Category: In The Club

Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive in.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Monica Hesse’s American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land, from Liveright Publishing.
Named one of the Best Books of the Year by the New York Times, NPR, Amazon, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Bustle, NYLON, and Thrillist.

The arsons started on a cold November evening and didn’t stop for months. Night after night, the people of desolate Accomack County waited to see which abandoned building would burn down next, regarding each other at first with compassion, and later suspicion. Monica Hesse spent years investigating the story, emerging with breathtaking portraits of the arsonists and their community. American Fire captures a rural county in flames, gutted long before the fires began.

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Happy Pride month! To kick things off, here’s a list of queer women of color you should definitely consider adding to your reading schedule.
Book group bonus: Here is where I pitch The Salt Roads to you all; that book knocked my socks off, and it’s got multiple timelines and POV as well as being gorgeously written and hugely compelling — it’s ideal book club material, is what I’m saying.

It’s also Ramadan, for around another week, so here are some reads by Muslim authors to consider!
Book group bonus: I just want everyone to read ALL the books on this list, honestly.

Announcing Oprah’s newest book pick! The Oprah Book Club pick is The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton, with Lara Love Hardin.
Book group bonus: Did you know that Oprah’s Book Club was on a two year hiatus, and returned in it’s 2.0 form in 2012? The continuing evolution of OBC is, to my mind, one of the most interesting book club stories out there.

Want to dive into “what if”s? Here are some alternate histories to consider for your next meeting.
Book group bonus: In addition to discussing how plausible/interesting the scenario in your chosen book might be, you could also have a rousing round of “here’s the ‘what if’ I wish someone would write!”

Highly scientific and definitive: Emily picked the 10 best mystery authors of all time.
Book group bonus: You could probably spend an entire meeting just arguing about the inclusion/exclusion of authors on this list (particularly JK Rowling)!

So meta: NPR tagged along with a book club that went to see Book Club!
Book group bonus: This just cracked me up. Listen/read with your group and tag yourself, I’m Unidentified Person #4.

Need some book club presents? Here’s a roundup; those wine glass charms are PERFECT if you’ve got a beverage-oriented group.

Award winners for your consideration: The Nebulas and the Audie Awards have both been announced!
Book group bonus: While your group might generally split between audio listeners and print readers, consider doing a print AND audio discussion of a single title. Does the audio add anything to the print experience? Is one easier to follow than the other?

And don’t forget to enter our $500 gift card giveaway to your favorite bookstore!

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

Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive in.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Litworld Publishing House.

When a witty medical student, Aliya’s life is cut short in a tragic accident, she discovers that she is given another chance at life. She finds herself reborn into the body of a heavy-set Countess named Lilian. Aliya must use her mind and skills in a society where women are oppressed, protect herself from assassination attempts, and build alliances with peasants, sea raiders, members of the Royal Family… and her own errant husband. First Lessons is the first of five volumes in Lina J. Potter’s bestselling Medieval Tale series. Will Aliya forge her own “happy-ever-after?” And if so, at what cost?

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The warm days have finally arrived here in Philadelphia, and I’ve been gathering up some “beach reading” recommendations. Whether you take them to an actual beach, a park, your back couch, or read them in the middle of next winter is totally your call.

– Romance novels based on your favorite reality TV
– Beach read recs from Girls Night In (very cosign)
– Southern literature for your summer

If you occasionally find yourself wondering why you put all this work into book club, let Marty remind you of its joys.
Book group bonus: Have everyone in your group tell their “book club origin story” — what was the first book club meeting they ever attended?

There’s nothing like a whodunnit, and these are for readers who are most at home in the literary fiction stacks.
Book group bonus: You could have a really rousing discussion about the different categories of mysteries (many of them mentioned in the above piece). Do your members favor any one in particular?

