More than 160,000 people were interested in knowing which books Emma Watson read this year, if membership numbers for her online feminist book club are any indication. The Beauty and the Beast star and U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador founded Our Shared Shelf in January 2016, and each new book club pick announcement has made headlines on both sides of the pond. Now, we can finally see all of the 39 books Emma Watson read this year, which are sure to get a popularity boost from the beloved actress.
Emma Watson's feminist book club chose nine books to read this year, beginning with Gloria Steinem's My Life on the Road in January, and ending with Mom & Me & Mom in November and December. The nine Our Shared Shelf book picks for 2016 were:
- My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem
- The Color Purple by Alice Walker
- All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks
- How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
- The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
- The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
- Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein
- Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof
- Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou
In 2016, Watson also read 30 books that weren't selected for Our Shared Shelf, including The Way of the Actor by Brian Bates and Tribe by Sebastian Junger. Check out seven of the books Emma Watson read this year below, and then see the full list here.
'The Handmaid's Tale' by Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood's lauded tale of a woman disenfranchised by an ultra-patriarchal, white supremacist takeover was on Emma Watson's nightstand this year.
'Women Who Run with the Wolves' by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Emma Watson got in touch with her animalistic side this year, reading Clarissa Pinkola Estés' analysis of folktales, Women Who Run with the Wolves.
'The Bloody Chamber' by Angela Carter
Angela Carter retells classic fairytales with a gory, feminist slant in The Bloody Chamber.
'Modern Romance' by Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari's take on the state of dating and romance is a must-read for any unmarried Millennial.
'Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit' by Jeanette Winterson
Jeanette Winterson's semi-autobiographical novel about growing up lesbian in a strictly religious household was among the shorter books Emma Watson read this year.
'Annie John' by Jamaica Kincaid
Annie John follows the eponymous girl through the second decade of her life in Antigua, where she navigates school and friendships.
'Self-Made Man' by Norah Vincent
As part of a radical experiment, Norah Vincent went undercover for more than 18 months as Ned: an average, white-collar dude. This is the story of what happened and what she learned.
