Top 10 Tuesday: Book Club Picks I would actually finish

On By Jane @ Greenish BookshelfIn 2016, Top 10 Tuesday

Hi everyone! Happy November! We are breaking out the Christmas music already and starting the countdown to Christmas. I love this time of year and can’t wait to make special memories this year.

Today I’m back with a post as part of Top 10 Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! This week’s theme is Top Ten Books To Read If Your Book Club Likes ____. I really love book clubs. But I can be pretty bad at actually reading the books for book club.

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I often come just to chat with friends. Part of this is my own fault. Sometimes, I run out of time or have no interest in reading the book (especially since I have a huge TBR that I want to read!). But I’ve had book clubbers pick obscure Native American histories and massive 800+ page mystery novels. While these are certainly interesting to someone, they can a bit intimidating or boring for a book club of varying readers.

I think book club books need to be shorter (200-300 pages) and give you a lot to talk about. And it helps if they are more popular books. I think that gets more people excited about them. Disclaimer: this list is my opinion. No guarantees on book club love 🙂

So we come to my TTT this week: top 10 books that your book club will actually read.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford // I read this WWII novel earlier this year and loved it. I think it would a compelling book club novel with so much to discuss.

Wonder by R. J. Palacio // This book is easy to read and offers some compelling themes that apply easily to moms of school aged kids. Great for mommy book clubs 🙂

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens // A classic that we all know and love but fewer have read. It’s not too long and even if you can’t read the text, you can watch a movie adaptation and still participate in the discussion!

The Giver by Lois Lowry // A classic middle school required read that is more poignant as you get older. Another book that isn’t as long as you think and offers such interesting discussion topics on life, choice, and memory.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer // I don’t think book clubs read enough fantasy! I think it would be so fun to read this first installment in the Lunar Chronicles because it is clever, fast-paced, and your teenage daughters will want to read it one day with you!

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley // I’m about 3/4ths of the way through this classic which would forward a great discussion in a book club. Plus, it’s only about 200 pages so more doable for classic lovers and novices alike.

Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James // For all you Austen fans, this is a fun mystery set in the world of Pride and Prejudice. A fast-paced and exciting novel that would be fun to explore with fellow Austen fans.

Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nielson // For something different, this memoir offers a beautiful message of hope, healing, and faith. A book that everyone can enjoy and learn from, I think.

A book from The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis (besides The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) // I feel like if you’ve read one Narnia book it’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It’s a great one. But the other novels are equally compelling and offer beautiful themes and Christian allegories. Plus, they are all short novels.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J. K. Rowling et al // Mostly, I just want to talk to more people about this book. What better way than in a book club?

What books are your go to novels for book clubs?

17 thoughts on “Top 10 Tuesday: Book Club Picks I would actually finish”

  1. Great list!

    “Wonder by R. J. Palacio // This book is easy to read and offers some compelling themes that apply easily to moms of school aged kids. Great for mommy book clubs🙂”

    I bought this book for my son for his birthday and he is reading it now. I was hoping to read it after him and have a little discussion. I never thought about suggesting this to my book club! Thanks for the idea!

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  2. I have recently joined a book club, and trying to find a book to pick was far more difficult than I realized it would be! Definitely agree that an important thing is to have something to talk about–a meeting where no one has anything to say is very short indeed.

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    1. Yes, it’s the most anticipated but also most difficult part, I think! Yeah, its hard when no one reads the book so the book conversation is short–but usually we then just talk about life until its too late. My book club is truly to institute a curfew for meetings. It didn’t work last month. Haha.

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  3. I love your sort of “twist” on the topic this week–great work! Cinder is such a great book–I especially LOVE how it’s such an easy and subtle introduction to steampunk! And SO MUCH YES at Death Comes to Pemberley! I haven’t read it yet, but I own it and am keeping my fingers crossed I’ll find (or make?) time to get to it in the very near future! Pride and Prejudice retellings are my LIFE.

    Thank you SO MUCH for compiling this list and sharing it with us–and for stopping by my own TTT this week! It’s much appreciated! Happy book-ing to you in the near future! ❤

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    1. Thank you so much! I appreciate your comment. I love the Lunar Chronicles too! They are so fantastic. I hope you find some time to read Death Comes to Pemberley soon! If you love Austen retellings, you will love this. It’s super well done! Let me know when you read it 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂

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  4. I have a problem with not actually reading the chosen book as well. I’m not sure if it’s time or disinterest or perhaps some internal rebellion I get when I ‘have to read’ something. I’m also in agreement that book clubs need to pick up more fantasy, perhaps then I’d manage to get more motivated.

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