Jenna Bush Hager Unveils September’s “Read With Jenna” Book Club Pick On ‘Today,’ Described As Her “Favorite Book” Of The Last 5 Years

Jenna Bush Hager could not hold back her praise for September’s Read With Jenna book on Today With Jenna & Friends.

Bush Hager, joined by SUNDAY Today’s Willie Geist, announced her pick for her Read With Jenna book club during Tuesday’s broadcast on Sept. 2: Patrick Ryan’s new historical fiction novel, Buckeye.

Bush Hager was “very excited” to announce Ryan’s novel as September’s Read With Jenna book. She described it as an “incredible” book fit for fans of authors Amor Towles and Anne Patchett.

Buckeye is set in Bonhomie, Ohio, following the saga of two families whose fates are intertwined against the backdrop of “some of the most transformative decades in modern America” between World War II and the Vietnam War.

“It’s a book whose stories and characters will stay with you forever. I read it twice because I was so upset with it,” she confessed, later telling Geist, “I’m telling you, it’s probably my favorite book I’ve read in five years. I loved it so much.”

Speaking to Today.com, Bush Hager gushed over Buckeye, which she described as a “once-in-a-decade novel.”

“You read it once and then, even though it’s 500 pages, want to reread again,” she said.

The Today host announced the book drove her to tears.

“Not only because it’s super emotional — anyone who has ever loved a child or a partner will feel that way. I cried because I was going to miss these characters so very much. I would recommend this book to anybody,” she said.

Ryan told Today.com that it was ‘inconceivable” that the book would be picked for Read With Jenna.

“I worked on it for eight years. To do that you have to let go of the idea of any kind of reward. You just have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty — try not to think about approval and any kind of badge or gold star,” he said.

Today with Jenna & Friends airs on weekdays at 10/9c on NBC.