When she’s not performing or practicing “Radical Optimism,” you might find Dua Lipa reading.
In June 2023, the “Dance the Night” singer launched the Service95 Book Club, an extension of her global editorial platform encompassing the Service95 blog site, a weekly newsletter, and Lipa’s podcast, “Dua Lipa: At Your Service.”
The Service95 Book Club “represent[s] diverse global voices, telling powerful stories spanning fiction, memoir and manifesto.”
The picks are a mix of best-selling fiction and new voices in literature. For each pick, Lipa facilitates a virtual Q&A with the author, plus Service95 shares more recommendations from featured authors, reading guides, and more.
Below, we rounded up all of the Service95 Book Club picks so you can read along.
Service95 Book Club picks 2024:
December ’24: 5 Books Dua Is Gifting This Year
Rather than a traditional pick for December, Lipa shared a list of five books she’s planning on gifting this holiday season:
- “Brightly Shining” by Ingvild Rishøi, translated by Caroline Waight – “This small but mighty Norwegian Christmas story is like a modern retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Little Match Girl’ (spoiler: expect tears). The perfect stocking filler.”
- “James” by Percival Everett – “By taking the simple concept of retelling ‘The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn’ from the point of view of the enslaved Jim, Everett subverts and reclaims the original story. It’s so skillfully done.”
- “Tenth Of December” by George Saunders – “No Christmas list is complete without a George Saunders book. I love his short story collections, and ‘Tenth Of December’ is perhaps my favourite. ‘The Semplica Girl Diaries’ is an absolute standout.”
- “In The Distance” by Hernan Diaz – “I’m currently reading this strange and evocative western by Diaz. There’s a lot I want to discuss, so friends of mine can expect to find it under their tree this Christmas.”
- “The Last Dream” by Pedro Almodóvar, translated by Frank Wynne – “I’m an Almodóvar evangelist in whatever form he comes to me – films, interviews, and now short stories. I’m so excited to read this; I want everyone to read along.”
November ’24: “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong
Goodreads rating: 4.0/5 stars
“This beautiful book had me hooked right at the title. And while it is a novel, Ocean Vuong’s poetic language dances on every page,” Lipa wrote, introducing the pick.
“As much as it is a commentary on the dark side of the American Dream, it is also a tender testament to the unbreakable love between a mother and son. Little Dog’s mother tells him: ‘You have a bellyful of English. You have to use it.’ And my goodness, does he use it.”
Buy Kindle e-book | Buy paperback | Watch Lipa in conversation with author Ocean Vuong
October ’24: “Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders
Goodreads rating: 3.8/5 stars
Lipa wrote, “I loved this unique, bold and compassionate book. At its heart, this is a story of one of the most famous men in history – President Abraham Lincoln – grieving for his dead son Willie, whose death foreshadows the hundreds of thousands of lives that are about to be lost in the American Civil War.
“There is no one writing today who can match George Saunders for compassion and empathy. The very last page still replays in my mind. The voices of these spirits – the wretched and the brave, and the dead boy Willie Lincoln – will stay with me forever.”
Buy Kindle e-book | Buy paperback | Watch Lipa in conversation with author George Saunders
September ’24: “Bad Habit” by Alana S. Portero (translated by Mara Faye Lethem)
Goodreads rating: 4.5/5 stars
“I got actual chills when I read the opening scenes of this book. Beginning with her fallen angels – the boys who become junkies on the streets of San Blas – Alana S Portero’s vivid portrait of a young Trans girl growing up in 1980s Madrid had me hooked from the very first page,” Lipa wrote.
“You’ll delight in the fiendishly wicked sisterhood of the city’s street queens, outcasts and misfits while singing your heart out to the sounds that spill out of the clubs and into the plazas. This is a book to savor. Enjoy every word.”
Buy Kindle e-book | Buy hardcover | Watch Lipa in conversation with author Alana S. Portero
July ’24: “Noughts & Crosses” by Malorie Blackman
Goodreads rating: 4.2/5 stars
Lipa introduced July’s pick by saying, “Like many people my age, I was partly raised by Malorie Blackman. She creates worlds you want to carry with you and each story encourages its young readers to ask the important questions in life.”
