Skip to main content
About Starbucks
    • Coffee Coffee
    • Cups & Merch Cups & Merch
    • Coffeehouse Experience Coffeehouse Experience
    • Drinks & Food Drinks & Food
    • Annual Impact Report (ESG) Annual Impact Report (ESG)
    • Belonging at Starbucks Belonging at Starbucks
    • Communities Communities
    • Farmers Farmers
    • The Starbucks Foundation The Starbucks Foundation
    • Sustainability Sustainability
    • Partners (Employees) Partners (Employees)
    • Contact us
    • Media Library
    • News Blog
    • Press Releases
    • Starbucks for the Record
  • Stories

Starbucks teams up with Oprah’s Book Club and new podcast series

Each month from a Starbucks cafe, Oprah will host an author selected as part of her book club over a cup of coffee and customers can listen to the conversation on Oprah’s new podcast series. 

Oprah sitting with an audience having a conversation in a Starbucks store for the book club
Oprah sitting with an audience having a conversation in a Starbucks store for the book club
Oprah sitting with an audience having a conversation in a Starbucks store for the book club
Oprah sitting with an audience having a conversation in a Starbucks store for the book club

Starbucks and Oprah are coming together to launch Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks, a podcast companion to Oprah’s Book Club. As part of “The Oprah Podcast” with talk show host, producer and philanthropist, Oprah Winfrey, a new episode of the podcast will air each month featuring an engaging conversation about the book selection between Oprah and special guests over coffee, inside of a Starbucks cafe. Oprah will also share a recommended Starbucks beverage pairing that customers can enjoy while discussing the book at their local Starbucks store. 

Bonus Episode: The Expanded Conversation with Eckhart Tolle

Enjoy additional moments from Oprah and Eckhart’s conversation over his groundbreaking book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose.

In this bonus release, Oprah’s conversation with Eckhart Tolle continues at the Starbucks café in New York as an audience of readers shares how the wisdom in A New Earth has transformed their lives.

Oprah and Eckhart cover topics that speak to this moment in time—staying present at work, mourning the loss of loved ones, managing addiction and how parents can help their teenagers stay present in the age of social media. While Eckhart says we are moving into a period of “turbulence,” he offers advice on how to proceed through life with a greater sense of awareness and presence instead of living in a state of anxiety and fear.

Oprah sitting with the author of The New Earth

Translated into 52 languages and available as an audiobook, A New Earth is a profoundly spiritual manifesto for a better way of life and for building a better world. Pair your reading with a fan-favorite Starbucks® Cortado, including the deliciously nondairy Brown Sugar Oatmilk Cortado.

Readers can tune into Oprah and Eckhart’s previous conversation here and find A New Earth wherever books are sold .


Episode 7: The River Is Waiting and Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso

Wally Lamb’s newest novel is a page-turner exploring addiction, forgiveness, grief and redemption.

From a Starbucks café in its Seattle hometown, Oprah joins author Wally Lamb to discuss The River Is Waiting, a story she describes as “a transformative journey.”

Haunting and layered, Wally’s novel follows a young father struggling with life in prison in the wake of an unbearable tragedy, one of his own doing. Amid frightful brutality, small acts of kindness and unexpected kinship with those around him, he reckons with the truth—and whether forgiveness is possible from those he loves most.

In this episode, Wally shares his writing process, character development and experiences that helped build the landscape for The River Is Waiting. During the conversation, a former guest of The Oprah Winfrey Show returns after 25 years to recount her story of grief and healing following a tragic accident, connecting her story to the experience of the novel’s main character.

We’ve paired Wally’s newest book with our newest nondairy pick-me-up, the Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso . Inspired by traditional Mexican-style horchata, the drink blends Starbucks® Blonde Espresso Roast with a fusion of cinnamon, vanilla and sweet rice flavors, shaken with ice and topped with creamy oatmilk.

As you dive into your reading, enjoy an Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso at your neighborhood Starbucks café.

The River Is Waiting is available to purchase where books are sold.


