Emma Watson Interviews: 'Harry Potter' Star Makes 12 Book Recommendations

Emma Watson Attends Tribeca Film Festival
Emma Watson at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York on April 2012. |

If there is one thing that "Harry Potter" alum Emma Watson has in common with Hermione Granger, the bookish wizard she portrayed for more than a decade, then it's the fact that the two share a deep love for the written word.

Watson seems to find an affinity with girls who love to read, because she will be portraying another bookworm on the big screen - Belle, the star of the Disney live adaptation for "Beauty and the Beast."

But what does the United Nations ambassadress for gender equality really love to read in real life?

The Business Insider Australia compiled a list of books that the actress has discussed or recommended in her past interviews.

The book Watson has mentioned more than once is "Just Kids" by Patti Smith. The actress loved the book so much that she wanted to emulate the author.

"I want to live like Patti. I want to write like Patti. The book was so honest and brave. I loved the way she sees the world. I really felt that life was more beautiful after I read it, and I felt more hopeful," she said.

The second book on Watson's list was "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini, who also authored "The Kite Runner." Both books are tear-jerkers, but Watson's recommendation is all about women empowerment.

"It's a wonderful book. I've also read this book. It's an amazing book," Watson gushed.

The third one is "Love Letters to the Dead" by Ava Dellaira. Watson loved the book so much that she shared a snapshot of it on her social media page and wrote, "Dear Ava, I loved your book."

When her Twitter fans read her post, they asked Watson what else she would recommend, so she posted a photo of the book called "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" by Jean-Dominique Bauby.

After "Harry Potter," Watson promised herself that she "would never do a franchise again," but after she read Erika Johansen's "The Queen of the Tearling," she changed her mind.

"I was desperate to hate it,' the actress said. "Unfortunately, I didn't sleep for about a week because I couldn't put the bloody thing down."

Needless to say, she will be starring as the lead character in the film adaptation of the book.

Watson is also a fan of Kazuo Ishiguro's "The Remains of the Day" because it showed the consequences of living a cautious life.

"Part of me is very resentful of this British mentality that it's not good to express feelings of any kind - that it's not proper or brave. But I also appreciate it," she said.

Watson is also a fan of John Green's "The Fault In Our Stars," Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead," and Anne Fadiman's "The Opposite of Loneliness"

Watson got giddy when "Rookie Yearbook Four" by Tavi Gevinson came out, because she encouraged others to "buy it now."

She also seems to be a huge fan of Cheryl Strayed's novels because she likes "Tiny Beautiful Things," "Torch," and "Wild."

And as much as she hates to admit it, Watson loved Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" books too.