“It’s pacey, romantic, tortured, and enlightening. What more could a young reader ask for?”
Buy Kindle e-book | Buy paperback | Watch Lipa in conversation with author Malorie Blackman
June ’24: “Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland” by Patrick Radden Keefe
Goodreads rating: 4.5/5 stars
“‘Say Nothing’ is a masterclass in the art of the ‘non-fiction novel.’ It has all the elements of great fiction – mesmerizing characters, intrigue and plot twists,” Lipa wrote. “And it also happens to be true.”
“This is a big book in every sense of the word, about a terrible and tragic war in the United Kingdom that many people today are too young to even remember. I guarantee you will be hooked from beginning to end.”
Buy Kindle e-book | Buy Paperback | Watch Lipa in conversation with author Patrick Radden Keefe
May ’24: “Swimming in the Dark” by Tomasz Jedrowski
Goodreads rating: 4.3/5 stars
“Taking the form of a love letter from Ludwik to Janusz, reading “Swimming In the Dark” is a bit like peering into someone’s most intimate moments of self-discovery,” Lipa wrote, introducing her May pick, a coming-of-age love story set against the brutal political backdrop of Communist Poland in the 1980s.
“It’s poetic and tender, burning with a quiet rage at the persecution the LGBTQ+ community in Poland has suffered for decades and continues to fight against today. It’s a beautiful story – I hope you love it as much as I do.”
Buy Kindle e-book | Buy paperback | Watch Lipa in conversation with author Tomasz Jedrowski
April ’24: “Crying in H Mart” by Michelle Zauner
Goodreads rating: 4.3/5 stars
“Some of you may already know Michelle [Zauner] as the uber-cool singer and guitarist of the American cult indie band Japanese Breakfast,” Lipa wrote. “With this book, she also proves herself to be a first-class memoirist, writing with raw honesty about her difficult teenage relationship with her mother and the grief that follows her mother’s death from cancer.”
“This is a book about loss that is also about love; it’s a book about South Korea that is also about West Coast small-town America; it’s a story that is both beautiful and heartbreaking; it is as raw as it is precious. I bawled my eyes out, but I also loved it and I hope you do too.”
Buy Kindle e-book | Buy paperback | Watch Lipa in conversation with author Michelle Zauner
March ’24: “Trust” by Hernan Diaz
Goodreads rating: 3.8/5 stars
Introducing the pick, Lipa wrote, “This book made my head spin! Set in New York City in the 1920s and ’30s, the story of a Manhattan financier and his high society wife is told through four ‘books’ – a novel, a manuscript, a memoir and a journal. But which version should you trust? Is there even one true reality?”
“While each reader will draw their own conclusion when they reach the end of this complex and thrilling book, what is never disputed is the ease with which money and power can bend reality itself. I was obsessed and you might just be too.”
Buy Kindle e-book | Buy paperback | Watch Lipa in conversation with author Hernan Diaz
February ’24: “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini
Goodreads rating: 4.4/5 stars
“I first read “A Thousand Splendid Suns” just after the return of the Taliban in 2021 when Afghanistan dominated headlines around the world,” Lipa reflected. “If we need any reminder of why we should stand in solidarity with Afghan women now more than ever, this book is surely it. It’s a really intense story of a world we all hoped was far behind us – and yet it’s more relevant than ever to understand the lives of women under the Taliban.”
“If that sounds heavy, don’t be put off. With Khaled Hosseini’s great gift for storytelling, this book soars on many levels. It’s an illuminating story of the cultural and political history of Afghanistan, rich with the textures of daily life. What stood out for me as much as the oppression it details is that this story is infused with love – between fractured families, teenage lovers, and the heroic characters of Mariam and Laila, whose friendship resonated with me so deeply.”
