Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive in.
We’re giving away $500 of the year’s best YA! Click here, or on the image below to enter:
The highest rated books on Goodreads have been tabulated! Using a range of criteria, Tasha crunched the numbers and came up with a list of 20 of the best rated titles. It’s a really fascinating list, and could definitely be useful in book club selection.
Book group bonus: Do your members use Goodreads? Do they rate titles? Do they pay attention to others’ ratings when selecting a book? How legit is the five-star system for ratings? I could go on and on, and I bet your group can too.
The Man Booker longlist has been announced! It’s one of the biggest prizes in the literary world, and this year has an interesting mix.
Book group bonus: If you were going to pick just one of the listed titles to read as a group, I’d go with Washington Black by Esi Edugyan (out Sept. 18 in the US), which I’ve been hearing amazing things about, or perhaps Sabrina by Nick Drnaso, which is the first ever graphic novel pick. You could also do your own reading bracket and see what book your group picks for the winner, vs. whatever the judges decide!
Just need a good laugh? We’ve got recommendations both for print and audio.
Book group bonus: Biggest of cosigns on Tara Clancy, Allie Brosh, and Samantha Irby. I’ve always wanted to do Hyperbole and a Half with a group — it’s an amazing memoir. It’s funny (the pet sections, OMG), heart-breakingly insightful about depression, and a graphic memoir in a very particular style, and that’s a fascinating combination to look at.
Speaking of graphics and lit! Do you love hockey? We have comics for you.
Book group bonus: Plan ahead! Hockey season is October through April, so you’ve got plenty of time to pick a GN (may I recommend Check, Please) and then decide on a game to attend with your club.
Here’s a musical I didn’t see coming: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is in development for a stage musical.
Book group bonus: Summer/early fall is the perfect time for a fun YA reread and rewatch. How does the movie stand up to the book? How would you turn it into a musical? Or do you object to the very notion? Discuss!
And speaking of YA: We talk a lot about YA crossovers these days, both in terms of YA books that adults read and adult books that teens are interested in. Here’s a post of recommendations for anyone who wishes their adult fiction felt like their YA favorites.
Book group bonus: For the readers in your club who love both adult and YA: do you look for different reading experiences from these categories? For those who only read one or the other: why/why not?
For those planning a Spooktober read, the NY Times asked a bunch of writers what books scared them — and the answers are gold.
Book group bonus: I will not be reading any of these books, thank you very much (I am a horror lightweight), but a brave group might do a read-along of one of these pairings.
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