You will love this list of great book club books - all tried and tested.
Whether you've always loved reading or you're just trying something new, a book club is a great way to connect and make friends.
We love getting together with our friends to have interesting conversations, laugh, and learn together. The hardest part of book club is choosing the books.
With our combined 25 YEARS of experience in book clubs, we're sharing our picks for TRIED AND TESTED great book club books. We have personally read every single one.
Our book club lists are sorted into categories and we'll tell you a little bit about why we loved each one without giving too much away.
Table of contents
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How We Read and Listen to Books
While we love to hold books in our hands and turn the pages, in this current stage of life, we often turn to audiobooks!
We take advantage of our local libraries for ebooks and audiobooks through the Libby app.
Libby App for Libraries (FREE)
Libby is the best way to read ebooks and audiobooks from your public library. You can load multiple library cards into the app too, so you can browse and borrow from multiple libraries all in one app.
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Audible 📚🎧
We both have subscriptions to Audible which we LOVE - there are so many great performances to be heard and exclusive books you can't hear anywhere else.
Get a Free Audiobook with 30-Day Trial 📚🎧
Spotify Premium Audiobooks
Spotify has audiobooks now, and their selection is good! I find a lot of new releases that have longer waits at the library. If you have Spotify Premium, it now includes 15 hours of audiobook listening time per month. You can also buy 'top-ups' if you want to add more listening time on top of that.
Find Audiobooks on Spotify
We both have different ways of tracking what books we've read. Jessica has a book log that she keeps in her library, Sarah uses Goodreads.
Disclaimer about Good Book Club Books:
While we do love it when a book we read is PG, many of the books that we love and think are worth reading, are not squeaky clean. Since everyone's standards for content are different, you'll need to do your own research as to whether a book is going to be clean enough for you.
Fiction
Historical Fiction
Historical fiction is such a cool genre. In my book group we have decided to seek out historical fiction about cultures, countries, and conflicts that we know little about. Below are some of the most eye-opening and beautifully written stories about people we didn't learn about in school. (Never stop learning!)
The Vanishing Half
Inseparable teenaged twins from a small, Southern Black community run away and end up on very different paths. Many years later, one sister lives in the same Southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for White, and her White husband knows nothing of her past. Brit Bennett wrote a story that is an emotional family drama and an exploration of the American history of passing.
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The Island of Sea Women
Set on the Korean island of Jeju, this novel tells a story about two women living in a culture where women are the breadwinners engaging in dangerous physical work as sea divers. Their friendship is tested through a period of Japanese colonialism, followed by World War II, the Korean War, and its aftermath.
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The Chosen
Unlikely friends Reuven and Danny exist in different worlds even though they've lived just blocks from each other for their entire lives. As the two get to know each other they find that they aren't as different as they seem. The Chosen is a beautiful and powerful coming-of-age story.
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The Giver of Stars
If you are an avid reader you will love this book, because it demonstrates the power books have to save lives and bring people together. It is moving, gripping, fun, interesting, romantic, and inspiring all in turns.
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The Downstairs Girl
During the day, Jo is a ladies' maid to a wealthy man in Atlanta, and at night she writes for the newspaper as "Dear Miss Sweetie" answering an advice column. She is funny and endearing, so it's no wonder when the column takes off, only nobody knows who's writing it. She decides to use the popular column to question a few of the powers that be and it takes her down a dangerous and unforgettable journey.
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These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901, Arizona Territories
These words belong to Sarah Prine, a woman who forges a full and remarkable life in a harsh, unfamiliar frontier. She records her life as she goes from childhood to determined young adult to loving mother - sharing the turbulent events, both happy and tragic, that molded her. This book, inspired by the author's family memoirs, is painful and beautiful.
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Historical | World War II
World War II has its very own section here. There is so much written about this war and a lot of it is worth exploring. The Holocaust is an event that should never be forgotten, and reading accounts from victims of the war is a way to learn, for those of us who had no direct experience with it.
All The Light We Cannot See
A French girl who is blind, and a German boy's paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.
