. 4. The Catcher in the Rye

   

   By J. D. Salinger

   Recommended by 6 of 85 celebrities

   • Sarah Jessica Parker Source
   • Larry King Source
   • Kathie Lee Gifford Source
   • Jennifer Lawrence Source
   • Bill Gates Source
   • Emma Watson Source

   I guess, through life, it's Catcher in the Rye. I love that book. I read it at four different times in my life. Teenager and later.

   Source

5. 5. The Four Agreements

   

   By Don Miguel Ruiz

   Recommended by 5 of 85 celebrities

   • Karlie Elizabeth Kloss Source
   • Joe Rogan Source
   • Ellen DeGeneres Source
   • Meghan Markle Source
   • Oprah Winfrey Source

   This is a seriously powerful book. Especially potent for someone like me who talks for a living and often talks too much.

   Source

6. 6. Outliers

   

   By Malcolm Gladwell

   Recommended by 5 of 85 celebrities

   • Jay-Z Source
   • Dwayne Johnson Source
   • Bill Gates Source
   • Joe Rogan Source
   • Oprah Winfrey Source

   Have you ever read Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers? ... it's a great book and one of the things in the book it talks about why something became extraordinary.

   Source

7. 7. One Hundred Years of Solitude

   

   By Gabriel García Márquez

   Recommended by 5 of 85 celebrities

   • Richard Branson Source
   • Oprah Winfrey Source
   • Barack Obama Source
   • Dua Lipa Source
   • Martha Stewart Source

   I was fascinated by García Márquez's interweaving of magical realism and the realities of Colombia's culture and history.

   Source

8. 8. To Kill a Mockingbird

   

   By Harper Lee

   Recommended by 5 of 85 celebrities

   • Taylor Swift Source
   • Oprah Winfrey Source
   • Kathie Lee Gifford Source
   • Dolly Parton Source
   • Ben Shapiro Source

   You know, you hear storytelling like in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and it just... it makes your mind wander. It makes you feel like it makes your world more vast.

   Source

9. 9. Team of Rivals

   

   By Doris Kearns Goodwin

   Recommended by 5 of 85 celebrities

   • Bill Gates Source
   • Kobe Bryant Source
   • Arnold Schwarzenegger Source
   • Barack Obama Source
   • Donald Trump Source

   Of all the books I've read about the 16 th president of the U.S., Team of Rivals is the best.

   Source

10. 10. Between the World and Me

    

    By Ta-Nehisi Coates

    Recommended by 5 of 85 celebrities

    • Jay-Z Source
    • Oprah Winfrey Source
    • Barack Obama Source
    • Emma Watson Source
    • Bill Gates Source

    I hope you'll pick these up and read along with me

    Source

11. 11. An American Marriage

    

    By Tayari Jones

    Recommended by 5 of 85 celebrities

    • Oprah Winfrey Source
    • Michelle Obama Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Barack Obama Source
    • Sarah Jessica Parker Source

    Newest pick: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. Perfect book to read along with a friend. So juicy, you're going to want to talk to someone about it!

    Source

12. 12. 1984

    

    By George Orwell

    Recommended by 4 of 85 celebrities

    • Richard Branson Source
    • Ben Shapiro Source
    • Neil deGrasse Tyson Source
    • Elon Musk Source

    But what gives 1984 its power is the human drama at its center: the drama of an individual human mind, assaulted by the forces of government and culture, driven into embrace of the unthinkable precisely because it is unthinkable.

    Source

13. 13. Steve Jobs

    

    By Walter Isaacson

    Recommended by 4 of 85 celebrities

    • Elon Musk Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Ben Shapiro Source
    • Arnold Schwarzenegger Source

    Walter is incredibly thorough in his research. Highly recommend his other books!

    Source

14. 14. The Better Angels of Our Nature

    

    By Steven Pinker

    Recommended by 4 of 85 celebrities

    • Penn Jillette Source
    • Mark Zuckerberg Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Neil deGrasse Tyson Source

    My second book of the year is The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker.

    Source

15. 15. The Tipping Point

    

    By Malcolm Gladwell

    Recommended by 4 of 85 celebrities

    • Mike Shinoda Source
    • Joe Rogan Source
    • Oprah Winfrey Source
    • Bill Gates Source

    I'm reading The Tipping Point from Malcolm Gladwell. And hearing him do the audio part is great... really fascinating things about the tipping point.

