Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive in.
This newsletter is sponsored by I Stop Somewhere by TE Carter.
Ellie Frias disappeared long before she vanished.
Tormented throughout middle school, Ellie begins her freshman year with a new look: she doesn’t need to be popular; she just needs to blend in with the wallpaper.
But when the unthinkable happens, Ellie finds herself trapped after a brutal assault. She wasn’t the first victim, and now she watches it happen again and again. She tries to hold on to her happier memories in order to get past the cold days, waiting for someone to find her.
The problem is, no one searches for a girl they never noticed in the first place.
In Read Harder suggestions, we’ve got picks for a sci-fi novel with a female protagonist, by a female author.
What about one-sitting books? On it.
And here are some suggestions for a mystery by a person of color or LGBTQ author!
Speaking of mysteries, here are must-read suspense stories! And a reminder that we have a great podcast dedicated to the mystery/thriller genre, Read or Dead.
And why not one more: I dig this list of thrillers about families.
Why not spend a book group talking about how you read? Everyone approaches it differently; some of us keep TBRs on Amazon or Goodreads, some of us have spreadsheets, some of us have bullet journal spreads, some read as our moods dictate. I always love hearing about others’ approach to their unread stacks, and it might just help you refine your selection process!
For awards trackers: The PEN Awardwinners for 2018 have been announced, and there are some great book club titles on here, including the poetry collection Whereas and short story collection Sour Heart.
Looking for more Native authors to read? Author Elissa Washuta put together a great list in this Twitter thread, and PW compiled 10 essential novels for us.
Last but certainly not least, in my humble pop-culture opinion: Here are the books you could read if you want to do an America’s Next Top Model theme for book club. (Please let me know if you do, so I can be jealous.)
Don’t forget! We’re running an amazing Instagram giveaway for $500 worth of Penguin Clothbound classics, and you should enter.
And that’s a wrap: Happy discussing! If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations (including the occasional book club question!) you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.
Your fellow booknerd,
Jenn
More Resources:
– Our Book Group In A Box guide
– List your group on the Book Group Resources page