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Between Shades of Gray
A story of Lina, a 15-year old Lithuanian refugee under Stalin's reign during World War II. She uses her talent as an artist to try to bring her family back together and maintain the will to survive.
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The Nightingale
The Nightingale tells the story of two sisters in Nazi-occupied France.The book is written from the points-of-view of two sisters whose circumstances, personalities, and reactions to the war are very different from each other.
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We Were the Lucky Ones
This book was inspired by the true story of a Jewish family from Poland. The family becomes separated at the beginning of World War II, and are all pushed to different parts of the world in their struggle to survive, and hopefully, be reunited again.
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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
This story is just delightful. A writer from London begins a correspondence with the members of a book club on the Isle of Guernsey, a small island in the British Channel, that had been occupied by Nazis during the war.
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Beneath a Scarlet Sky
Based on the true story of a young Italian war hero, this book is not only riveting but enlightening as well. When Pino Lella becomes a personal driver for one of Hitler's highest-ranking officials he is in the perfect position to spy for his country - risking everything.
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The Light Between Oceans
The Light Between Oceans is a beautiful novel about isolation and courage in the face of enormous loss. It gets into your heart stealthily, until you stop hoping the characters will make different choices and find you can only watch, transfixed, as every conceivable choice becomes an impossible one.
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The Book Thief
A beautiful and moving story of a young foster girl in Nazi Germany -- and the narrator of this book is Death.The fact that the story is told from 'Death's' perspective artfully emphasizes the mortality of every character in the story - especially at such a devastating time in the world's history.
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Secrets of a Charmed Life
A story about two young sisters during WWII and how their lives are torn apart and put back together. As told by one of the sisters to a modern-day journalist writing about the war.
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Mystery and Thriller
Happiness Falls
Mia isn't initially concerned when her dad doesn't return from a walk with her brother - until it becomes clear that he is missing. The only witness is Eugene, her younger brother who has a rare genetic condition and cannot speak. Mia's family goes to remarkable lengths to try to understand each other better as they search for answers about her father's disappearance.
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Fire Keeper's Daughter
After 18-year-old Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, she reluctantly goes undercover, using her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe medicine to find the truth. The author Angeline Boulley seamlessly integrates Native American history and culture into this compelling story of love, family, and belonging.
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Yellowface
June Hayward is an aspiring author overshadowed by her more successful friend, Athena Liu. June steals Athena's unfinished novel after her friend's tragic death. June rebrands herself as Juniper Song and rises to fame with the book’s success. In her desperation to protect her secret, she realizes just how far she’s willing to go to claim what she believes she deserves.
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None of This is True
Alix, a true crime podcaster, meets Josie, a woman who says she has an interesting life story to share. As they conduct interviews for her podcast, Alix finds herself drawn into Josie's unsettling world. Soon Alix realizes she's become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her family's safety at risk.
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The Silent Patient
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, Alicia shoots him five times, and then never speaks another word.
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The Thirteenth Tale
The Thirteenth Tale is a story for book lovers, through and through. It's about a reclusive author who decides to finally share the true story of her life with a young journalist. It has mystery, intrigue, plot twists and turns, and ties everything neatly together at the end, while still giving you plenty to think and talk about.
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Modern Fiction
Demon Copperhead
Demon Copperhead is a boy born to a single teenaged mother with no assets beyond his sharp wit and a fierce talent for survival. Demon braves foster care, child labor, athletic success, addiction, found family, and disastrous love.Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damage to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Barbara Kingsolver transposed this classic Victorian novel to the modern American South.
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The Hate U Give
A 16-year-old sees her childhood best friend fatally shot by a police officer. This is a heartbreaking story, it's fiction inspired by stories we see too often on the news. It provoked a lot of good conversation and thought.
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What Alice Forgot
When Alice falls at the gym and hits her head, she forgets the last ten years of her life. She wakes up thinking she is 29, a happy newlywed, poor, and a dreamer. She soon discovers that she and her husband got everything they had ever dreamed of yet ended up miserable.
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The Measure
On the same morning, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Now, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they want to know how long they’ll live? If so, what will they do with that knowledge?
