Emma Watson hiding books to inspire on New York subway

Actress Emma Watson is expanding her free book giveaway to the New York City subway to inspire disheartened Americans following Donald Trump's shock election victory.

The Harry Potter star and gender equality campaigner had not specifically endorsed any one candidate, but she hinted her support was with Democrat Hillary Clinton in a lengthy note posted on social media last month (Oct16).

In the message, she underlined the fact the President-elect would be able to make decisions about how women and their bodies are treated, and urged her American fans to make their voices heard in the lead up to Tuesday's (08Nov16) election, admitting that as a Brit, it had been "excruciating" to "sit on the sidelines" of the election in a country she considers her "second home".

On Wednesday (09Nov16), as Trump fans and critics reacted to the surprise win, Emma revealed she was more motivated than ever to continue the fight for equal rights.

As part of her He For She campaign work, the actress has been running a feminist book club, called Our Shared Shelf, and earlier this month (Nov16), she joined London's Books On The Underground movement, in which "book fairies" leave their favorite reads on the transport network.

She decided to use the opportunity to spread the word about her book club's November (16) recommendation, Maya Angelou's Mom & Me & Mom, and now she has taken the movement to the Big Apple.

"Today I am going to deliver Maya Angelou books to the New York subway," the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador wrote on Twitter. "Then I am going to fight even harder for all the things I believe in."

Her dedication to her cause prompted Potter author J.K. Rowling to publicly applaud her efforts.

"@EmmaWatson As I told you a couple of hours ago: I love you xxx," the writer shared.