    Source

16. 16. Homo Deus

    

    By Yuval Noah Harari

    Recommended by 4 of 85 celebrities

    • Richard Branson Source
    • Penn Jillette Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Joe Rogan Source

    the guy who wrote Sapiens ... Homo Deus is this book that I'm in the middle of now, and it's stunning

    Source

17. 17. East of Eden

    

    By John Steinbeck

    Recommended by 4 of 85 celebrities

    • Oprah Winfrey Source
    • Emma Watson Source
    • Ben Shapiro Source
    • Florence Pugh Source

    East of Eden - John Steinbeck

    Source

18. 18. Life 3.0

    

    By Max Tegmark

    Recommended by 4 of 85 celebrities

    • Barack Obama Source
    • Elon Musk Source
    • Neil deGrasse Tyson Source
    • Bill Gates Source

    Here are my other favorite books of 2018: Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Max Tegmark

    Source

19. 19. A Gentleman in Moscow

    

    By Amor Towles

    Recommended by 4 of 85 celebrities

    • Sarah Jessica Parker Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Barack Obama Source
    • Richard Branson Source

20. 20. The Splendid and the Vile

    

    By Erik Larson

    Recommended by 4 of 85 celebrities

    • Bill Gates Source
    • Arnold Schwarzenegger Source
    • Barack Obama Source
    • Sarah Jessica Parker Source

    Book of the month: The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson

    Source

21. 21. Lean In

    

    By Sheryl Sandberg

    Recommended by 4 of 85 celebrities

    • Richard Branson Source
    • Oprah Winfrey Source
    • Serena Williams Source
    • Mark Zuckerberg Source

    Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead is honest and brave, like Sheryl herself.

    Source

22. 22. The Underground Railroad

    

    By Colson Whitehead

    Recommended by 4 of 85 celebrities

    • Sarah Jessica Parker Source
    • Oprah Winfrey Source
    • John Legend Source
    • Barack Obama Source

    If I am forced to pick a favourite... I guess I would say Underground Railroad because it’s wildly painful to read. Just absolutely, beautifully told and created characters that you’re desperate for... It’s a masterpiece of agony and a kind of unforgettable storytelling.

    Source

23. 23. A Promised Land

    

    By Barack Obama

    Recommended by 4 of 85 celebrities

    • Bill Gates Source
    • Richard Branson Source
    • Michelle Obama Source
    • Oprah Winfrey Source

    I'm so proud of Barack for this candid, reflective, and beautifully written memoir.

    Source

24. 24. Gone Girl

    

    By Gillian Flynn

    Recommended by 4 of 85 celebrities

    • Anderson Cooper Source
    • Barack Obama Source
    • Sarah Jessica Parker Source
    • Taylor Swift Source

    I thought “Gone Girl” was a well-constructed, well-written book.

    Source

25. 25. The Fault in Our Stars

    

    By John Green

    Recommended by 4 of 85 celebrities

    • Taylor Swift Source
    • Emma Watson Source
    • Elon Musk Source
    • Bill Gates Source

    [Hazel Grace is] so smart and sarcastic and self-aware... [John Green did a good job of] painting a really really intricate, beautiful, complicated female character.

    Source

26. 26. Principles

    

    By Ray Dalio

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Tony Robbins Source
    • Mark Cuban Source
    • Bill Gates Source

    Ray Dalio is a dear friend of mine and a total genius. ... In this book, Ray tells you how he figured it all out – and about all the principles that guided him toward success in his life, business and finances.

    Source

27. 27. Meditations

    

    By Marcus Aurelius

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Joe Rogan Source
    • Anna Kendrick Source
    • Arnold Schwarzenegger Source

    [...] to me extraordinary to think about 2,000 years later we're still talking about him [...] because he wrote it down and what he wrote down was very smart and the whole idea of giving credit to so many hundreds of people that he did in his writing is also brilliant and I have to say that I copied that idea from him

    Source

28. 28. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

    

    By Walter Isaacson

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Elon Musk Source
    • Larry King Source
    • Bill Gates Source

    like something like Franklin's, both his autobiography and say the biography that's recently been written by, well not that recently, but in, I guess, five or ten years ago when it was written, the biography by Isaacson on Franklin is really good.

    Source

29. 29. The Alchemist

    

    By Paulo Coelho

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • LeBron James Source
    • Kobe Bryant Source
    • Oprah Winfrey Source

    [Jay Shetty: The book that's had the biggest impact on you?] The Alchemist.

    Source

30. 30. Siddhartha

    

    By Hermann Hesse

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Emma Watson Source
    • David Blaine Source
    • Denzel Washington Source

    I just read Siddhartha, which was recommended to me by a friend.

    Source

31. 31. The Selfish Gene

    

    By Richard Dawkins

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Elon Musk Source
    • Neil deGrasse Tyson Source
    • Bill Gates Source

    Yeah, most people don't realize that the origin of the word meme is the, I believe, 1976 book by Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, in which he coined the word meme, that ideas propagate like genes based on sort of like a survival of the fittest paradigm, only the strongest memes survive.

