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.
Actor Josh Pais is admittedly a “slow reader.”
“I think it’s because I read a lot of scripts,” the author — whose book “Lose Your Mind” hits shelves Tuesday — tells Page Six. “When I read a script, I’m looking for clues about my character and the vibe of the project. Every word has a message – if it’s a good script. I read books the same way.”
Pais adds that his favorite spot to curl up with a good book is on his porch in the Catskills, NY.
“I love when I’m wise enough to carve out time for doing nothing in my life,” he says. “Just have space to look at what’s around me. Not achieve anything. Not get anything done. Those are my favorite times to unfold into a book.”
See below for Pais’ six must-read book recommendations.
“They tell you to control your thoughts. Conquer your fear. Train your mindset. They’re wrong. Your mind doesn’t hold the solution – because the mind itself is the problem. And this book is your way out. Raised by a physicist who worked with Einstein and a poet-painter, I cracked the code on creative invincibility. If you’ve ever felt trapped in your head, paralyzed by overthinking, or convinced you’re not good enough, this book will set you free.”
“One of my all-time favorite books. Written by Ira Levin (‘Rosemary’s Baby,’ ‘The Stepford Wives’). Set somewhere in the future. Everyone is constantly medicated to create a world with no violence, no questioning authority. Everyone is monitored by massive computers. But there are a few that have done the ‘dangerous’ act of stopping their medication. They start waking up, seeing what is really happening. It’s about gaining consciousness in general. A great adventure with a revolutionary spirit.”
“Marie teaches us that no matter how complex anything is in our lives — ‘Everything is Figureoutable.’ With exercises and insightful stories, she gives us confidence and keeps us out of a rut. P.S. She’s a really cute author and happens to be my girlfriend.”
“Early one summer, a woman comes to the Hamptons with her lover. It doesn’t work out. He kicks her out. She’s got no money, yet she commits to staying out East through Labor Day. She has no qualms about lying or molding into different personas based on who she meets. You think she’s about to hit bottom, then finds another person to latch onto or con. It’s fun to follow a character that has no attachments, no morals, and is willing to do whatever it takes.”
“This book is intense. A man loses the use of his legs after a car accident. Having nowhere to turn, he moves in with his father who has not talked to in years. Their relationship had been one of hardships as he grew up. What I responded to is the depth, richness and detail to which this book explores the relationship between these two men who want to connect but have so much in the way. The book insightfully questions what blame is and the damage it can do.”
“A girl has awareness of her birth. She grows up as a somewhat awkward individual. She remembers that she is an alien from another planet. She secretly communicates with her teachers on her distant planet as she goes through her teenage years on Earth. Brilliantly written. It doesn’t feel like science fiction because there is so much complexity and humanity in all the characters. It touches on the uncomfortableness that is felt by all. Plus, it’s set in the 1970’s. A peculiar, wonderful read.”