Sensational Selections For Your Book Club

January 27, 2015 Book Club, Top Ten Tuesday 39

Howdy Bookworms!

You know that feeling when it’s your turn to choose a book for book club and you’re freaking out because you don’t know what to pick? I’ve got you covered! I’ve made a list of fool proof choices for your next meeting, thanks to a prompt from The Broke and the Bookish. It’s Top Ten Tuesday time, y’all!

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1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett- This was the book choice for the very first book club meeting I ever attended. This was pre-movie and largely pre-hype, and we spent all kinds of time really talking about the book. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some unrelated-to-the-book book club chatting, but it’s rather novel when the conversation stays on topic.

2. Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt (review)- I didn’t actually read this with any book club, but it’s just SO GOOD and SO FULL of great discussion topics that it would be fantastic in a book club setting.

3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (review)- My experience with discussion of this book is from an English class in college, but I love this book so much. How great would it be to talk about with your book club? There’s so much MEAT.

4. The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (review)- We read this with The Fellowship of the Worms and it was utterly delightful. It’s like catnip for book nerds, you can’t resist the charm.

5. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls (review)- I discussed this book with two different book clubs and it provided excellent material both times. There’s just so much that’s jaw-dropping and crazy in this memoir that you can’t help but talk about ALL THE THINGS.

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6. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (review)- This was another Fellowship of the Worms selection and it was great fun. I’m a sucker for books about book clubs, and reading it IN BOOK CLUB? So meta.

7. Still Alice by Lisa Genova (review)- I never discussed this one with a book club (though I have read Left Neglected by Lisa Genova with two book clubs and it’s another great choice) This book is SO powerful and heartbreaking. It’s utterly discussable.

8. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick (review)- Let’s face it. Sometimes it’s easier to convince a group to read a book if the movie version stars Bradley Cooper. This book was charming and chock full of things to talk about, so the Bradley Cooper factor is really just a means to an end.

9. Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi- I went back and forth trying to decide whether to include this book or The Book Thief (review) on this list. They’re both great and both tackle the fascinating subject matter of how ordinary Germans lived and felt during WWII. I went with Stones from the River because I feel like it’s less exposed and so incredible that more people ought to be reading it.

10. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (review)- Post apocalyptic novels always make for interesting discussions, and this is one of the best novels of its type I’ve read in a good long time. I think it would make a fantastic book club selection.

ss2I know there are zillions of wonderful book club appropriate books out there, what are some of your favorites, Bookworms?

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39 Responses to “Sensational Selections For Your Book Club”

  1. Nish

    Some great choices here. I usually like the ones that are a little ambiguous for book club reads just because it is interesting to see how everyone perceives the book and all the speculation that arises.

    Reply

  2. Anne @ Lovely Literature

    Great choices! The Help would be an awesome book club read, and for anyone who can’t finish the book in time (those people were always in my club) they can watch the movie. Same for Silver Linings. I want to read it since I enjoyed the movie.

    Reply

    • Words For Worms

      We often have people who don’t finish the book. Oddly, at our latest meeting EVERYONE was in attendance and EVERYONE had read the whole book. It’s a This is Where I Leave You miracle!

      Reply

    • Words For Worms

      My book club varies wildly, it’s always an adventure to see what will be chosen next. We do get some complaining after a long line of downer books though. Then somebody’s got to step in with the funny pick. That somebody is usually me :).

      Reply

  6. Rhian

    The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. I don’t think it’s for the faint-hearted but it generated a lot of discussion at our (very nerdy) bookclub.

    The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North. Maybe in a contrast/compare with Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.

    Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld. Two books in one – bargain!

    Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. The main reason I picked this is that’s beautiful and I think everyone should read it.

    Reply

  8. Megan M.

    Good picks! I’d probably have to pick something I liked but that I wasn’t super invested in liking, IYKWIM. Like “Gone Girl.” I could discuss the heck out of it without feeling personally slighted if someone else hated it.

    Reply

  12. Lisa @ Captivated Reader

    I’ve read The Help, The Handmaid’s Tale and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and all three books were awesome!! Nice selections.

    Stop by and check out my TTT post for this week!

    Reply

  14. Charleen

    I’m kind of afraid to read Silver Linings Playbook because I saw the movie first and loved it. So… I’m worried that either I won’t love the book as much, or that reading the book will make me love the movie less, or both.

    Reply

    • Words For Worms

      I typically do better with my book to movie adaptations when I see the movie first (and like it.) If I read the book afterward I just feel like I’m getting extra behind the scenes footage or something… But I still usually retain my love of the movie.

      Reply

  15. Katie McD

    Great recommendations! I have read several of these already (The Help – it was ok, but lots to discuss; Silver Linings Playbook – LOVED; The Glass Castle – crazy good; Station Eleven – excellent), and 2 of the others are books my in-real-life book club have already picked for this year! I will be doing a review on “Station Eleven” in the coming 1-2 weeks, and if you care to check out my little blog in the meantime… https://bookishtendencieskatie.wordpress.com/

    Reply

  17. Lost in Literature 108

    The Help was the first book my book club read a few years ago.
    It is still the book we had the best discussion about.

    We also enjoyed A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Book Thief and The End of your Life Book club.

    Reply

  18. Jenny @ Reading the End

    Tell the Wolves I’m Hoooooooome! I just rep so hard for that book! I want to join twelve different book clubs just so I can force all of them to read that book. When will Carol Rifka Brunt write another novel for me to love?

    Reply

  19. Allie

    I want to read Still Alice. I loved seeing Juilianne Moore win the SAG award (and that dress). But I digress. Alzheimer’s is disease that has affected my family so I think this would be a powerful read for me.

    Reply

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