Speaking of mystery subgenres, there are also SF/F ones! And here are a few that take Sherlock Holmes as their inspiration.
Book group bonus: Have each member bring in their personal favorite retelling of or book inspired by Sherlock Holmes, and let the Death Match, I MEAN, discussion begin.

In celebrity book club news, Reese Witherspoon is adding audiobooks to her empire.
Book group bonus: Are you reading along with Reese? And if not, does an official audio component make you any more likely to?

Stamp of approval: The Man Booker International Prize has been awarded! The winning title, Flights by Olga Tokarczuk, translated from the Polish by Jennifer Croft, sounds ready-made for a good discussion.
Book group bonus: I’m still thinking about this piece on the translation of Han Kang’s works. How much do you take for granted when you read a translation, and how do you pick out the translator’s voice from the author’s? There aren’t easy answers, but there’s a lot of good food for thought.

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

Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive in.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Epic Reads.

Monday Charles is missing, and only her best friend Claudia seems to notice. As days turn to weeks with no sign of Monday, Claudia knows something is wrong. Monday wouldn’t leave her to endure tests and bullies alone. Claudia needs her best—and only—friend more than ever. But Monday’s family refuses to give Claudia a straight answer.

As Claudia digs deeper into Monday’s disappearance, she discovers that no one remembers the last time they saw Monday. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she’s gone?

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Enter this giveaway for a $500 gift card to the bookstore of your choice, and you could buy your book group SO MANY BOOKS.

It is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month! So this list is timely, but you should read them regardless because they are So Good.
Book group bonus: For extra thematically-appropriate-reading points, pick The Astonishing Color of After for your next read; it’s both by an Asian American and deals with mental health (as May is also Mental Health Awareness month!)

Translated works galore: The shortlist for the Best Translated Books of 2018 has been announced!
Book group bonus: Pick a translated novel to read, and then read a novel about a translator — I recommend An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine.

Get on that ToMo train: Haven’t read Toni Morrison yet? Or not since high school/college? We’ve got some starting points for you.
Book group bonus: Whether or not you decide to read Beloved, you should definitely make these biscuits for your ToMo discussion meeting.

Speaking of food, one of our contributors hosts a cookbook club, and she’s got club-approved recs for you.
Book group bonus: Everyone picks a recipe from the assigned book, naturally!

For when you want an adventure: Here are 10 books about intrepid girls, and I extremely cosign Adaptation and The Epic Crush of Genie Lo.
Book group bonus: Pair one of these with a nonfiction read about women. I recommend Wonder Women by Sam Maggs, illustrated by Sophia Foster-Dimino — it’s fun, reads quickly, and you could probably manage it in the same month as one of the above YA novels!

How about another regionally themed reading list? Here are Latina authors, specifically Dominican and Dominican American, that you should know.
Book group bonus: I am particularly fond of Julia Alvarez, and have been yearning to do a discussion of her adult works (for example, In the Time of the Butterflies) alongside her children’s books (for example, Return to Sender). Does her voice change with the audience? Any major differences in structure or tone? So much to think about.

There’s a whole movie, just about book club. And it’s called …. Book Club!
Book group bonus: Group outing! Popcorn for all.

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

Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive in.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Park Row Books, publisher of We Own The Sky by Luke Allnutt.

Rob Coates feels like he’s won the lottery of life. There is Anna, his incredible wife, their London town house and, most precious of all, Jack, their son, who makes every day an extraordinary adventure. But when a devastating illness befalls his family, Rob’s world begins to unravel. Suddenly finding himself alone, Rob seeks solace in photographing the skyscrapers and clifftops he and his son Jack used to visit. And just when it seems that all hope is lost, Rob embarks on the most unforgettable of journeys to find his way back to life, and forgiveness.

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Have you read a Cuban American lately? Here are 5 that Barnes & Noble recommends, to which I would like to add Cecilia Rodríguez Milanés’ Oye What I’m Gonna Tell You.
Book group bonus: Pair a reading of one (or several!) of these with some episodes of One Day at a Time, which follows a military veteran, single, Cuban-American mother and her family — it is my new favorite sitcom.

