Lipa's Service95 Book Club continues its mission to spotlight diverse global voices with carefully curated literary picks that blend bestsellers, classics, and emerging writers. The May selection showcases her commitment to powerful storytelling from Irish author Claire Keegan.
Insiders note Lipa's choice of 'So Late in the Day' is notably pointed—describing it as a parable about 'lazy misogyny' suggests she's not just curating feel-good reads but deliberately selecting works that challenge readers. The April debut of her first-ever play, Jez Butterworth's 'Jerusalem,' signaled an expansion beyond traditional fiction that has some followers questioning whether she's losing focus.
May 2026 pick: 'So Late In The Day' by Claire Keegan (Goodreads rating: 3.9/5 stars). Book club launched June 2023 as extension of Service95 editorial platform, which includes blog, weekly newsletter, and podcast 'Dua Lipa: At Your Service.' April 2026 marked the club's first play selection with Jez Butterworth's 'Jerusalem' (Goodreads rating: 4/5 stars).
Lipa's May pick doesn't tiptoe around uncomfortable truths—and that's exactly the point. When one of pop's biggest stars uses her platform to champion literature about systemic gender issues, the conversation extends far beyond book clubs.
Dua Lipa has unveiled her May 2026 selection for the Service95 Book Club, and it's a literary gut-punch wrapped in deceptively simple prose. The pop star chose "So Late In The Day" by Claire Keegan, a collection of short stories she describes as "small gems: deceptively short, but they carry the heft of a great novel." But it's her introduction that has tongues wagging—she's calling the book "a kind of parable about lazy misogyny," adding that it serves as "a lesson in what you risk losing if you can't bring yourself to change." The Irish author's work resonated so deeply with Lipa that she's urging readers to devour it twice.
"You'll want to read this book at least twice to see how she does it," Lipa wrote, praising Keegan's ability to deliver such weighty subject matter "without melodrama or judgment and with endless grace." The 3.9/5 Goodreads-rated collection arrives as Service95 continues its expansion beyond traditional novel selections—a trajectory that reached a milestone in April when Lipa chose Jez Butterworth's "Jerusalem" as the club's first-ever play pick. That April selection marked a significant pivot for the book club, which launched in June 2023 as an extension of Lipa's global editorial platform encompassing the Service95 blog site, weekly newsletter, and her podcast "Dua Lipa: At Your Service." The choice of Butterworth's theatrical work—featuring the character Rooster, a daredevil living in an English countryside caravan facing eviction—wasn't random.
Lipa revealed she first encountered "Jerusalem" at age 15, and the play's protagonist has stayed with her ever since. She described it as "funny, it is tragic and it is the best possible reminder that reading plays is not only for school." The May selection suggests a return to more intimate territory after April's theatrical ambition. Keegan's short stories explore human relationships and societal expectations through precise, economical prose—a stark contrast to Butterworth's sprawling stage drama.
What remains consistent across both picks is Lipa's apparent desire to spotlight works that examine how people fail each other, whether through complacency, systemic prejudice, or simple refusal to evolve. Service95 Book Club has built its reputation on representing "diverse global voices, telling powerful stories spanning fiction, memoir and manifesto," according to the platform's stated mission. Recent picks have included everything from Margaret Atwood's prophetic "The Handmaid's Tale" to Mark Ronson's music industry memoir "Night People: How to Be a DJ in '90s New York City." Each selection comes with virtual author Q&As, reading guides, playlists, and recommendations from featured authors—transforming the book club into a multimedia literary experience befitting its pop star founder.