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One to Watch
If you watch The Bachelor, this is a MUST-READ. Bea is a plus-sized fashion blogger who openly critiques the fictional reality show "Main Squeeze" for only casting small body types. She then is cast as the first plus-sized lead. This book draws attention to real and important issues while still being witty, fun, and fast-paced.
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Classic Books for Book Clubs
We all know there's *something* about classic books, they are only classics if they stand the test of time. These stories say a lot about what it means to be human. Even though our knowledge, beliefs, and lifestyles have changed over time, the challenges people face, the questions we ask, and the values we care about are often the same as those explored by writers from long ago.
The Screwtape Letters
The Screwtape Letters is the story of a young devil, Wormwood, who is being coached by his uncle Screwtape on how to lead humans down to hell without them suspecting. Brilliantly told and incredibly thought-provoking.I don't think anyone could read this book and argue that C.S. Lewis was not a genius. A definite masterwork in my opinion!
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Persuasion
Anne Elliot is woman of quiet charm and deep feelings. Eight years before our story begins, she is happily betrothed to a naval officer, Frederick Wentworth, but she breaks off the engagement when persuaded by her friend Lady Russell that the match is unworthy. The breakup produces in Anne a deep and long-lasting regret.
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Frankenstein
Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, is one of the earliest examples of science fiction. Victor Frankenstein creates a monster beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events. It is a painful story about what responsibility one has for a creature they bring to life. I think it should be required reading!
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Fantasy
My Lady Jane
Not much is known about the real Lady Jane Grey, who was King Edward VI’s successor for just nine days. Three witty authors decided to give Lady Jane a proper story, and it is smart, hilarious, and a lot more fun than the true story.This book is great for fans of The Princess Bride. I laughed out loud throughout the whole book, and my book club unanimously gave it five stars!
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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
In 1714, a young woman named Addie LaRue makes a deal to live forever, but the catch is that no one she meets will remember her. This curse leads her on an incredible journey through centuries. After almost 300 years of being forgotten, she meets a young man in a bookstore, and he remembers her name.
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Non-Fiction Book Club Books
Self-Help
All self-help books are not created equal, but I can promise you that each of the books listed below has something valuable to offer. Self-improvement books are great for book club discussions because they encourage friends to share their thoughts and personal experiences about the ideas in the books.
I Think You're Wrong, But I'm Listening
Sarah and Beth came together to have political conversations as friends with VERY different political views. They have mastered doing so with grace. In this book they share their ideas on how we can learn to do this too - and why it's so important. My book club had a great discussion around this and I think it should be at the top of everyone's reading list.
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More Than a Body
This book goes beyond “body positivity” to help you develop body image resilience - all while cutting through the empty promises sold by media, advertisers, and the beauty and weight-loss industries.The authors, Dr. Lindsay Kite and Dr. Lexie Kite, are body image researchers and twin sisters! who have spent the past twenty years on research about body image.
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Daring Greatly
I don't think I ever really knew myself completely until I read this book.Brené Brown writes what she's learned from solid research and kitchen table story-telling. It will empower you to live a real, vulnerable, and daring life- and help you give grace to those around you- especially those who matter most.
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The Power of Fun
What the author calls "True Fun" - the blend of play, connection, and flow - things that most adults are not making a priority of - can bring the fulfillment we all crave.Drawing on research and personal experience, she says "True Fun" leads to greater happiness, productivity, health, and community. She gives ideas for how to bring more True Fun into our lives without feeling overwhelmed.
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The Path Made Clear
This is a compilation and edit of many of the most important interviews Oprah's hosted, it's full of insight on how to find meaning in and make the most of your one precious life. Enlightened and spiritual, this book is just the uplift we need these days.
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Sociology
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
Cultish analyzes the social science of cult influence: how cultish groups from Jonestown and Scientology to SoulCycle and social media gurus use group-specific language as their greatest tool. This book is fun, and after reading it you may hear “cultish” language everywhere. It makes for a SUPER interesting discussion.
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Outliers
The author Malcolm Gladwell takes an in-depth look at the outliers - the most successful or most talented people in the world, and asks the question "what makes them different?" It's science, self-help, and entertainment all wrapped up in one book.As with all of Gladwell's books (and his very popular podcasts) it will make you think.
