Sarah Jessica Parker picks novel as 1st reading selection for national book club

— -- Sarah Jessica Parker is helping to launch a new book club that you can join.

The "Sex and the City" star is partnering with the American Library Association to launch Book Club Central, a new online platform for reading recommendations, and the actress-turned-curator already has her first book pick.

As the new honorary chair of Book Club Central, Parker has selected "No One Is Coming to Save Us" by first-time novelist Stephanie Powell Watts. Parker made the announcement at the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago today.

Watts' novel, about the American Dream among African Americans in the South, has echoes of "The Great Gatsby," according to publisher HarperCollins. It follows JJ Ferguson as he returns home to Pinewood, North Carolina, with plans to build his dream house and win the heart of his high school sweetheart, Ava. But everything and everyone has changed, and Ferguson's newfound wealth stirs up the town, leading its residents to question whether they can reorient their lives to align with their wishes rather than current realities.

Parker will also start publishing books under her own imprint. She recently launched the SJP for Hogarth imprint, under which she will selectively publish works of fiction by established authors and emerging voices.

"As a lifelong book lover, as someone who treasures and admires the skill and talent of original and powerful storytellers it is my great privilege to be invited into the world and business of books," Park said in a press release.

"From an early age, books were my constant companions and my local library a place I could find a new friend on every shelf," she said.