In addition to filming several films this year, Emma Roberts started a digital book club with her friend and fellow book-lover Karah Preiss, the star told Shape in a recent interview. It's called Belletrist and promotes a new book every month to Roberts' and Preiss' hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers. Then, Roberts and Preiss interview the author.
It's an interesting business plan, but this app is more than just business for Roberts. Reading has long been a form of self-care for the actress, who told Shape that she sets aside time to read every day.
"Reading is my form of self-care and meditation," she said. "I set aside at least 20 minutes a day for it. Sometimes that turns into 30 minutes, an hour, two hours."
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Sitting down with a book helps Roberts be present in her life, she said, and because that's the goal she puts away the technology when she's immersed in a story, or even when she's out to eat or spending time with friends. She believes that people who've joined the Belletrist book club have gotten something similar from their reading time.
"The reaction has been amazing," she said of the book club. "I think it's because you become immersed in a book, and that's something people are craving these days. When you're on your phone and all the notifications are coming in, it starts to scatter your brain. With a book, you can really step away and take time for yourself."
And it seems that Roberts is going all-in on this form of self-care. Not only has she started the book club to share her personal meditation strategy with others, but she also told Shape that she's bought so many books that she can't even eat from her dining room table.
"I go to the store and buy every book I want to read for the next few months and put them on the table," she said.
Of course, as a celebrity Roberts has the privilege to be able to afford a table full of books. But her self-care strategy is still accessible to pretty much anyone. If you can't go buy all of the books you want to read, you can go sign up for a library card and check out several at a time.
Roberts suggests Slouching Towards Bethlehem, by Joan Didion. It's her favourite, she told Shape, and is "a really beautiful collection of short stories." Another of her favourites? Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. "It has a gothic romance vibe, yet it could be a story today," she said.
If you need more inspiration, these are our favorite books of 2017.