Speaking of TV: Do you miss Glee? Did you know that a bunch of the actors from Glee have written books? Here you go.
Book group bonus: Celebrity books: love them? Hate them? Memoirs yes, fiction no? Depends? This is a topic with a lot of possible mileage!

Who needs a book for book group? Instead, just fight I MEAN discuss these unpopular bookish opinions, as well as your own!
Book group bonus: If you’re concerned about people getting personal, write out the unpopular opinions on scraps of paper and toss them in a box/bowl ahead of time. That way no one has to own them!

The Aunts have arrived! The aunts from A Discovery of Witches, that is — photos went up on EW last week. If your group hasn’t already picked up this (really fun) witchy series, now is a great time to start, since the show starts airing this fall.
Book group bonus: I love a good fancast. Have everyone pick their own best casting and compare/contrast.

Listen, it’s not just about fashion. I got obsessed with the Met Gala when I started reading author Genevieve Valentine’s red carpet recaps, so to my mind they were always bookish. Laura agrees, and paired looks from this year’s Gala with book covers!
Book group bonus: You could probably fall down a really great rabbithole of discussion about this year’s theme, the looks that walked the runway, and/or trends in cover design. Enjoy!

May the Force be with you as you try to figure out which Star Wars books you should read. But if you need a little extra help, we’ve got some recommendations.
Book group bonus: Definitely you should read a couple and then plan a (re)watch of The Last Jedi. Very definitely.

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

Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive in.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Murder In The Locked Library by Ellery Adams.

Jane Steward, owner of the Storyton Hall book lover’s resort, must pause her plan to build a luxurious, relaxing spa named in honor of Walt Whitman and don her detective hat to uncover a hidden killer when a guest meets an untimely end upon unearthing unusual bones and the remnants of a very old book in the 4th installment of New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adam’s Book Retreat Mystery series.

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What are other groups reading and loving? Reading Group Choices asked their subscribers, and they have answers for us. Here are the Favorite YA, Favorite Nonfiction, and Favorite Fiction from 2017.
Book group bonus: Take a look through the lists. Any that you read? Any that you agree with? Which titles, if any, surprised you?

Read along with all of New York City: Jennifer Egan’s Manhattan Beach has been selected for One Book, One New York, chosen from a list of five titles.
Book group bonus: What would you have picked from the list? Take a vote in your group and find out how you line up with the voting readers of NYC.

Bring the outdoors to book club: Here are 50 must-read books about science and nature.
Book group bonus: Plan either an out-door meeting (picnics are wonderful) or an additional nature meet-up! Find a hike, or a park, or maybe a community garden and get some sunshine.

Need some SF/F picks? Unbound Worlds has a list of SF/F titles that are perfect for book groups.
Book group bonus: Assuming you’re not actually in a SF/F book club, take a survey of the group. What was the last sci-fi or fantasy title members read? What are their opinions of the genres as a whole? What’s preventing you from reading more titles in those genres? Discuss!

Amazing Latinx fiction: Recent #MeToo allegations against Junot Díaz, one of the most (if not the most) well-known Latinx authors writing today, have many readers casting about for other authors to support. This list from Bustle has a lot of great options.
Book group bonus: Depending on the comfort of the group, there are a couple of ways to go with this one. Option A: Discuss reader responses to allegations against popular authors. Can you separate the art from the artist? How does it change your perception of the artist’s work? Option B: If a #MeToo discussion would be too heavy, triggering, or otherwise uncomfortable for your group, go straight to discussing one of those other great books!

Mother’s Day approaches! For those who want to do a themed read, here are 8 excellent options. And for the more supernaturally inclined, I’m still very proud of this post about parenting in science fiction and fantasy.
Book group bonus: There’s no time like the present to discuss the different ways parents are (and are not) portrayed in fiction!

