Pop Star Picks: Books, TV & Films Recommended By Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Zendaya & More

16 January 2023, 17:26

Pop star picks to inspire you
Pop star picks to inspire you. Picture: Getty/Alamy

Let the likes of Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet and more recommend you your next book, movie or tv show!

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What better time is there to get stuck into a new book, new series or find yourself a new favourite film, than in January? We'll wait.

Your favourite pop stars and celebrities aren't just churning out their own projects, but they have no shortage of recommendations for you too. So, if you're going through somewhat of an entertainment dry spell, then these stars have got you covered!

A 2022 Rundown From Memes To Pop Culture: All the Unforgettable Moments

From the books that inspired some of Taylor Swift's best lyrics to indie films that the likes of Florence Pugh and Harry Styles can't get enough of, to Zendaya's favourite TV shows...

Read on to get some inspiration!

Taylor Swift uses books as song inspiration
Taylor Swift uses books as song inspiration. Picture: Taylor Swift/Artwork

Taylor Swift

You just know that the queen of songwriting will have some expertly chosen picks to keep you occupied this year!

Taylor could find inspiration for a song anywhere, so it comes as no surprise that a lot of her favourite books and film and TV projects started a chain reaction that led to a track on an album!

For example, Taylor's heartbreaking 'evermore' ballad, 'tolerate it', was written about the Daphne du Maurier novel Rebecca!

It's also widely speculated that the story of Pride & Prejudice motivated the songstress to write 'the 1' from 'Folklore' – she never ceases to amaze with her biographical songs or her fictitious ones!

Taylor also famously wrote 'Death by a Thousand Cuts' after watching the Netflix Original film Someone Great – read the list below to see what picks are linked to which songs!

Books

  • Rebecca
  • Stargirl
  • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Television

  • Conversations with Friends
  • Pride & Prejudice ('the 1')

Film

  • Marriage Story ('my tears ricochet')
  • Love Actually
  • Someone Great ('Death by a Thousand Cuts')
Harry Styles loves a rom-com
Harry Styles loves a rom-com. Picture: Alamy

Harry Styles

Not only is Harry Styles one of the world's most famous pop stars, but he's also just had a pretty huge year when it comes to film!

Between writing songs, starring in movies and touring, Harry apparently gets quite a bit of reading done. One of his most loved books is the aptly named In Watermelon Sugar, a postmodern post-apocalyptic novel by Richard Brautigan which, of course, gave one of Harry's biggest smash-hits its name!

He's also highly recommended reading staples such as Love Is A Mixtape and Norwegian Wood, but if you're not so much of a bookworm then don't fret: he loves a rom-com.

The pop sensation is a big fan of Love Actually and has gone on the record that he can't stop re-watching The Notebook as he has an affinity for “anything that Nicholas Sparks has ever done" – high praise!

Books

  • Love Is A Mixtape
  • In Watermelon Sugar
  • Burning in Water, Drowning in Flam
  • Norwegian Wood

Film

  • The Notebook (2004)
  • Love Actually (2003)
Zendaya has some top-tier television picks
Zendaya has some top-tier television picks. Picture: Alamy

Zendaya

From her start on Disney's Shake It Up to her award-winning performance on Euphoria (more on that later), it's safe to say that when it comes to TV... Zendaya knows what she's talking about!

If you're in the mood for something binge-able then take a leaf out of the actress' book and watch a slew of Grey's Anatomy episodes, or if you want something a little darker, how about the dystopian Handmaids Tale?

Zendaya is said to be a fan of the Shakespeare classic Twelfth Night, which has served as inspiration for the 2006 comedy, She's The Man.

Books

  • Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

Television

  • Grey's Anatomy
  • The Handmaid’s Tale
  • This Is Us

Films

  • Get Out
  • Interstellar
  • If Beale Street Could Talk
Florence Pugh has read the book for her upcoming film
Florence Pugh has read the book for her upcoming film. Picture: Alamy

Florence Pugh

2022 was undeniably the year of Florence Pugh, and we're sure her star will soar to new heights this year too!

As Flo prepares to enter the science epic franchise Dune – where she'll be acting alongside other celebs on this list like Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet – she's read the Frank Herbert book.

Hollywood's current 'It girl' has also stated that her “favourite film ever" is the 2013 romance Blue Is The Warmest Colour.

Books

  • Dune by Frank Herbert
  • The Girls by Emma Cline
  • The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Films

  • Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013)
Timothée Chalamet is an avid reader
Timothée Chalamet is an avid reader. Picture: Getty

Timothée Chalamet

Any Timothée Chalamet fan knows that he is a lover of thrilling movies, notably, he's gone on the record many times to gush over classics like The Dark Knight and American Psycho.

He's also racked up quite an impressive reading list, he's a fan of George Orwell's iconic dystopian social science fiction novel 1984, Bob Dylan's memoir and Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being A Wallflower (which is also a great 2021 film).

Books

  • 1984 by George Orwell
  • Chronicles: Volume One by Bob Dylan
  • The Perks of Being A Wallflower

Television

  • The Office

Films

  • The Dark Knight
  • American Psycho
  • Punch-Drunk Love

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