    Source

32. 32. Anna Karenina

    

    By Leo Tolstoy

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Oprah Winfrey Source
    • Jennifer Lawrence Source
    • Ben Shapiro Source

    The book is of course beautifully written. The plot is compelling.

    Source

33. 33. The Wealth of Nations

    

    By Adam Smith

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Neil deGrasse Tyson Source
    • Elon Musk Source
    • Barack Obama Source

    to learn that capitalism is an economy of greed, a force of nature unto itself

    Source

34. 34. The Great Gatsby

    

    By F. Scott Fitzgerald

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Neil deGrasse Tyson Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Barack Obama Source

    This is why I know I'll never be a novelist because this quote is just… too perfect. … I can't do that. I'm sorry. I'll never be a novelist.

    Source

35. 35. The Ride of a Lifetime

    

    By Robert Iger

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Karlie Elizabeth Kloss Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Oprah Winfrey Source

    But I recently read another business book that I will happily recommend to anyone who asks: The Ride of a Lifetime, by former Disney CEO Robert Iger.

    Source

36. 36. The Art of War

    

    By Sun Tzu

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Neil deGrasse Tyson Source
    • Elon Musk Source
    • Donald Trump Source

    to learn that the act of killing fellow humans can be raised to an art

    Source

37. 37. Moby Dick

    

    By Herman Melville

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Penn Jillette Source
    • Ben Shapiro Source
    • Barack Obama Source

    It's an amazing piece of work.

    Source

38. 38. The Fountainhead

    

    By Ayn Rand

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Mark Cuban Source
    • Emma Watson Source
    • Donald Trump Source

    I know, it's a cult. I'm not going to take it too far, but I did enjoy it.

    Source

39. 39. Hillbilly Elegy

    

    By J. D. Vance

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Bill Nye Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Ben Shapiro Source

    “Hillbilly Elegy” provides the reader with insight into how the United States got into its current mess... I hope J.D. Vance’s story will help us learn to work together and improve the quality of life for all our citizens.

    Source

40. 40. Superintelligence

    

    By Nick Bostrom

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Elon Musk Source
    • Neil deGrasse Tyson Source
    • Bill Gates Source

    Worth reading Superintelligence by Bostrom. We need to be super careful with AI. Potentially more dangerous than nukes.

    Source

41. 41. Think Again

    

    By Adam Grant

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Arnold Schwarzenegger Source
    • Ben Shapiro Source
    • Richard Branson Source

    Book of the month : Think Again- Adam Grant. This book has a great message about keeping a learning mindset throughout your life and never thinking you know everything... None of us are ever done learning, and this is a great book to keep you inspired.

    Source

42. 42. Beloved

    

    By Toni Morrison

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Oprah Winfrey Source
    • Barack Obama Source
    • Emma Watson Source

    you can't go wrong by reading or re-reading the collected works of Toni Morrison. Beloved, Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye, Sula, everything else — they're transcendent, all of them.

    Source

43. 43. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

    

    By J. K. Rowling

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Serena Williams Source
    • Barack Obama Source
    • Richard Branson Source

    Obviously, I loved all the "Harry Potter" books.

    Source

44. 44. Build for Tomorrow

    

    By Jason Feifer

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Michelle Pfeiffer Source
    • Barbara Corcoran Source
    • Jon Taffer Source

45. 45. Little Women

    

    By Louisa May Alcott

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Maya Angelou Source
    • Kathie Lee Gifford Source
    • Florence Pugh Source

    I was, yeah. My gran would read lots of her favorite classics [to] me when I was younger and this is one of them, so I would go and stay around her house when I was tiny and she'd read chapters to me and make sure that I'd stay awake during all the best bits.

    Source

46. 46. Blink

    

    By Malcolm Gladwell

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Mike Shinoda Source
    • Oprah Winfrey Source
    • Bill Gates Source

    The last time I spoke with Malcolm Gladwell was when he came onto the Oprah show to discuss his 2005 bestseller, Blink, a book about instinct and decision-making.

    Source

47. 47. A Tale of Two Cities

    

    By Charles Dickens

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Oprah Winfrey Source
    • Maya Angelou Source
    • Ben Shapiro Source

    …the reason that A Tale of Two Cities carries as much weight as David Copperfield or Great Expectations is because it captures better than any other novel the rage and risk of revolution.

    Source

48. 48. Long Walk To Freedom

    

    By Nelson Mandela

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Richard Branson Source
    • Barack Obama Source
    • Michelle Obama Source

    Mandela’s life was one of the epic stories of the 20th century. This definitive memoir traces the arc of his life from a small village, to his years as a revolutionary, to his long imprisonment, and ultimately his ascension to unifying President, leader, and global icon. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand history – and then go out and change it.