And a reminder: Today is the last day for the mystery giveaway! Go 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

Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive in.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Bas Bleu Books and Gifts.

This profoundly moving work of historical fiction about Salem Witch Trial judge Samuel Sewall offers remarkable insight into one of the darkest chapters from America’s past. Sewall emerges from the brilliant prose as a complex and fascinating character, doing his best to be a good man in the presence of mysterious evils. Even though the tragic story of Salem is well known, Crane Pond is an absorbing page-turner that’s sure to spark thoughtful, spirited discussion among the members of your book club!

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This story just gets crazier and crazier: Police have arrested a suspect (possibly through open source genetics testing?!) in the formerly-cold Golden State Killer case, which was the subject of Michelle McNamara’s posthumously published true-crime book, I’ll Be Gone In the Dark. If you’ve been online at all lately, you’ve probably seen the tweets and posts overflowing with admiration for McNamara’s work, as well as fan theories about how she might have helped crack the case. (If not, just Google for five minutes).
Book group bonus: If your group can stomach a really grisly and frightening true crime story, this book and its context would make for an intense discussion.

Speaking of being creeped out: Here are a whole lot of psychological thrillers. I appreciate the categories here, from messy marriages to double lives and more.
Book group bonus: The post specifically is giving readalikes for Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, and Big Little Lies. Assuming you’ve read one of those three (which everyone has, right?), use that book as the basis for a compare-and-contrast discussion with one of the suggested titles.

And now for something completely different: Do you need more Pride & Prejudice retellings in your life? We got you.
Book group bonus: After picking a retelling to read, I also highly recommend discussing favorite film adaptations — there’s so much to argue about! Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen? Clueless or Emma? (Clueless forever.)

Speaking of adaptations: Here are three YA retellings of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. (It’s one of my favorites too).
Book group bonus: Read an adaptation and the play side by side — and maybe put someone in charge of looking up Shakespearean vocabulary.

Need more authors in the same amount of pages? Anthologies are here for you. I love that list a lot, and can cosign The Fire This Time and My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me (which I led a book group discussion of once; it went very well!).
Book group bonus: Pick an anthology to read and have each group member come with the contents ranked, favorite to least. Compare and contrast!

For the historical fiction fans: We’ve got a list of Kurt Seyit and Sura readalikes, and they’re organized by focus (for example, WWI family stories vs. more about the Russian revolution).
Book group bonus: If your book club meeting is long enough, watch an episode together before the discussion! If not, have everyone watch one in advance and come armed with opinions.

Get ready to rock out with these Hall of Fame femmes! I did not realize there were this many rock’n’roll female artist memoirs and now must get Nina Simone’s immediately.
Book group bonus: Obviously an appropriate playlist is in order!

And don’t forget! Our very excellent mystery giveaway is open until 5/9, so get clicking.

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

Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive in.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Book Riot Insiders.

Wishlist upcoming releases you’re dying to read. Get exclusive podcasts and newsletters. Enter to win swag. Do it all when you join Insiders — and between April 15 and 30, you can get a free 2-week trial for Novel Monthly or Annual!

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Today we’ve got lots of prize lists!

First, the Man Booker International Prize, for a work translated into English. Han Kang and Ahmed Saadawi are both Book Riot favorites.

Then there’s the Women’s Prize for Fiction, which includes favs Kamila Shamsie and Jesmyn Ward.

The Best Translated Book Award has its longlist up, and it feels like everyone around my Internet watercooler is reading Fever Dream.

And in a pseudo-longlist, PBS’s The Great American Read has announced the top 100 books. According to their FAQ, the books were chosen via a “demographically and statistically representative survey asking Americans to name their most-loved novel. Approximately 7,200 people participated.” The list is FASCINATING to me — it feels so clearly like you can see the geography of region, politics, and religion at play here. There will be an ultimate vote for America’s most-loved book, and I can barely imagine what that will look like.

