I’ve been co-hosting the #LiteraryJunkies online book club for almost 2 years now. I can remember first dreaming up the idea and wondering how in the world we were going to choose books to read each month. Now having several (almost 24 months!) books under our belt, I can say that there have been some really amazing books picked for our book club. Before I get to the specifics on some of my favorites from the past months, I want to chat about what makes the perfect book club pick.
It’s always challenging to select a book for an entire group of women. Having varied interests in books can make the selection process a bit overwhelming. The #LiteraryJunkies process used to be that we would ask the members to recommend a book and then we would select at random from their choices. That system never really worked out. We would end up reading a selection from someone who was no longer participating or it would be a book that was a total flop for the entire group (books to be kept nameless).
We’ve switched up the process so that now my co-host, Christine and I choose 3 books that look like winners and then have our book club vote on what to read next from those 3 reads. So far so good. đ
Here’s what we look for:
1. Initial or existing reviews.
2. Cover (yes, we do look at covers as part of our selection)
3. Female author (we’ve had more luck with female authors than male authors…although 2 of my favorites so far were male authors).
4. How recent the book is (some of our members prefer the library system over purchasing the book, so we try and accommodate as best as we can).
5. What kind of discussion can potentially come from the book. Topics that are thought-provoking or that hit close to home bring more discussion during our Twitter parties than than books that don’t. If the story is compelling, then the discussion is lively.
Some of my favorites that fit into these pre-quals (except for the 2 fab books written by men):
1. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.
Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn’t simply about going fast. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through.
A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life…as only a dog could tell it.
2. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
Meet Pat. Pat has a theory: his life is a movie produced by God. And his God-given mission is to become physically fit and emotionally literate, whereupon God will ensure a happy ending for him — the return of his estranged wife Nikki. (It might not come as a surprise to learn that Pat has spent time in a mental health facility.) The problem is, Pat’s now home, and everything feels off. No one will talk to him about Nikki; his beloved Philadelphia Eagles keep losing; he’s being pursued by the deeply odd Tiffany; his new therapist seems to recommend adultery as a form of therapy. Plus, he’s being hunted by Kenny G!
In this enchanting novel, Matthew Quick takes us inside Pat’s mind, showing us the world from his distorted yet endearing perspective. As the award-winning novelist Justin Cronin put it: “Tender, soulful, hilarious, and true, The Silver Linings Playbook is a wonderful debut.”
3. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
During a summer party at the family farm in the English countryside, sixteen-year-old Laurel Nicolson has escaped to her childhood tree house and is happily dreaming of the future. She spies a stranger coming up the long road to the farm and watches as her mother speaks to him. Before the afternoon is over, Laurel will witness a shocking crime. A crime that challenges everything she knows about her family and especially her mother, Dorothyâher vivacious, loving, nearly perfect mother.
Now, fifty years later, Laurel is a successful and well-regarded actress living in London. The family is gathering at Greenacres farm for Dorothyâs ninetieth birthday. Realizing that this may be her last chance, Laurel searches for answers to the questions that still haunt her from that long-ago day, answers that can only be found in Dorothyâs past.
Dorothyâs story takes the reader from preâWWII England through the blitz, to the â60s and beyond. It is the secret history of three strangers from vastly different worldsâDorothy, Vivien, and Jimmyâwho meet by chance in wartime London and whose lives are forever entwined. The Secret Keeper explores longings and dreams and the unexpected consequences they sometimes bring. It is an unforgettable story of lovers and friends, deception and passion that is toldâin Mortonâs signature styleâagainst a backdrop of events that changed the world.
4. The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
Only a few years before becoming a famous silent-film star and an icon of her generation, a fifteen-year-old Louise Brooks leaves Wichita, Kansas, to study with the prestigious Denishawn School of Dancing in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompanied by a thirty-six-year-old chaperone, who is neither mother nor friend. Cora Carlisle, a complicated but traditional woman with her own reasons for making the trip, has no idea what sheâs in for. Young Louise, already stunningly beautiful and sporting her famous black bob with blunt bangs, is known for her arrogance and her lack of respect for convention. Ultimately, the five weeks they spend together will transform their lives forever.
For Cora, the city holds the promise of discovery that might answer the question at the core of her being, and even as she does her best to watch over Louise in this strange and bustling place she embarks on a mission of her own. And while what she finds isnât what she anticipated, she is liberated in a way she could not have imagined. Over the course of Coraâs relationship with Louise, her eyes are opened to the promise of the twentieth century and a new understanding of the possibilities for being fully alive.
Drawing on the rich history of the 1920s,â30s, and beyondâfrom the orphan trains to Prohibition, flappers, and the onset of the Great Depression to the burgeoning movement for equal rights and new opportunities for womenâLaura Moriartyâs The Chaperone illustrates how rapidly everything, from fashion and hemlines to values and attitudes, was changing at this time and what a vast difference it all made for Louise Brooks, Cora Carlisle, and others like them.
5. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
So imagine Aliceâs surprise when she comes to on the floor of a gym and is whisked off to the hospital where she discovers the honeymoon is truly over â sheâs getting divorced, she has three kids and sheâs actually 39 years old. Alice must reconstruct the events of a lost decade, and find out whether itâs possible to reconstruct her life at the same time. She has to figure out why her sister hardly talks to her, and how is it that sheâs become one of those super skinny moms with really expensive clothes.
Ultimately, Alice must discover whether forgetting is a blessing or a curse, and whether itâs possible to start over.
6. The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
Sage Singer befriends an old man who’s particularly beloved in her community. Josef Weber is everyone’s favorite retired teacher and Little League coach. They strike up a friendship at the bakery where Sage works. One day he asks Sage for a favor: to kill him. Shocked, Sage refuses… and then he confesses his darkest secretâhe deserves to die, because he was a Nazi SS guard. Complicating the matter? Sage’s grandmother is a Holocaust survivor.
What do you do when evil lives next door? Can someone who’s committed a truly heinous act ever atone for it with subsequent good behavior? Should you offer forgiveness to someone if you aren’t the party who was wronged? And most of allâif Sage even considers his requestâis it murder, or justice?
Our upcoming reads look to be winners (fingers crossed!)…Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult and The Wife, the Maid and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon.
Buy the books here:
Check out my Favorite Book Club Reads – Part 2 Here!
amber.m says
I loved silver linings playbook! I’ll have to check out the rest of these.
Paola says
đ International Users want a chance to win too!
Rachele Hirsch-Brooks says
I’ve loved everything I’ve read recently by Liane Moriarty and Kate Morton! Such a great post and thanks for the chance at the giveaway!
Dana says
I think I’m the only person who hasn’t read or seen Silver Linings Playbook – I guess I need to get on that! Thanks for hosting the giveaway, Taylor.
Elizabeth Dietz says
I have not read ANY of these books that you mentioned on here and I read a lot. I recently joined the Literary Junkies book club and haven’t quite had the time to finish this month’s book… but as it turns out I got scheduled to work tonight so I can’t particpate in the Twitter party anyway, so I feel like that gives me a bit more time to finish so I can chime in on goodreads. I am definitely going to have to pick up some of these books as I am ALWAYS looking for new things to read!
Jen says
These are all good reads!
I hope the Literary Junkies can read this one soon!
Jen says
All good reads!!!!!!
I hope the Literary Junkies can read this soon
Jamie G says
The Art of Racing in the Rain is stupendous! I included it on my June Books I’m Reading List.
xo
Jamie
Valerie says
Yup! I do Literary Junkies every month!
Kerry says
The Art of Racing In The Rain was so good! A book i will always remember.
Ange @ Hairspray & Highheels says
I’ve only ever read Silver Linings Playbook, because PHILLY!
Summer says
I don’t belong to a book club, but I know I would love to. I LOVE to read and make special time to do so. Usually once the kids are in bed then I read until about midnight – it my “Me” time. I really should find me a book club!
Jennifer Rae says
I am in several book clubs! I love them! I just joined the literary junkies, and I am in a Harry Potter book club, one with my church, and another one online. I usually can only read 2-3 books per month because of my work schedule and personal life, so I generally read the two books that look the most interesting to me for that month.
Chelsea says
I love that you’re taking a vote so everyone gets a bit of a say!
Kristine Foley - The Foley Fam says
The description is great and right up my ally! I need to get involved with a book club! Maybe that’ll get me reading again.
Catherine R. says
I am in a fantastic book club with amazing ladies. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to attend in several months because life has gotten in the way. I sure do miss them!
Chelsee says
Oh I do love reading a good book and will have to check this out!
Jamie (Mama.Mommy.Mom.) says
That looks like an amazing list of reads! I love it! I hope I win!
Paige says
Alot of these look really interesting! I’ll have to check it out!
Ste says
I host a book club here in Austin of about 15 ladies. I’m always on the lookout for new reads.
Ashley says
I was the president of my local book club before moving….i miss my monthly wine and gossip
Shelby says
No, I don’t belong to book club. I would absolutely love to though! A local independent book store offers multiple different clubs that I’ve thought of checking out, but am a little intimidated. I need to bite the bullet and just check them out!
Karly says
I LOVE a good book, though I do tend to prefer male writers over female; my all-time fave being James Clavell and his Asian saga.
Jennifer says
I was part of a book club with older women and it was wonderful!!! Although I was the youngest by at least 20 years the women were so insightful and have lead amazing lifes…. I miss them and their book selections…. we read The Art of Racing in the Rain ( I would never have picked it up) and it is one of my absolute favorites.