15 Book Club Recommendations That Will Give You Plenty to Talk About
We recently had someone ask us for book club recommendations, and once we started putting a list together, we realized we had A LOT.
Because a good book club book isn’t necessarily just a book you loved. You want something everyone will want to finish, but you also want enough going on that you have something to talk about once you get together.
So we pulled together 15 book club recommendations and sorted them by what kind of read you’re looking for, from approachable crowd-pleasers to historical fiction, something a little different, nonfiction, and books with a little more weight to them.
Hopefully there’s something here for your next book club pick.
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If You Want Something Everyone Can Get Into
These are the books we’d start with if your book club has a big mix of readers and you need something with broad appeal.
1. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
An older woman working nights at an aquarium forms an unlikely friendship with Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus who may know more than anyone realizes about the disappearance of her son decades earlier.
This one manages to be heartfelt, a little mysterious, and hopeful without feeling too heavy. There’s plenty to talk about, grief, friendship, family, loneliness, starting over, and so much more. They also just came out with a movie and it’s really sweet!
Good book club pick if: You want something warm, accessible, and easy to discuss.
2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Told through letters, this follows writer Juliet Ashton as she begins corresponding with members of a book club formed during the German occupation of Guernsey. What begins with a letter about a book eventually draws Juliet into the lives and stories of the island’s residents.
It’s historical fiction, but it has so much warmth, humor, friendship, and, very fittingly, love for books.
Good book club pick if: Your group wants historical fiction that still feels charming and hopeful.
3. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Brother and sister Danny and Maeve spend decades looking back on the childhood home, and family circumstances, they lost. It’s ultimately a story about siblings, memory, resentment, forgiveness, and the stories we tell ourselves about our own past.
There are SO many directions a book club conversation could go with this one.
Good book club pick if: Your group loves character-driven books and complicated family dynamics.
If Your Book Club Loves Historical Fiction
If your group loves finishing a book and immediately wanting to Google everything about the time period, start here.
4. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Inspired by the real-life diary of eighteenth-century midwife Martha Ballard, The Frozen River begins when a man is found frozen in Maine’s Kennebec River and Martha is called to examine his body. What follows is part historical fiction, part murder mystery as Martha’s records become increasingly important to uncovering what happened.
This is such a good book club combination because you get a page-turning mystery and plenty to talk about afterward-women’s voices, justice, marriage, motherhood, medicine, and what life looked like for women in the late 1700s.
Good book club pick if: You want historical fiction that also feels like a mystery you can’t put down.
5. The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
Set in Depression-era Kentucky, this follows a group of women who join the Packhorse Librarians and deliver books to people living in remote mountain communities.
It’s a fascinating piece of history wrapped up in a story about friendship, courage, love, and women pushing against the expectations placed on them.
Good book club pick if: You like historical fiction with strong female friendships and a fascinating piece of history behind it.
6. I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
Set in Romania in 1989 during the final months of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s dictatorship, seventeen-year-old Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police into becoming an informer. He’s forced to decide whom he can trust and what he’s willing to risk as unrest grows around him.
Ruta Sepetys is so good at taking pieces of history many of us know very little about and making you want to learn everything.
Good book club pick if: You want a gripping historical novel that will lead to a much bigger conversation afterward.
7. Horse by Geraldine Brooks
This was recommended to us by our 93 year old Grandpa Frank! Inspired by the real racehorse Lexington, Horse moves across multiple timelines and connects an enslaved groom, a nineteenth-century racehorse, an artist, a painting, and modern researchers.
There’s a lot here for a book club to unpack, history, art, race, legacy, science, and who gets remembered.
Good book club pick if: Your group likes layered historical fiction and books with plenty to discuss.
8. The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry
During World War II, sisters Hazel and Flora are evacuated from London to the English countryside. Hazel creates a magical imaginary world for Flora, but then Flora disappears. Twenty years later, Hazel encounters a book containing the secret world she thought existed only between the two sisters.
Part mystery, part historical fiction, part story about sisters and storytelling.
Good book club pick if: You want historical fiction with mystery and a slightly magical feel.
If You Want Something a Little Different
These are for the month when everyone is ready to step outside the standard book-club historical-fiction pick.
9. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
In 1920s Alaska, childless homesteaders Jack and Mabel build a little girl out of snow. The next morning, the snow child is gone, and a mysterious young girl begins appearing in the woods around their home.
