Meghan Markle's Favorite Books Are Full Of Powerful Reads
Long before she became the Duchess of Sussex and everyone was obsessed with her style transformation, Meghan Markle was an actress with a lifestyle blog called The Tig. Her "passion project," as she called it, was a site of tips for food, travel, and even fashion and beauty. It was also known for book recommendations — and Markle had lots of them.
Sadly, as her relationship with Prince Harry became more and more serious (which was great for her!), Markle was forced by the royal family to shut down The Tig in 2017. Although royals tried to scrub the Internet of her entire digital footprint, lucky for us, the web archives still exist.
While making a list of all the books she recommended during her time curating The Tig would be extremely long and exhaustive (in a good way!), we've narrowed it down to a handful that really stand out. If you're looking to read more books in 2024, then Meghan Markle's favorites are a great place to start.
The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan
If you've never heard of "The Opposite of Loneliness" or the tragedy surrounding Marina Keegan's untimely passing, then you're really in for a tug at your heartstrings. There's little more devastating than talent being snuffed out so early in life, especially when that talent was on the precipice of greatness.
"I am undone by this book," Markle wrote for The Tig in July 2014. "It's a collection of essays written by Marina Keegan, who graduated Magna Cum Laude from Yale in 2012, had a job lined up at the New Yorker, and tragically died in a car accident just five days after graduation. Her stories are raw and real, funny and relatable. And she writes with a fluid conversational tone that makes you feel like you know her. I truly wish I had been able to. Get this book — I couldn't put it down."
"The Opposite of Loneliness" went on to become a New York Times Bestseller, making the success of the book bittersweet for Keegan's family and friends. Had she not passed away that day in 2012, there's no telling how far Keegan's talent would have taken her.
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
When "The Paying Guests" was published in 2014, it got a lot of mixed reviews on GoodReads. In fact, it has more three- and four-star ratings than five-star. But for Markle, it's a favorite.
"If you're a fan of 'Downton Abbey' (and if you're not, add that to your binge watch list), you'll love the new novel by the talented writer Sarah Waters," Markle wrote for The Tig in October 2014. "Set in England in 1922 right after WWI, the story begins with a mother and a daughter who must take in a married couple as their 'paying guests' (tenants), much to the chagrin of the previously well-to-do (but no longer) mother-daughter pair." Markle does point out that the novel starts slow, a common complaint on GoodReads, but also adds, "if you're patient, you'll be drawn into a page-turning crime thriller and an enrapturing love story that's one for the ages."
Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
Although the title, "Who Moved My Cheese?" might suggest a humorous type of book, instead the author Spencer Johnson, who's also a physician, actually offers up some major self-help with this one. In it, for example, the cheese represents what you want in life and aspire to be, while the maze is where you are and something you need to learn to navigate and manipulate in order to get to the cheese.
In 2016, Markle added this to The Tig's "badass" must-reads, writing: "A professor at Northwestern University had this book on our list of required reading for an Industrial Engineering class I took my junior year of college. It was a seemingly odd choice, but at the end of the day, the takeaway was a self-empowerment and motivational bent that I apply to decision making in my life to this very day. It's an invaluable quick read."
How to be Parisian Wherever You Are by Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret, and Sophie Mas
Let's cut to the chase: Americans have long been obsessed with the French. From trying to master French girl hair trends to doing their best to dress the part of a Parisian (which is nothing like what we see on Emily in "Emily in Paris"). At our core, many of us are Francophiles, which is why "How to be Parisian Wherever You Are" by Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret, and Sophie Mas is equal parts fun and important.
"Because admit it, you want to be French," Markle wrote for The Tig in December 2014. "Or you know someone who does. They're so well put together without looking like they've tried at all... But since we can't all be born French (sigh), 'How to be Parisian Wherever You Are: Love, Style, and Bad Habits' will help you get a little bit closer with gems like, 'The Parisienne retains her little imperfections, cherishes them even — these are the signs of a certain strength of character.' And bonus: the book makes for great Instagram folly."
Yes, Please by Amy Poehler
Anyone who's already read "Yes, Please" by Amy Poehler knows that it's a delight. As a memoir, it's about her life, but that doesn't necessarily make it a funny book, per se. Poehler gets pretty serious about certain topics, and while the humor never fully goes away, she does get pretty real.
"When Amy Poehler revealed that she was writing a book, the world's collective response was, in fact, the title that the comedienne chose for her debut: Yes, Please," Markle wrote for The Tig in December 2014. "And while there are hundreds of celebrity memoirs, Poehler's is one that [...] stands out in the cookie cutter crowd. Poehler, herself, explains her writing best: 'I know what I am doing. I am presenting a series of reasons as to why you should lower your expectations, so that you can be blown away by my sneaky insights about life and work.' And darling, she really will blow you away."