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How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question
Michael Schur, the creator of TV shows like The Good Place and Parks and Recreation, explores life's big moral questions. This book is more comedy than actual advice, but with sharp wit and insight, Schur explains concepts like deontology, utilitarianism, existentialism, ubuntu, and more, so I learned a lot more about philosophy than I knew before I read it.
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Memoirs
Nothing to Envy
Nothing to Envy follows the lives of six North Korean citizens, sharing how each of them became disillusioned with their government as they realized that their country had betrayed them. It’s heartbreaking, eye-opening and fascinating. I think about this book more than any other I’ve read in the past few years.
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Sure, I'll Join Your Cult
Maria Bamford is your favorite comedian's comedian. Her memoir is full of dark humor and laugh-out-loud stories about her mental health, what it means to keep going, and her quest to belong as a member of society (or any group she’s invited to) despite not being very good at it.
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I'm Glad My Mom Died
A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir about Jennette's struggles as a former child actor and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother. After her mom passes away from cancer, Jennette starts down the path to recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she wants. Told with candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.
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Crying in H Mart
It was her mother's diagnosis of terminal cancer, when Michelle was 25, that forced a reckoning with her Korean-American identity and encouraged her to reclaim the gifts of food, language, and history her mother had given her. She writes beautifully about her grief and finding ways to keep her mother's memory close.
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Educated
Tara Westover was 17 had been raised by survivalists in rural Idaho, forbidden to visit doctors, and taught to distrust almost everyone.Tara's story was painful but offers more understanding for those who are not offered opportunities, education, and empowerment - privileges that are too often taken for granted.
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Born a Crime
Trevor Noah details his life having been born in apartheid South Africa, where his birth to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother was illegal.He was kept mostly indoors for the first five years of his life, his mother having to take extreme measures to keep them both safe. It's a coming-of-age story and an eye-opening firsthand account of what life was like during and after the apartheid for him and his family.
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The Girl with Seven Names
A memoir from a North Korean defector, Hyeonseo Lee. She details her long, difficult, and dangerous path to freedom. After she finally made it to safety, she risked her life again to help her family escape, leading them through China and Laos. She is now an activist and speaks out against the North Korean regime.
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American Like Me
America Ferrera invited 31 of her friends, peers, and heroes to share their stories about life between cultures. We know them as celebrities and artists, however, they are also immigrants, children or grandchildren of immigrants, and Indigenous people. Each of them struggled to establish a sense of self, find belonging, and feel seen. And they call themselves American enthusiastically, reluctantly, or not at all.
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Just Mercy
Bryan Stevenson is an attorney and activist focusing on injustices in the United States judicial system. His book alternates between documenting his efforts to overturn the wrongful conviction of a man who was given the death penalty (despite having a clear alibi) and his work on other cases, including children who receive life sentences and other poor or marginalized clients.
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Brown Girl Dreaming
This book was just beautifully written.Growing up in both South Carolina and New York, Jacqueline Woodson felt like she didn’t fully belong in either place. Through powerful poems, she describes what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s. Each story is full of emotion and gives you a look into her heart as a young girl trying to figure out where she fits in the world.
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True Crime Books for Book Club
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
John Carreyrou of the New York Times takes you through the rise and fall of a multi-billion dollar biotech startup founded by Elizabeth Holmes. This story is so crazy it's hard to believe it really happened. The book is a page-turner and has now been adapted into multiple documentaries, podcasts, and an Emmy award-winning limited series.
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Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
This book is the saga of the Sackler family, known for their wealth, art collections, and massive donations to museums. The family was exposed when it was revealed that they knowingly fueled the opioid epidemic by marketing OxyContin as 'non-addictive' when it is anything but. The Sacklers lived extravagant lives full of legal battles, power struggles, and using their money to shape their image and crush anyone who stood in their way.
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Snack Ideas for Book Club
We really hope you've found some books you're excited to add to your reading list. We'd love it if you'd leave us a comment letting us know which books you are reading!
Kristyn
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