    Source

49. 49. The Fire Next Time

    

    By James Baldwin

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Oprah Winfrey Source
    • Barack Obama Source
    • Richard Branson Source

    A while back, I revisited a few of the books that made an impact on me as a young man, influencing how I think about family, faith, race, politics and America

    Source

50. 50. The Bluest Eye

    

    By Toni Morrison

    Recommended by 3 of 85 celebrities

    • Oprah Winfrey Source
    • Barack Obama Source
    • Meghan Markle Source

    you can't go wrong by reading or re-reading the collected works of Toni Morrison. Beloved, Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye, Sula, everything else — they're transcendent, all of them.

    Source

Every Celebrity on Ultimate Book List

• Bill Gates — 486 recommendations
• Barack Obama — 421 recommendations
• Oprah Winfrey — 315 recommendations
• Joe Rogan — 261 recommendations
• Richard Branson — 252 recommendations
• Donald Trump — 223 recommendations
• Dolly Parton — 202 recommendations
• Elon Musk — 152 recommendations
• Neil deGrasse Tyson — 106 recommendations
• Anthony Bourdain — 104 recommendations
• Larry King — 99 recommendations
• Sarah Jessica Parker — 98 recommendations
• Emma Watson — 95 recommendations
• Ben Shapiro — 82 recommendations
• Martha Stewart — 63 recommendations
• Jimmy Fallon — 49 recommendations
• Arnold Schwarzenegger — 48 recommendations
• Dua Lipa — 41 recommendations
• Mark Zuckerberg — 39 recommendations
• Tony Robbins — 36 recommendations
• Meghan Markle — 34 recommendations
• Mark Cuban — 33 recommendations
• Michelle Obama — 32 recommendations
• Bill Nye — 28 recommendations
• Quentin Tarantino — 24 recommendations
• Serena Williams — 15 recommendations
• Carrie Underwood — 14 recommendations
• Taylor Swift — 13 recommendations
• Anderson Cooper — 12 recommendations
• Kobe Bryant — 12 recommendations
• Mark Wahlberg — 10 recommendations
• Florence Pugh — 8 recommendations
• David Blaine — 7 recommendations
• Ellen DeGeneres — 7 recommendations
• Karlie Elizabeth Kloss — 7 recommendations
• Kathie Lee Gifford — 7 recommendations
• Lena Dunham — 7 recommendations
• Maya Angelou — 7 recommendations
• Michael Phelps — 7 recommendations
• Samin Nosrat — 7 recommendations
• Denzel Washington — 6 recommendations
• Jennifer Lawrence — 6 recommendations
• Russell Brand — 6 recommendations
• Alicia Keys — 5 recommendations
• Ashton Kutcher — 5 recommendations
• Howard Stern — 5 recommendations
• Jay-Z — 5 recommendations
• John Legend — 5 recommendations
• Justin Bieber — 5 recommendations
• Anna Kendrick — 4 recommendations
• Jennifer Lopez — 4 recommendations
• Mike Shinoda — 4 recommendations
• Penn Jillette — 4 recommendations
• Dwayne Johnson — 3 recommendations
• LeBron James — 3 recommendations
• Lin-Manuel Miranda — 3 recommendations
• Liv Boeree — 3 recommendations
• Mike Rowe — 3 recommendations
• Selena Gomez — 3 recommendations
• Barbara Corcoran — 2 recommendations
• Chris Evans — 2 recommendations
• Chris Young — 2 recommendations
• Emilia Clarke — 2 recommendations
• Keanu Reeves — 2 recommendations
• Matthew McConaughey — 2 recommendations
• Steve Harvey — 2 recommendations
• Terry Crews — 2 recommendations
• Amy Winehouse — 1 recommendations
• Charlize Theron — 1 recommendations
• David Copperfield — 1 recommendations
• Emma Stone — 1 recommendations
• Jennifer Aniston — 1 recommendations
• Jim Carrey — 1 recommendations
• Jon Taffer — 1 recommendations
• Kurt Cobain — 1 recommendations
• Marcus Lemonis — 1 recommendations
• Michelle Pfeiffer — 1 recommendations
• Ryan Gosling — 1 recommendations
• Sophia Bush — 1 recommendations
• Amy Poehler — 0 recommendations
• Andrew Weil — 0 recommendations
• Gwyneth Paltrow — 0 recommendations
• Marco Pierre White — 0 recommendations
• Marie Kondo — 0 recommendations
• Nelson Mandela — 0 recommendations

Frequently asked questions

What is the top book recommended by celebrities?

The Bible ranks first, recommended by 17 celebrities.

How is the ranking counted?

We count each person once per book, using only public people, books and approved recommendations. Books are ranked by recommenders in this group, then by total public recommenders. Source links are shown where available.

How many celebrities are included?

This group includes 85 public profiles, including profiles with no public recommendations. 31 have recommended at least 10 books.