The book club bonus with all the above, of course, is to become judge and jury and vote within the group! What wins? What is way at the bottom? What of these titles have people read? How much do your group’s members care about/follow awards?

A Quiet Place is getting rave reviews, and if your book club would like to get scary with it, here are some read-alike recommendations.
Book group bonus: I would really love to see a side-by-side analysis and discussion of A Quiet Place and Bird Box, someone do that for me.

Need some activities for your book group to do? Assuming the weather stays nice (although not a requirement for all of them), Laura has some ideas for you.
Book group bonus: Several of my favorite book group discussions took place when we met in a park — the combination of the outdoors, potluck snacks, and book chat was just perfect. If you don’t have a good park option, perhaps someone will volunteer their backyard?

Because I get asked this question constantly: Here are read-alikes for The Secret History by Dona Tartt, a perennial in “Do you have anything else like…” for booksellers and librarians.
Book group bonus: Have you read The Secret History with a group? If not, it’s worth the time! So much discussion fodder, so many characters to yell about.

And don’t forget! We have three excellent opportunities for you right now. You could win 15 amazing mysteries here; you could win LitChat (perfect for book clubs!) here; and anyone/everyone can get two free weeks of Book Riot Insiders here.

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

Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive in.

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This newsletter is sponsored by No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert, published by Penguin Random House.

Challenging perceptions of discrimination and prejudice, this emotionally resonant drama for readers of Lisa Wingate and Jodi Picoult explores three different women navigating challenges in a changing school district–and in their lives.

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Announcing the 2018 Pulitzer winners! Here’s the list; the Fiction pick was a HUGE surprise to most of us.
Book group bonus: Has your group ever read a Pulitzer winner? If yes, do you think it deserved its award? If not, pick one!

It’s National Poetry Month! And we’ve got some recommendations for you because of course we do. Here are 15 female poets of color, and here are picks that cover both Arab American Heritage Month and Poetry Month.
Book group bonus: In addition to picking a collection to read, have everyone bring their favorite poem and read it aloud to the group! Yes, haikus count.

Reading in the Animal Kingdom: Animal characters aren’t just for kids! Here’s a round-up of Heather’s favorite fiction for grown-up that focuses on our furry friends. And may I add Tania James’s The Tusk That Did the Damage to your options? It includes the elephant narrator you never knew you wanted.
Book group bonus: This is a golden opportunity to take a trip down memory lane and compare/contrast your favorite kids’ books with animals.

More jazz hands! Daisy has five recommendations of books about the women of Golden Age musicals for you, and I too would love a biography of Cyd Charisse while we’re asking.
Book group bonus: Fall down a YouTube rabbithole of Ginger Rogers and Cyd Charisse clips. I recommend starting here (that ENTRANCE).

Not just Circe: If you love books that adapt Greek and Roman mythology in interesting ways, I hope that Circe by Madeline Miller is on your radar — but wait, there’s more!
Book group bonus: Pair a reading of an adaptation with the source material, naturally. And if you’re going to do something related to The Odyssey, I recommend Emily Wilson’s new translation!

YA is killing it with new voices lately: There’s a great surge of Asian/Asian-American representation in YA, and here are two lists that prove it. This one features South Asian authors, and this one East Asian. Related: Jenny Han’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is coming to Netflix this summer!
Book group bonus: I’m personally rooting for y’all to do a Jenny Han page-to-screen discussion, and none of you are surprised.

And don’t forget! You can enter our excellent mystery giveaway to win 15 excellent books, and Book Riot Insiders is doing a special promotion for a two-week free trial of the Novel level.

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

Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive in.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Flatiron Books.

A family in crisis, a town torn apart, and the boy who holds the secret has been cocooned in a coma for ten years.

A moving meditation on the transformative power of grief and love, a slyly affectionate look at the idiosyncrasies of family, and an emotionally-charged page-turner, Stefan Merrill Block’s Oliver Loving is an extraordinarily original novel that ventures into the unknowable and returns with the most fundamental truths.

