Actress Sarah Jessica Parker revealed she’s been doing an impressive amount lot of reading lately.
The “Sex and the City” star told Page Six she currently reads up to two books a day, as Parker is one of the Booker Prize judges.
“It’s intense to be reading (that number of books), 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,” she told the outlet May 15 while attending the PEN America Literary Gala.
Parker Calls Booker Prize Judge Gig ‘an Honor’
The 60-year-old added it was an “honor” and a “privilege” to take on the judging role. She added how she wanted to take on the challenge last year but filming commitments made it difficult.
“I didn’t do it last year because I knew I was shooting and doing the series [‘And Just Like That…’],” Parker continued, “and I knew this year I had a different kind of time available to me, to read morning till night.”
Parker wanted to take on the challenge ever since she saw an Instagram video in December 2022, according to The New York Times. The actress wrote, “Oh let me try!!!!” in response to the judges discussing how they read close to 200 books in seven months.
In addition to a successful acting career, Parker also launched SJP Lit imprint in 2022, per The Hollywood Reporter.
The imprint is a part of independent publisher Zando and “publishes sweeping, expansive, thought-provoking, and discussion-driven stories that are inclusive of international and underrepresented voices.”
Books Have Been a Part of Parker’s Life Since Childhood
Parker’s love of literature started from a young age. “We always had a ton of books around the house and we were regular visitors to the library,” she told Page Six.
The “Hocus Pocus” actress said her mother was the one who got her into books, according to the New York Times.
“My mother is the reason that me and my siblings are all readers,” she said. “When I was little she would drive car pool, and she always had a book open on her lap underneath the steering wheel, and at the red light, she would look down and read and wait for the car behind her to honk to tell her to go again.
“So that was how I grew up,” she added. “Any opportunity to read, even if it’s for two minutes, I’ll take it.”
Related