Oprah, Emma Watson, and more photos of stars holding books

01 of 18

Book smart, and they look smart

28158590_564131340619125_7169254153166782464_n — Reese Witherspoon/Instagram

This is our favorite new Instagram trend: celebrities deep in thought, reading their new favorite books. There's an art to it, to be sure — maybe there's a coffee cup expertly placed to the side, or an outfit that perfectly matches the beachy thriller in their hands. We've chosen some of our favorites, beginning with this stellar photo of Reese Witherspoon (that couch!), so click through to check them out.

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Emma Roberts

One of many regular book recommenders on this list (see her complete list here), Emma Roberts perfectly matches book to photo with this slouchy, sunny post. Here she is with the re-issue of Eve Babitz's classic L.A. novel Sex and Rage, complete with brooding sunglasses and a summer dress.

03 of 18

Emma Watson

Proud feminist Emma Watson looks giddily engrossed as she works her way through a seminal work of contemporary feminist American writing. That smile of edification is nicely complemented by her tight grip on the book. (What random hallway is she reading in, though?)

04 of 18

Yara Shahidi

When she was still in high school, what holiday-break, non-assigned reading did Yara Shahidi go for? In this case, she got into Kurt Vonnegut, evidently giving a close read to Cat's Cradle. Best part of this pic: the finger on a single word, eyes locked in. So very bookish!

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Rashida Jones

Taking a page out of Emma Roberts' Instagram (chaise longue and all), Rashida Jones knows exactly how to draw followers to her sister's book, which aims to empower young women.

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Kerry Washington

28766221_211206979627890_8401841511498514432_n — Kerry Washington/ Instagram

The Scandal actress provides context in her Instagram caption, but let's pause and marvel at this for a minute: Washington eagerly flipping through the juicy new thriller The Perfect Mother (which she's set to adapt into a movie, in which she'll star), while also balancing a bottle of red wine in her lap. Olivia Pope would approve.

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Brie Larson

Larson writes of this photo, "Only halfway through but deeply immersed." She's only hinting at the comfort in which she's reading, but just through this glimpse of bedsheets and her sweater, it's convincingly cozy.

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The Wrinkle in Time team

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgjwr3yFkuB/?hl=en&taken-by=mindykaling — Stylist Cover/Mindy Kaling/Instagram

Okay, so this isn't technically a staged Instagram photo, but this shot of the Wrinkle in Time team (stars Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, and Oprah Winfrey, and director Ava DuVernay) is too great to ignore. Also: It's more than enough to have us hoping that a book club between the quartet actually materializes.

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Karlie Kloss

https://www.instagram.com/p/BA-et7YEShB/?utm_source=ig_embed — Karlie Kloss/ Instagram

And now we reach the intertextual Instagram celeb-books part of the gallery. Supermodel Karlie Kloss' post about reading Gloria Steinem is actually her official, ringing endorsement of Emma Watson's book club selection. This gives "celebrity book club" a whole new meaning.

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America Ferrera

Green juice? Check. Coinciding salon appointment? You bet. Book with a cover featuring irresistibly French elements, from a baguette to the Eiffel Tower? America, we want your life!

11 of 18

Oprah Winfrey

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc8WY_Cgajr/?hl=en&taken-by=oprah — Oprah Winfrey/ Instagram

Oprah is Oprah, so we have no qualms about celebrating her celebration of her own book about Super Soul Sunday. Plus, the combination of the bookcase, gorgeous fireplace, and ridiculously cute dog fits right in.

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Nicole Richie

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhJsBm8gst1/?taken-by=belletrist — Nicole Richie/ Instagram

This one comes via Emma Roberts' Belletrist book club. Richie's here promoting We Should All Be Feminists, the provocative and acclaimed essay book from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and there's, well, a lot going on: Lolita sunglasses, gray chickens, and an appealingly leafy backdrop. Would we expect anything less?

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Jenny Slate

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYY2QwtgguG/?hl=en&taken-by=mistergarf — / Instagram

The reliably funny and wry Jenny Slate doesn't disappoint with this Instagram of her buying "a very important book": Honkers, the 1993 children's book about a woman caring for three young geese.

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Lupita Nyong'o

Micaela Erlanger's 'How to Accessorize' book dinner celebration, New York, USA - 03 Apr 2018 — Matteo Prandoni/BFA/REX/Shutterstock

She's a style icon, so it's not surprising that the Oscar-winning actress would promote her stylist's book, How to Accessorize. Also not surprising: You don't have to look too closely at this photo to see that the proof of the book's bona fides is right there in the ’Gram.

15 of 18

Leonardo DiCaprio

No, this is not an Instagram post. Rather, it's Leonardo DiCaprio offering fellow environment lover Pope Francis a book of works by the 15th-century Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch, and pointing to a reproduction of a triptych that hung over his crib when he was a child.

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Reese Witherspoon

19931739_146973315856458_6206539720554446848_n — Reese’sBookClubxHelloSunshine/Instagram

Really, Reese is the queen of this, and we could've chosen virtually anything on her Instagram as a solid representative. But the towel wrap, jammies, smirk, and utterly perfect book choice make this an EW fave. It's just too damn relaxing.

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Sarah Jessica Parker

SJP was sure to document to her followers the moment her bookcase overflowed, leaving behind nothing but (highbrow) literary rubble. (And, okay, dozens of still neatly stacked books.)

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Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington

They're both elsewhere on this list, but we love this book, we're psyched for their joint adaptation, and the fire emojis are a wonderfully corny touch. (They're hardly the only celebs to rave about Little Fires Everywhere, by the way.)