Sarah Jessica Parker’s journey from Carrie Bradshaw, who famously wrote about love and labels in Sex and the City, to real-life judge of the world’s most prestigious literary award could be the story of a rom-com. That it is not raises the question of whether a celebrity (one who is not an acclaimed writer or literary critic) should judge one of the most prestigious book awards. When celebrities enter the world of literature, their presence draws welcome attention to books, but it also muddies the line between a literary expert and serious reader. Two diametrically different pieces – Emma Brockes’s critique in The Guardian and Alex Marshall’s profile in The New York Times – written after the announcement of the 2025 Booker Prize,  articulate this dilemma. The performance of taste Natalie Portman posing with Virginia Woolf. (Source: booknotification.com) Brockes looks at the rise of celebrity book clubs and social-media “bookishness” with well-deserved skepticism. She gives a plethora of examples such as Natalie Portman posing with Virginia Woolf, Emma Roberts arranging Joan Didion beside a sleeping …