Dakota Johnson Recommends 5 Books to Her Book Club That’ll Have You Cry-Reading
The 'Verity' star runs TeaTime Book Club and loves sharing these tearjerkers with friends
Key Takeaways
- Explore Dakota Johnson's favorite books including 'A Little Life.'
- The actress runs a book club, TeaTime Book Club, where they discuss novels in depth.
- Here, check out five books Dakota has recommended over the years.
As Dakota Johnson prepares to lead the way in the book-to-screen adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Verity—coming to theaters tomorrow, October—she’s opened up about the books that she loves to share with the people close to her. An avid reader, Dakota, 36, actually started the TeaTime Book Club through her production company, TeaTime Pictures. For the Materialists (2025) actress, her book club is more than just folks perusing the same pages. In addition to sharing their monthly picks on TeaTime’s Instagram, they also offer a deep dive paired with each read, which includes an accompanying reading list, a watchlist and a playlist coinciding with the story. Readers can also join in on conversations regarding the reads through the TeaTime Book Club broadcast channel.
For Dakota, this approach is a reflection of the way she reads. “There are a lot of people who do things like I do and they have book clubs, and I was always like, ‘Oh, the way that I read books, it’s so different,’” she shared with Bustle in 2024.“I want to fall down the rabbit hole every time I read…to invest in the book, invest in the language, invest in the references. Like, ‘Oh, what is that piece of art she’s talking about? Who’s that musician?’”
Here, check out a few of the books Dakota’s shared and discussed over the years.
‘A Little Life’ by Hanya Yanagihara
In a recent chat with Hits Radio UK, Dakota shared that A Little Life is the book she’s always recommending. “But, it’s like, a devastating novel, and people are like, ‘Why did you do this to me?’ But I think it’s so stunning.” The book revolves around four friends living in New York City, with Jude—a member of the group whose life has been colored by immense trauma—at the center of their story.
What readers are saying: “Its brilliant writing, its broken characters, and its bleak, unforgiving story dug into my heart, into the very pores of my skin.”
‘Beautyland’ by Marie-Helene Bertino
In 2024, while chatting with Bustle, Johnson shared that Beautyland, which was her book club pick at the time of her interview, was “a book that I will recommend to people for the rest of my life.”
Beautyland follows Adina, a woman born to a single mother in Philadelphia who grows up believing that she has ties to a faraway planet, and spends her life communicating her unique human experiences to her alien counterparts through a fax machine.
What readers are saying: “Bertino skillfully dissects the alien nature of growing up and the complexities of human existence with dry wit, deadpan observational comedy and incisive insights into life’s little absurdities.”
‘The Bell Jar’ by Sylvia Plath
Back in January, Dakota’s book club pick was The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, and a post shared to the TeaTime Pictures Instagram account revealed that it was “one of Dakota’s favorites.”
The Bell Jar follows Esther Greenwood, a college student who, while completing an internship in New York City, struggles with feelings of alienation and depression. Upon returning home, her mental state worsens, and this famed story chronicles her deep struggle and path toward healing while navigating the expectations of a 1950s woman.
What readers are saying: “What it has to say about what women expect of themselves, and what society expects of women, is as sharply relevant today as it has always been.”
‘Things I Don’t Want To Know’ By Deborah Levy
During Dakota’s chat with Hits Radio UK, she shared that the book she had most recently read was Things I Don’t Want To Know by Deborah Levy. In this autobiographical tale, Levy responds to George Orwell’s famed essay “Why I Write” through a female lens, while weaving in her unique life experiences and story.
What readers are saying: “A really outstanding, thoughtful, and engaging little book.”
‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’ by Ocean Vuong
In a 2020 interview with Marie Claire, Johnson revealed that she had read On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong after her friend, Carrie Brownstein, gifted it to her. The novel, which Johnson called “so beautiful,” is written as a letter from a son to his mother who cannot read, and chronicles a traumatic family history and the way that trauma carries through generations.
What readers are saying: “Ocean Vuong will completely destroy you emotionally and then put you back together as a new person. Slaps some line breaks into this prose and it’s pure poetry. An absolute devastating banger of a novel. Bring tissues.”
Here, check out a full list of Dakota’s favorites.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
