Celebrity book recommendations: take your reading inspo from the stars

"The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne is the best book I've read in the last month," says Strictly's Claudia, 48. It's the story of Ireland from the '40s to the present day, as told through the filter of one ordinary man.

The 22-year-old actress, known for Cold Feet and for playing Marianne in the phenomenon that is BBC's Normal People, tells us, "Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo is one of the most powerful, honest, funny and moving pieces of writing I've ever read. The story takes us into multiple different perspectives of black women in Britain – exploring race, sexuality, modern femaleness, Britishness and so much more. I can't wait to read the rest of her work and to continue deepening my understanding."

Davood, 37, who has played EastEnders' Kush since 2014, loved Learning To Breathe With Fire. "It's about how to train in a certain way, and is really interesting reading," he says. "It made me think about getting back to some normality and how to change things up a bit when I do." The book details the rise of CrossFit training.

Giovanna, 35, is the bestselling author of Happy Mum, Happy Baby and presenter of the podcast of the same name. She says, "I absolutely loved I Am Not Your Baby Mother by Candice Brathwaite. She is one blooming clever woman!" It's a brilliantly observed look at life as a black mother, exploring the stages from pregnancy to the first trip to the school gates.

The Good Place star, 34, describes The New York Times' bestselling author Roxanne Gay's Hunger as a "life-changing book", saying, "Roxanne talks about her trauma in a way I haven't heard before." In Hunger, Gay recounts how she reacted to a sexual attack by becoming "not obese or morbidly obese but super morbidly obese" to make herself repulsive to men.

"I've just finished reading an advance copy of a brilliant book called Anti Social: The Secret Diary Of An Antisocial Behaviour Officer, by Nick Pettigrew," TV presenter Lorraine, 60, tells Closer. "It's an insight into the life of someone who does that job. It's funny, heartbreaking and I couldn't put it down. I had to read it in one sitting." Kathy Burke is also a big fan, describing it as "darkly comic".l Nick Pettigrew's book will be published on 23 July.

"Untamed is packed with incredible insight about what it means to be a woman today," says The Big Little Lies actress, 44. "What we learnt as girls about how to behave or believe – and why we need to free ourselves from a lot of the ideas that don't work any more (hot tip: being 'selfless' is not the highest goal a woman can achieve). This book spoke to me so loudly and clearly. I swear I highlighted something in EVERY chapter."