Blair Underwood shares his favorite books. Drea Castro; Amazon Ever wonder what your favorite celebrities are reading — whether it’s a timeless classic or the buzzy bestseller they can’t put down? Welcome to Page-Turners, where stars reveal the books that keep them hooked, inspired and up all night. Warning: your TBR pile is about to get a lot longer.
“I’ve always been more of a documentary person,” the “Doc” actor — whose new book about his mom, “A Soldier’s Wife: My Mother, The Marvelous Mrs. Marilyn A. Underwood,” is out now — told Page Six.
“As an actor, I spend a lot of time stepping into imagined worlds, so when I’m on my own, I like to read about real history, real people and different cultures.”
He added that “balance” keeps him grounded.
The “Don’t Ever Wonder” actor explained his mom always pushed him to be a reader, but he wasn’t really interested in it growing up. He said reading initially “felt like something to get through, not something to enjoy.”
However, Underwood’s views shifted when he “discovered I could utterly disappear into other lives & distant realities. Then… it became an escape.”
See below for the “One Spoon of Chocolate” actor’s must-read book recommendations.
“I love this book because we follow the extraordinary life of Lionel Richie and the stories behind the creation of so many songs that represent the soundtrack of our lives.”
“I’m drawn to it because it makes you think about love, legacy, and what you’d actually sacrifice to hold onto both. In addition, it forces you to grapple with immortality. Would that, could that be a blessing or a curse?”
“What I love about Jonathan is that he’s willing to be cast out just to chase something deeper in himself. While everyone else is focused on survival, he’s obsessed with mastering flight, even when it costs him belonging. His struggle feels real. It’s about choosing growth over comfort, and staying committed even when you’re alone in your pursuits.”
“It reminds me that opportunity is usually right where I am. I just have to recognize it.”
“It’s a story about my Mama. What’s not to love? But seriously, this book is for anyone who loves their mother and/or is looking for a roadmap to be loved, respected and honored by their own children.”
“I like it because it’s really about a group of outsiders trying to figure out where they fit and ending up building something massive in the process, the Hollywood movie-making machine. They weren’t just making movies, they were shaping what the idea of America and the nuclear family even looked like.”