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Giveaway alert! You could win 15 of the year’s most exciting mysteries so far, and what a list it is. Enter right here; it’s open through May 9, so your book group has plenty of time for everyone to enter!

Where’s my confetti canon? There’s a new Tana French standalone novel coming in October!
Book group bonus: Read all of French’s other books before October. (I’m only half-kidding; there are six Dublin Murder Squad books, so you could theoretically do it!)

What’s the BuzzFeed book club reading? PageTurners put together this list of books about the immigrant experience.
Book group bonus: Discuss whether or not you’d ever want to (or currently do) participate in an online book club! If yes, what would the ideal set-up be? If not, why not?
Additional bonus: Generate your own list of favorite immigrant experience books inside your group, then compare and contrast!

Need some inspiration? Here’s a list of books about overcoming obstacles.
Book group bonus: Have everyone booktalk the most heartening, uplifting, or inspiring book they own at the next meeting. I guarantee warm fuzzies.

Get them on your radar: The Guardian has 50 newer writers worth checking out. Big cosigns on Ocean Vuong, Joe Ide, Jane Harper, and Maggie Nelson from the Book Riot crew.
Book group bonus: How often does your group read newer/debut authors, and how often established ones? Any particular reasons why or why not? It’s worth a discussion!

Need more short story options? Liberty has you covered with 100 must-read collections.
Book group bonus: This may seem silly/minimalist, but for book groups that are very strapped for time, you can even just pick one short story in a collection to read and discuss.

Needs more art: I love this list of books about art that aren’t “art books”.
Book group bonus: Pair with a trip to your nearest museum! And if you can’t get to a museum, pick a keyword and SFMOMA will text you images of related works.

Murder they wrote: Need a fast-paced page-turner for your next discussion? Here are eight murder mysteries that will keep you reading and keep you talking.
Book group bonus: I have always wanted to play the Clue board-game with a group of die-hard mystery fans. This is your chance!

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

Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive in.

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This newsletter is sponsored by Flatiron Books.

Following two sisters in their pursuit of passion and independence, this is a genre-bending novel that is part coming-of-age, part historical fiction, with elements of mystery and paranormal. When one of the sisters goes missing, the other must put aside her books to find her–and start living.

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I love a work of narrative journalism, and I’m not alone. Steph rounded up six that challenge commonly-held beliefs.
Book group bonus: These are bound to produce an intense meeting; institute a “pause” phrase if you’re nervous about the discussion getting too heated! For example: “Pause! I need a donut!” And maybe also bring donuts.

For that Page to Screen book club that someone out there is doing because I keep talking about it: Here are ten adaptations you might find surprising!
Book group bonus: I am ready for your pictures of your unicorn-themed meeting based around The Last Unicorn.

Put some history in your fantasy and vice versa: I love a good genre mash-up, and here are books that combine two of my personal favorites! It’s like Margaret wrote that post just for me.
Book group bonus: Pick one of the books from this list, and assign a group member to dig into the actual history and present details to the group at the discussion.

I saw Love, Simon this weekend, and after I was done sobbing over it I remembered that I wanted to share this piece with you all about LGBTQ+ books with happy endings (including Simon vs. The Homo-Sapiens Agenda).
Book group bonus: Seriously, everyone go see Love, Simon. You might have quibbles (I do!) but it’s really lovely to see a queer addition to the teen romcom genre.

This one’s a headscratcher: Who would you pick if you could only read one author for the rest of your life?
Book group bonus: This discussion runs itself!

For awards trackers: The Man Booker’s International Prize longlist was announced last month.
Book group bonus: If your group hasn’t read many translated/international works, this list is a great place to start.

And in Read Harder suggestions: Our suggestions for female protagonists over 60!
Book group bonus: Seriously though, how often do you get stories about women over 60!? Now’s the time to read one.

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