Ever wonder what your favorite celebrities are reading — whether it’s a timeless classic or the buzzy bestseller they can’t put down? Welcome to Page-Turners, where stars reveal the books that keep them hooked, inspired and up all night. Warning: your TBR pile is about to get a lot longer.
“Paradise” actress Sarah Shahi loves reading and discovering books that “mirror” what she’s looking for in her real life.
“I love, love, have a deeply romantic heart, and I’m really spiritual,” Shahi — whose new book “Life is Lifey” comes out Jan. 27 — tells Page Six. “So give me books about growth, magic, and romance — and I’m all yours.”
The “Sex/Life” star adds that she’s constantly on the move and reading helps her slow down.
See below for the six books that “cracked [her] open as a woman and as a writer.”
“This book ruined me in the best way possible. It’s an incredible love story that has two people picking each other again and again against timelines and everything they know to be true. I went through an entire box of Kleenex during the final two chapters.”
“Obviously, I’m an admirer of his films, but Brian Grazer’s book left a major imprint on me. It’s a reminder that being nosy and inquisitive is actually a life skill. It’s a superpower to admit you don’t know something and to ask for help. This book also taught me that if you’re having an issue with someone, approach them on how to best solve the problem. He’s very smart and gives great pointers on simply what ‘being curious’ can get you.”
“I read this book in one sitting. The protagonist needs a job and the only person who will hire her is the town’s villain. She accepts because, you know, rent’s due. But what she doesn’t expect is how brooding and hot he is. It’s very ‘maybe I can fix him or at least organize his crime schedule,’ vibe. It’s high-stakes and slow-burn romance, mixed in with fantasy. All things to capture my attention!”
“I think every woman in the world has read this one. It’s like a feral ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ I love fantasy, danger, romance, fairies — it’s addictively dramatic and perfectly smutty. That whole series got me feeling a certain way! I wanted to be Feyre so bad!”
“I’m a massive Maya Angelou fan and ‘Letter to My Daughter’ was a big inspiration for ‘Life is Lifey.’ I’m always reading in small increments and the books I go back to the most are the ones where I can just open up to any chapter and get a piece of wisdom.
“‘Letter to My Daughter’ is such a gem because she shares her wisdom, mistakes and heartbreaks to her ‘daughters’ around the world. Her writing feels like it has a direct line to my soul, and she’s been a huge part of my healing. She’s elegant, honest and so unapologetically real … This line from the book guides me often: ‘I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.’”
“Glennon Doyle’s book was also a big inspiration structurally for ‘Life is Lifey.’ I like the non-linear storytelling and how each chapter could be its own thing. She’s such a descriptive and inspirational writer, you can literally feel her emotions through the page. She made me want to get a new personality before I had even finished my morning coffee. There’s a fearless honesty in the way she writes — like she’s actively carving out the life she knows she deserves. Reading this book gave me permission to say, ‘OK, I’m not crazy, I’ve been caged. By myself.’”
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