Top Ten Book Club Recommendations — Books, Beauty, & Buys

Recently on Twitter, someone I was following asked for book club recommendations. Since we have had our book club for 5 years, I figured we had read more than enough books that I should make a list of some of my favorites. Now, in order to make this list it had to be a book that was enjoyable as well as made for good discussion. Also, for fun, here’s a picture of me with my book club :)

This is from way back in 2015, but we’re reading one of the books I recommended, so I thought it was fitting

1. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

This was our first book club read. It was a great way to start our book club and I think got us started on the right foot. If you haven’t read it already (I know that it’s popular and has been out for a while) the subject matter is light enough to read through but heavy enough to spark some really good discussion.

2. Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

I think this was my first pick for our book club. I find historical fiction and feel like it makes for a good discussion. The romance as well as the questionable moral choices makes this a good discussion book. In addition to that, there is a movie (a well done movie) that could be really fun to read the book and then enjoy the movie together.

3. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman

Feeling a little worn out from my first two recommendations? This book is unique and quirky and while it does has a little bit of a downer side to it, it’s overall a fun read. The characters are unlike any I’ve ever read and they jump off the page. So much happens in this book that I can’t imagine your book club reading it and NOT have something to talk about.

4. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

So I’m realizing that a lot of my recommendations are on the heavier side, but I can’t make a list of recommendations without this book. It’s non-fiction, which isn’t typical for our book club and might not be typical for yours, but it is so good. You will cry but there is so much going on in this book and it is one that has stuck with me years after reading it.

5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

For the past 5 summers, we have chosen to read a classic book as our book club read. This past summer we decided that we didn’t want to continue that tradition, but I decided to throw a classic on my recommendation anyway. If you feel like your book club is in a rut, it might be fun to throw a classic novel in there to mix things up. Little Women is a classic for a reason, but it’s a simpler classic. It’s not one that will make you feel like you’re stuck back in high school. It’s easy to read but still has a lot that is relevant that will make for good discussion.

6. Artemis by Andy Weir

The best way I can describe this book is like an adult version of Zenon Girl of the 21st Century. While I’m not normally a sci-fi person, this book was o the best seller list for a reason. The world is unique and the writing is very vivid. I can still visualize each and every part of the space station.

7. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

This is the book that introduced me to Liane Moriarty. Honestly, you could pick just about any of her books to throw on here and I don’t think you’d lose. I love discussing different theories that I had with everyone else and see if they thought the same things.

8. The Start of Me & You by Emery Lord

My book club as read a few young adult novels but I loved this one. It’s probably the lightest book on this list. Sometimes you just need to read something light and fluffy and there is nothing wrong with that. Not every book that’s good for discussion is one that’s dark and heavy.

9. This is How it Always is by Laurie Frankel

This is another one of those book that has some moral ambiguity as well as just, in general, a lifestyle very different from mine. Stepping outside of your own everyday box is always refreshing.

10. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

Rounding out the list is my most recent book club pick. Like I said, I am a fan of historical fiction. I liked that this one focused on the female effort during World War I. It’s a lighter and quicker read than Light Between Oceans, but we had a lot to talk about.

And my honorable mention

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

This was unanimously my book club’s least favorite book that we have read. None of us liked it and it is our gold standard when we are discussing other books we didn’t like. We constantly will call back to it as “at least it’s not as bad as Life After Life!” The only reason I mention it is because every book club needs a book they all dislike. We’ve often talked about how sometimes our best discussions come from the books that we didn’t like. Now, I can’t guarantee that you will dislike this book as much as we did. I mean, it was a best seller after all. But the point of putting this on here is to say, don’t be afraid of picking a book that you’re book club might not like. It will provide a lot of discussion, laughs, and fun memories.

Are you in a book club? What is your favorite book that your book club (if you’re in one) has read?