7 Best Book Club Books To Get Everyone Talking!


Picking the perfect Book Club Book for your group is the first step to having a successful meeting. Not all books are discussion-worthy.

Knowing your group members and how the book you select will resonate with them is essential. A good book club pick should spur a great conversation among your reading group.

Selecting Your Book Club Book

The selection process can be as easy as asking fellow book club members for ideas and voting or each member taking a turn.

  1. Will your group only choose a fiction book or a non-fiction book?
  2. Can a subject matter be off-limits?
  3. Do you want to include books on the lighter side or books that cover important topics?

What’s important is the selections have a wide appeal. Once you figure out the perimeters for your particular group, you can create a book list of book club favorites for monthly selections.

What makes a good Book Club Book?

Many of the best book club books have a main character with a complex relationship or a coming-of-age story that makes for a lively group discussion. A debut novel is a good choice and, many times, is the author’s best work.

Where Do You Find Book Club Books?

Award lists are another resource for book club recommendations. There are so many to choose from, such as the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Booker Prize (formally the Man Booker Prize), Pulitzer Prize, Edgar Award (mystery), National Book Critics Circle Award, and National Book Award, to name a few.

Searching the New York Times Best Seller Lists or celebrity book club lists such as Reese Witherspoon or Read with Jena are different ways to find book club suggestions. It’s a great way to find book recommendations filled with unexpected turns, family dramas, strong women, and relevant topics of today.

Some of my favorite book club selections come from all different genres. It doesn’t matter if it’s historical fiction, contemporary fiction, or literary fiction, as long as it’s a good story that will create a great discussion and get your book club talking!

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7 Favorite Book Club Books

with discussion guides to use at your next meeting!


1. Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow by Gabrielle Kevin

The story begins with Sadie and Sam as childhood friends playing video games. We follow them through adulthood, where they build an Uber-successful video game company. What happens along the way is a complex tale of love and friendship you won’t be able to put down.


2. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

When I found out Tom Hanks was the narrator of the Dutch House, I had to grab the audiobook! He brings the characters to life, and I became wholly immersed in the story and couldn’t put it down. 


3. West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

Based on an actual event, West with Giraffes is an endearing story about transporting two young giraffes across the country in 1938. The journey is complex and filled with adventures and mishaps.


4. Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Carrie Soto is a tennis phenom who has won several grand slams throughout her illustrious career. But she wants to come out of retirement and defend her record. This is an inside look at the devotion, hard work, and personal sacrifices professional athletes must endure. And Carrie, above all else, wants to get the title. 


5. Homegoing by Yahh Gyasi

This book is Gyasi debut novel and a Book Club favorite. The story follows an African-American family through many generations. It begins in Ghana during the eighteenth century and ends in present day America. This is a fascinating read about a family who’s roots started in slavery. 


6.. This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

This book is an exciting tale about four youths canoeing down the Mississippi River during the great depression. They’re fleeing an abusive situation, and as you can imagine, things were quite different during that era, and Kruger brings it all to life. This story will inspire you. It’s filled with hope, faith, and redemption, including tent revivals, hobos, and shantytowns.


7. The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips

Phillips is an excellent storyteller and delivers an emotional read I thoroughly enjoyed. I listened to it on Audible and had difficulty taking a break. Small-town Georgia in the ’60s provides the perfect setting for 13-year-old Tangy Mae’s story. And although this book is fiction, there’s a realness that is palpable.


Check out this post for more book recommendations!

My Top Ten Books I Read This Year!

Happy reading,

Andrea

2 Comments

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  1. 1
    Elaine

    You have the picture of The Dutch House by Ann Patchett up with the description of Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garma.

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