It’s quiet, atmospheric, strange, beautiful, and rooted in fairy tale.
Good book club pick if: Your group likes literary fiction with a little magic and doesn’t mind a slower, more atmospheric read.
10. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
In 1714 France, Addie makes a desperate bargain that allows her to live forever, but leaves her cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Nearly 300 years later, she walks into a bookstore and meets someone who remembers her.
This one naturally brings up questions about identity, memory, love, art, legacy, and what makes a life meaningful.
Good book club pick if: Your group wants fantasy that still gives you plenty of real-life themes to talk about.
11. The Beast of Ten by Beth Brower
If your book club wants to wander farther into fantasy, add this one to the list.
It’s a more adventurous pick than most of the others here and gives you a nice change of pace if your group tends to read mostly contemporary or historical fiction. This novel is from the same author as the Emma M Lion series and is a beautifully Beauty and the Beast retelling. It starts slow but by then end we couldn’t put it down!
Good book club pick if: Everyone is ready to try something outside your usual genre.
If Your Book Club Wants a True Story
Sometimes it’s nice to throw a nonfiction pick into the mix.
12. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Even if your book club usually sticks to fiction, this is such a good one to try.
The Boys in the Boat tells the true story of nine working-class young men from the University of Washington rowing team and their unlikely journey to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. At the heart of the story is Joe Rantz, who had been abandoned by his family and had to find his own way through adolescence and college.
It’s about much more than rowing. There’s the Great Depression, the rise of Nazi Germany, perseverance, class, teamwork, trust, and what can happen when a group of people learns to work completely together.
Good book club pick if: You want a true story that reads more like a novel and gives you plenty to talk about afterward.
If Your Group Wants Something With More Weight
These are books we’d choose when the group is in the mood for a deeper conversation rather than a light reading month.
13. The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger
In 1958 Minnesota, a wealthy landowner is found dead in a river, and the murder investigation begins exposing old wounds and secrets throughout the small town.
The story explores the aftermath of war, prejudice, justice, guilt, and the complicated histories people carry with them.
Good book club pick if: Your group loves literary mysteries with complicated characters and bigger themes underneath the mystery.
14. Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
Don’t let the middle-grade classification make you overlook this one.
Set in rural Pennsylvania during World War II, Wolf Hollow follows young Annabelle as escalating bullying and accusations in her community force her to decide when and how to stand up for someone being treated unjustly.
It’s a relatively quick read, but it deals with courage, cruelty, truth, justice, and what happens when adults get things wrong.
Good book club pick if: You want a shorter book that can still lead to a surprisingly deep discussion.
15. The Light Through the Leaves by Glendy Vanderah
This is an emotional story about loss, motherhood, grief, healing, and the complicated paths people’s lives can take after tragedy.
It’s one of the heavier books on this list, so it’s one we’d choose when your book club is ready for something more emotionally intense.
Good book club pick if: Your group enjoys emotional, character-driven stories and doesn’t mind heavier subject matter.
A Quick Note Before Choosing
One thing we’ve learned with book clubs: everyone has a different threshold for what they enjoy reading.
Several books on this list deal with heavier topics, including war, death, grief, violence, bullying, racism, abuse, sexual assault, mental health struggles, and other difficult experiences. Some also contain language, sexual content, or other mature material.
We haven’t attempted to list every potential content or trigger warning here, so if there are topics you or someone in your group prefers to avoid, we’d recommend doing a quick content check before choosing your book.
That way everyone can decide what works best for them.
How to Pick Your Next Book Club Book
If your group can never agree, we’d make it easy: decide on the kind of reading month you want first.
Want something approachable and warm? Start at the top.
Want historical fiction? You’ve got five very different options.
Ready to get out of your usual genre? Try one of the more magical picks.
Want to change things up completely? Throw in a true story with The Boys in the Boat.
And if you’re ready for something that will lead to a deeper conversation, head to the final section.
There doesn’t have to be one perfect “book club book.” Sometimes the best part is changing it up from month to month.
And if you have a book your entire book club loved, send it our way. We’re always looking for the next one to pass along.
X.o.
The Threads Between Sisters
You might also love our favorite historical fiction post HERE or our break down of some of our favorite Kristin Hannah books HERE!