Buy Kindle e-book | Buy paperback | Watch Lipa in conversation with author Khaled Hosseini
January ’24: “The Guest” by Emma Cline
Goodreads rating: 3.3/5 stars
“Every page of this book raised so many questions for me!” Lipa wrote in the introduction for her January pick. “The story takes place over just one week, during which we learn almost nothing about the young protagonist, Alex. We never leave a small affluent area of what we assume is Long Island. No one dies (or do they?), no major world events take place. And yet… the strange atmospheric pace of the novel doesn’t let up, and I found myself literally on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.”
“Just like the infinity pools and the crystal calm sea that serve as metaphors throughout, under the surface, this book shimmers with tension, flirts with danger, and begs questions about class, privilege, excess and survival. I can’t wait to dive into this with you.”
Buy Kindle e-book | Buy paperback | Watch Lipa in conversation with author Emma Cline
Service95 Book Club picks 2023:
November ’23: “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett
Goodreads rating: 4.1/5 stars
In a post about the pick, Lipa wrote, “This book brilliantly surfaces a multitude of questions about race, class and gender, told through a family drama that spans three generations in 20th-century America.
“I was struck by how the novel so cleverly raises questions of heritage and identity while remaining non-judgmental, empathetic and full of heart. I raced through this book, and I’m sure you will too.”
Buy Kindle e-book | Buy paperback | Watch Lipa in conversation with author Brit Bennett
September ’23: “Just Kids” by Patti Smith
Goodreads rating: 4.2/5 stars
“This month, we are doing something a little different… our September Monthly Read is the memoir
“Just Kids” by Patti Smith. Patti is an absolute rock and roll icon and a personal hero of mine, so I am beyond excited to dive into this book,” Lipa wrote.
“It’s hard to define Patti – she is a singer, a songwriter, a poet, a painter and, of course, an author. It’s safe to say that we get something of all of these personas through this beautiful book. Prior to being at the heart of the New York City punk scene, Patti was pushing boundaries in the art world with her lover and best friend, the controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Their enduring love story – which navigates both romantic and platonic love – forms the warm heart of this book, and along the way, we meet artists and musicians such as Andy Warhol and Janis Joplin, literary giants including William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, to say nothing of the drag queens and socialites that pass through the doors of the Chelsea Hotel.”
Buy Kindle e-book | Buy paperback | Watch Lipa in conversation with author Patti Smith
August ’23: “Half of a Yellow Sun” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Goodreads rating: 4.3/5 stars
Lipa wrote of her August 2023 pick, “This isn’t just a story of war. I guarantee you will be totally absorbed by the parallel love stories between Olanna and Odenigbo, and Kainene and Richard. I found their different outlooks on relationships fascinating, including how they each dealt with love, jealousy, infidelity and forgiveness.”
Buy Kindle e-book | Buy paperback | Watch Lipa in conversation with author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
July ’23: “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee
Goodreads rating: 4.3/5 stars
“I could not put this book down… it’s quite long, but I promise you will race through it,” Lipa wrote. “It’s a sweeping saga set in Korea and Japan that follows the fortunes of a Korean family across four generations and eight decades. It’s a story of the search for identity in a hostile country, of what immigrant parents sacrifice for their children, and of the choices women must make in a man’s world.”
“I learned so much about the annexation of Korea and early 20th-century Japanese colonialism. If that makes it sound like a heavy lift – don’t worry, it’s not. I was totally absorbed by the characters and, in fact, it’s so readable it will leave you wanting more.”
Buy Kindle e-book | Buy paperback | Watch Lipa in conversation with author Min Jin Lee
June ’23: “Shuggie Bain” by Douglas Stuart
Goodreads rating: 4.3/5 stars
Lipa’s inaugural Service95 book club pick is “an intimate study of the tenderness that survives the ravages of alcoholism in a mother-son relationship.”
She wrote, “I clearly have a thing for heart-breaking books, and this is no exception. Yet there is so much love within the pages of this book, particularly between Shuggie and his mother Agnes.”
Buy Kindle e-book | Buy paperback | Watch Lipa and author Douglas Stuart on her At Your Service podcast
Read the full article here