Episode 6: Emperor of Gladness and Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso

Ocean Vuong’s highly anticipated new novel is heartfelt and powerful, revealing the many ways love, labor and loneliness show up in American life.

In this episode of Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks, Oprah joins bestselling author and poet Ocean Vuong at the café to discuss Emperor of Gladness, his newest novel.

Set in a post-industrial Connecticut town called East Gladness, the story begins as nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge ready to jump—when an elderly widow intervenes, and a life-altering bond begins. The story is centered around a cast of characters Oprah describes as “unforgettable.”

Vuong, who was born in Vietnam, raised in working-class Connecticut and worked as a fast-food server in his teenage years, pulls from the scenery of his life to craft a narrative deeply personal to him. Over coffee, Oprah and Vuong discuss these influences and Vuong’s gift of illuminating the fullness of humanity in ordinary places.

We’ve paired Emperor of Gladness with the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso . Made with Starbucks® Blonde Espresso, cinnamon and brown sugar topped off with oatmilk and ice, this barista-crafted drink is a flavorful match for Vuong’s rich, evocative storytelling and way of balancing grit with tenderness.

As you venture into Vuong’s remarkable new book, enjoy an Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso at your neighborhood Starbucks café.

Emperor of Gladness is available to purchase where books are sold.


Episode 5: Matriarch: A Memoir and Starbucks® Sunsera Blend™

Tina Knowles’s memoir is a chronicle of family love, dreaming audaciously and the wisdom of matriarchs before us.  

Tina Knowles—businesswoman, fashion designer, philanthropist and mother of superstars—has stories to tell. Her latest endeavor is Matriarch: A Memoir.  

In this episode of Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks, Tina and Oprah meet in Chicago for an astonishing, wide-ranging conversation. Tina starts at the beginning, with her humble upbringing as the youngest of seven in Galveston, Texas. She shares her struggle to fit in as a Black woman, what she did to shape the mega-hit group Destiny’s Child and her personal journey of mothering Beyoncé, Solange and bonus daughter Kelly Rowland. She discusses the work it takes to reinvent yourself—and how, at age 70, she finally feels that she is enough. 

Matriarch: A Memoir isn’t just an intimate look into Tina’s life, but also the story of America and the wisdom women pass on to one another across generations. 

We’ve paired Matriarch: A Memoir with our new Starbucks® Sunsera Blend™ , a roast as bright as this family of women who have inspired millions worldwide. With notes of citrus and toasted almond, this blend is crafted, roasted and brewed to bring out the coffee’s full natural flavor. 

As you journey into Tina Knowles’s story, enjoy a cup of Starbucks® Sunsera Blend™ at your neighborhood Starbucks café or take a bag home to brew as a pour-over or in your drip coffeemaker.

Matriarch: A Memoir is available to purchase where books are sold.


Episode 4: The Tell: A Memoir and Starbucks® Anniversary Blend   

Oprah joins author Amy Griffin in Chicago to delve into her gripping memoir, a story that reveals the power of truth-telling to deepen connections with others and ourselves. 

This month’s Oprah’s Book Club pick follows one woman’s journey to understand and begin to recover from buried childhood trauma—a journey of hope, heart and relentless honesty.  

In The Tell, author Amy Griffin interrogates the pursuit of perfectionism and maintaining appearances that drives so many women. When in the path from girlhood to womanhood do we begin to look outside ourselves for validation? What freedom is possible if we learn to accept our whole story, as painful as it may be? 

We’ve paired The Tell with our 2025 Anniversary Blend, released each year as a testament to our history and celebration of the future. It’s a bold, full-bodied dark roast with notes of smoked cedar, allspice and black truffle. 

If you enjoy dark roasts, give Anniversary Blend a try as you discover The Tell and Amy Griffin’s exploration of radical truth-telling. You can tune into the latest episode of Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks here.  

The Tell is available to purchase where books are sold.

This conversation contains discussion about sexual abuse of a minor, repressed trauma and suicide which may be challenging or upsetting for some people. Listener and viewer discretion is advised. This is not a subject for young children. 

