Latino Celebrities Share Their Favorite Books

Celebrities not only dedicate their lives to escape from the paparazzi or to sign autographs for passionate fans--they also devote some of their time to literature.

Some of them write their own autobiographies, memoirs or how-to books. But in addition to writing books that often become bestsellers, they also enjoy reading a good classic. While some prefer fiction novels or classic of literature, others choose to self-help books. Let's take a look at some celebrity favorites.

Shakira is all about Italian journalist Oriana Falacci. When the Colombian superstar is not on tour or in a recording studio, she loves to spend some of her time reading any book by Falacci. Her favorites: "Letter to a Child Never Born" and "Interview with History." She has also confessed her love for Lebanese artist and writer Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet," a book of 26 prose poetry essays written in English.

Actress Sofia Vergara is not only gorgeous, she also prefers curling up to a good book to watching TV. "I'm always reading. I read up to three-four books a month", she told NocheLatina.com. Vergara professed her love for Latin American literature, especially Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Marquez's "One Hundred Years of Solitude." She also recommended Carlos Ruiz Zafron's "La sombra del viento".  

Gloria and Emilio Estefan published their own book of Cuban recipes, "Estefan Kitchen: Authentic Cuban Recipes from the World-Renowned Restaurants." And although that is one of their favorites, they also enjoy some of the classics of literature. Gloria is a big fan of "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," a 1943 novel written by American author Betty Smith. The book is an honest portrayal of an Irish-American family's life of poverty in Brooklyn.

Hollywood star Eva Mendes revealed to Stylist Magazine a few of her all-time favorite things, one of which was her favorite book. Her pick: "The Fountainhead," by Ayn Rand, the story of an architect who won't conform to society and what people deem is right. "It's amazing and it's my favorite but at the moment I'm reading Patti Smith's autobiography 'Just Kids,'" she said.