Say what you want about Carrie Bradshaw, but the woman knows her books.
The And Just Like That protagonist is a writer (now making a foray into fiction!), and there’s no doubt that well-documented bibliophile Sarah Jessica Parker bleeds into her character as well.
Consequently, the books the NYC fashionista is seen reading on the Sex and the City spinoff have weight (sometimes literally, hello 500-pagers!), and they’re hand-selected by Parker and the AJLT team in a “collaborative process,” according to prop master Michael Cory.
“Ultimately, it comes down to the writers and Sarah Jessica Parker herself,” Cory told Vogue in 2023. “The character of Carrie is a writer, so she wants to be very in that world. In season one, it was my first time working with [Parker], so we had a much larger conversation about it. She was interested in literary journals, particularly Irish ones, and more poetry. She gave us a couple of titles to go on, and we ran with that. She got more specific as it went on.”
Looking for your next summer read? Follow Carrie’s Manolo Blahnik-laden lead (and that of SJP, often seen reading on set) with these picks:
Honey (Victor Lodato)
Parker was spotted diving into this story of female rage from the PEN USA Award-winning author, which follows the glamorous daughter of an infamous New Jersey mobster who returns home to reckon with her violent past.
Intermezzo (Sally Rooney)
The latest from the famed Irish author behind Normal People traces two brothers as they navigate romantic relationships and the loss of their father.
The Demon of Unrest (Erik Larson)
A narrative non-fiction that traces the slow-burning crisis in between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War. A nice, light 500+ page easy read, right, Carrie?
We Burn Daylight (Bret Anthony Johnston)
Based on true events that occurred in Texas in the ‘90s, this epic tells the story of star-crossed lovers in a doomsday cult, exploring the true meaning of love and sacrifice.
Patriot (Alexei Navalny)
A powerful posthumous memoir from the Russian opposition leader and political prisoner, who decided to tell his story shortly after his near-fatal poisoning in 2020.
Monkey Grip (Helen Garner)
Ah, a classic Miranda and Carrie walk-and-talk. Perfect time to ponder this 1977 story of a single mother navigating addiction in Melbourne’s underground.
The Coin (Yasmin Zaher)
The Dylan Thomas Prize winner’s debut novel is a bold story about a young Palestinian woman’s unraveling as she gets caught up in a scheme selling Birkin bags (Carrie knows a thing or two about those!) in New York City.
The Berry Pickers (Amanda Peters)
The mystery about a 4-year-old girl who goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine had Parker enraptured on set — even during a funeral scene.
Entitlement (Rumaan Alam)
A provocative novel investigating wealth, need, worth, race, privilege, passion and philanthropy may have hit close to home while on the set of AJLT, which explores many of the same themes, albeit comedically.
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