Sarah Jessica Parker Stuns Fans With Claim That She Reads Two Books A Day

Fans of Sarah Jessica Parker have known for a long time that the actress is a voracious reader, but it was still surprising for them to learn of her interest in judging for the Booker Prize—and the amount of reading she'd have to do.

Between reading books and memorizing lines, Parker has been caught "between the pages" countless times on her personal Instagram.

In an interview at her press, SJP Lit in partnership with Zando, the actress explained that it was "a rule in [her childhood] home to always leave the house with something to read," which encouraged her to read from anything, whether it be a lengthy novel or the latest edition of the New York Times.

The practice also made her curious about people, cultures, and foods, and allowed her to experience them in a way she may never be able to in her real life.

So it made sense in 2022 when she expressed an interest in participating in the judging for the Booker Prize.

In an Instagram post explaining the process for choosing the finalists and ultimately a winner, one of the challenges expressed was the sheer volume of books that had to be read, which is approximately 170 books in seven months.

Parker piped up in the comments section, pleading:

"Oh, let me try!!!!"

The very next year in 2023, Parker was offered the opportunity to judge, but she knew it was unrealistic because of her acting commitments at the time.

But 2025 proved to be her year.

Parker attended the annual PEN America Literary Gala last week to celebrate the year's accomplishments, and she reflected on her commitment to the project.

"It's intense to be reading two books a day. The volume is kind of hard to convey, what it's like to have as many books we are given the opportunity to read in a month. It's quite something."

When asked how she made the time, Parker shrugged and said:

"You just do. I didn't do it last year because I knew I was shooting and doing a play and doing the series, so this year I knew that I had a different kind of time available to me, so I just read morning to night."

"Any opportunity that exists, I'm reading."

When the interview broke on Twitter (X), some viewers were skeptical of Parker's reading habits.

But others appreciated how voracious a reader Parker was and applauded her accomplishments.

Though some might not be able to imagine reading so many books in so short a time, it's a matter of committing to reading rather than doing other things, and believing in highlighting important works that most readers might otherwise never realize were on the shelves.