Jenna Bush Hager’s Book Club stems from her passion for reading and a legacy to her beloved grandmother, who inspired her.
The Jenna Bush Hager Book club fans can get excited for December’s book pick because Jenna herself is ecstatic. For the next “Read With Jenna,” she picked a book titled “The Secret History,” which she described as an old favorite of hers. Speaking to TODAY.com, Jenna noted, “to me, is almost as close to perfect as a book gets.”
The book “The Secret History,” written by Donna Tartt, was first published in 1992. Many people also regard the book as a modern classic, including Jenna, who stated the book is a pillar of the last 30 years of literature. Jenna, who has continuously recommended the book to people for over three decades, can’t wait to dissect it with her fans. She explained:
“With a book as layered as ‘The Secret History,’ there’s going to be new revelations every time you read it. I feel like this is the type of book that needs to be reread every 10, 20, 30 years — which I just cannot believe.”
The novel, set in Hampden College, a small Vermont liberal arts school, tells the story of student Richard Papen, a student from California. The book follows his journey as he revisits the events that led to the death of fellow student Edmund “Bunny” Corcoran. Meanwhile, Jenna disclosed she came across the book while in college after her sister Barbara recommended it.
What Is the Jenna Bush Hager Book Club All About?
In March 2019, Jenna started picking a book every month to share on her Today show, “Read With Jenna.” The show follows Jenna as he picks a book and then reads and discusses it with fans. She always strives to pick a book that will delight, entertain, and challenge readers.
Jenna does this because she knows the power of a good book which can sometimes enlighten, unite and ignite conversations within a community. As fans read each month’s novel, they can join various discussion groups on social media, including “Read With Jenna” on Instagram and the “Read With Jenna” Facebook group.
There is also a Read With Jenna Goodreads group, and all accounts stay updated with discussions surrounding the latest books. However, fans can also check out the latest information on “Read With Jenna,” including past and present book picks, on the TODAY.com website page.
Jenna Bush Hager’s Passion For Reading
Today host Jenna has never shied away from talking about her passion for reading. The former first daughter unsurprisingly inherited this trait from her mother, Laura Bush, who worked as a librarian after college before marrying George W. Bush in 1977. Still, throughout their time in the White House, the former first lady dedicated her time to supporting childhood literacy causes and education initiatives.
Inspired by her mother, Jenna started her career as an educator while her father was still president. She also advocated for her late grandmother Barbara Bush’s Foundation for Family Literacy. The host spoke about her passion for reading during an episode of “Read With Jenna” in May 2020.
Jenna explained that being able to share her reading list is one of her favorite things about the program. However, she said that her only regret was that her grandmother wasn’t alive to see her do it. Still, she has kept her grandmother’s legacy alive with the book club.
In January 2022, Jenna also spoke about reading with her kids, Mila, Poppy, and Hal, and her husband, Henry Hager. The host also declared she wanted to read the Harry Potter series with her kids. She also spoke about wanting to read at least 100 books in 2022 and getting close to that number once. The mom of three explained that her husband also enjoys reading which has slowly influenced their kids. Jenna disclosed to Yahoo! Life in October 2022:
“My husband and I read every single night. So that’s what my kids see — they see us in bed reading, and so it’s something they want to do too.”
Jenna and Henry got married in 2008 before welcoming their daughters. Besides being the host of NBC’s “Today Show,” she is also the editor-at-large for Southern Living Magazine. She co-authored the book ” Sisters First and Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life” with her twin sister Barbara. Jenna and their mother Laura Bush also wrote “Our Great Big Backyard and Read All About It!”