This conversation is not intended to offer medical advice. Psychedelics remain illegal in most states, consult your own healthcare professional before considering any kind of mental health treatment. 


Episode 3: Eric Puchner’s Dream State and the new Starbucks Matcha Latte

In a new episode of Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks, Oprah returns to the Starbucks Reserve® Empire State Building®  store with novelist Eric Puchner, author of Dream State, for a conversation about his newest book — one that  The New York Times  bestselling author Elin Hildebrand calls “an absolute masterpiece.” 

Dream State follows the lives of college friends, over the course of 50 years, in an emotional rollercoaster of friendship, love triangle, marriage, raising kids, aging and death, showing the beauty of impermanence through themes of grief, love and time. 

To sip on while reading the book, we’ve paired Dream State with the new Starbucks Matcha Latte — a vibrant green tea latte handcrafted with unsweetened matcha, milk and classic syrup. It’s a perfect anytime boost, now with sweetness you can customize. 

In this episode, Oprah and Eric discuss the craft of character development and Dream State’s thought-provoking depictions of friendship and marriage. As the audience joins in, questions arise about what matters most in life. 

Tune in to watch the episode with a Matcha Latte in hand as you dive into Dream State, now available to purchase   wherever books are sold. 


Episode 2: Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth and the new Starbucks Cortado

Robust and thought-provoking, January’s conversation is one for our times—an exploration of resilience, self-awareness and inner transformation.  

Joined by Eckhart Tolle to discuss his groundbreaking work A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, Oprah brings together a live audience at the Starbucks Reserve® Empire State Building® store for conversation over the new Starbucks Cortado, a small but robust coffee classic made with three Starbucks® Blonde Roast ristretto shots and velvety steamed milk. It’s the perfect little pick-me-up. 

A New Earth has affected Oprah more than any other book by a living author, she says. 

In this episode, Tolle shares his journey overcoming cancer and reveals simple yet transformative lessons on diminishing ego and becoming a more conscious human being. As the conversation builds, audience members, including actor Chris Evans, share their favorite teachings and quotes from the book.  

Whether you’re new to Tolle’s work or have been inspired by his teachings before, A New Earth has wisdom for everyone.  

Visit your neighborhood Starbucks cafe or order in the app to try the new Cortado, served exclusively in an 8 fl oz Short size. Readers can find A New Earth online or wherever books are sold.  


Episode 1: Small Things Like These & Starbucks Christmas Blend 

For December’s episode, Oprah explores courage, community and finding one’s own voice in Small Things Like These with guest author Claire Keegan at the Starbucks Reserve Empire State Building store.

A cup of Starbucks Christmas Blend – a rich and robust dark roast coffee that is the perfect coffee pairing to enjoy while reading this historical fiction set during the holiday season. 

Customers can purchase Small Things Like These online or wherever books are sold. 

All episodes of Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks can be found on the Oprah’s Book Club playlist on The Oprah Channel YouTube page. Episodes are also available for listening on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher and more. 

This latest venture between Oprah and Starbucks marks their third collaboration. The first was in 1997 when Oprah’s Book Club selections were made available in Starbucks stores with proceeds going to literacy funds, and then in 2014 Oprah paired with Starbucks to create the Teavana Oprah Chai Tea, which raised $21 million to support youth education organizations across the country.  

Our Values & Commitments

Stay In Touch

Subscribe to all the latest Starbucks stories and news delivered right to your inbox.

  • Instagram
  • Threads
  • TikTok
  • YouTube

Press Center

All the latest company news and leadership perspectives.

  • Press Releases
  • Company News
  • Starbucks For The Record
  • Leadership
  • Starbucks.com
  • Career Center
  • Reserve
  • At Home
  • Canada
    • English
    • Français
  • USA
    • English
  • EMEA
    • English
  • Latin America
    • English
    • Español
    • Português
  • Asia
    • English
  • Japan
    • 日本語
  • Starbucks.com
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Notice
  • Do Not Share My Personal Information

© 2025 Starbucks Coffee Company

Opens in a new window