The most recommended book club books

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1,503 authors created a book list connected to book club, and here are their favorite book club books.
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Book cover of Ink Blood Sister Scribe

Wendy Palmer Author Of The Uses of Illicit Art

From Wendy's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Wendy's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Wendy Palmer Why did Wendy love this book?

Despite loving reading, I don't always warm to books about books, but I was enthralled by this one straight away. It opens in an unusual setting (the Antarctic), though it doesn't stay there, and the characters are immediately real and relatable. The writing is excellent, and the plot with its inter-related mysteries flies along. I usually prefer a standalone fantasy to a series, but I finished this one and immediately wanted more in this world.

By Emma Tƶrzs,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Ink Blood Sister Scribe as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Not all books should be opened.

In this thrilling fantasy debut, meet the family tasked with guarding a trove of magical but deadly books, and the shadowy organisation that will do anything to get them back.

* The instant Sunday Times bestseller *
* Good Morning America's June book club pick *

'A bold, new novel from an extraordinary new voice.' Marlon James
'Simply a delight from start to finish.' New York Times
'A spectacularly spellbinding debut ... sumptuously bleeds magic from every page.' The Fantasy Hive
'A magnificent debut.' The Bookseller
'A fantastic magical adventure, not to be missed.'ā€¦


Book cover of Milkman

Richard Risemberg Author Of Family Ties

From my list on family beyond blood ties.

Why am I passionate about this?

As the photographer Stieglitz once wrote, ā€œEverything is relative except relatives, and they are absolute.ā€ I was born into what was considered a mixed marriage in Argentina, then moved to LA, where I became a foreigner on top of being a mongrel. My family life was turbulent, but I found surrogate parents through my circle of school friends and, eventually, a close-knit community in the local motorcycle world. As I had no roots in my new culture, I spoke freely to anyone, and found family in all sorts of extravagant situations. Iā€™ve continued to explore the permutations of family in my writing for decades now.

Richard's book list on family beyond blood ties

Richard Risemberg Why did Richard love this book?

This was my favorite book the year I read it, and I will read it again, with no doubt the same result. The narrator is an anonymous 18-year-old woman navigating family, community, and romantic relationships in the midst of the Irish Troubles.

Almost every character is identified by a local nickname, part town culture and part a way to keep both authorities and rebels off track. I loved the strong writing and the surprising but always plausible twists. Iā€™ve recommended it to every reader I know.

By Anna Burns,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Milkman as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Liberty fabric covered editions bring classics from the Faber backlist together with important modern titles, putting them in conversation and celebrating both the history and the future of Faber & Faber.

In this unnamed city, to be interesting is dangerous. Middle sister, our protagonist, is busy attempting to keep her mother from discovering her maybe-boyfriend and to keep everyone in the dark about her encounter with Milkman. But when first brother-in-law sniffs out her struggle, and rumours start to swell, middle sister becomes 'interesting'. The last thing she ever wanted to be. To be interesting is to be noticed andā€¦


Book cover of All My Puny Sorrows

Elizabeth Baines Author Of Astral Travel

From my list on fighting to overcome the legacy of their parentsā€™ past.

Why am I passionate about this?

From an early age, I was steeped in stories. My mother is a great storyteller and would tell vivid and exciting stories of her childhood, giving me a great sense of my own life as a part of the story of generations. We moved around a lot for my fatherā€™s job, which was sometimes disorientating and could lead to loneliness, and I took refuge in libraries and in writing stories of my own. By the time I left school, literature was my big love and mainstay, and I took a degree in English and later taught it in schools. Reading and writing stories has since become my life.

Elizabeth's book list on fighting to overcome the legacy of their parentsā€™ past

Elizabeth Baines Why did Elizabeth love this book?

I was blown away by this book when I first read it, and it may be one of the best books Iā€™ve ever read.

I laughed out loud at the wisecracking wit while tears actually dropped into my lap at the aching sadness as I read of the struggles of Yolande to stop her famous pianist sister Elfride from committing suicide and as she mines their strict Memonite past (including their fatherā€™s own suicide) for reasons for Elfrideā€™s depression.

I kept gulping out hilarious bits to my partner while wiping my eyes and blowing my nose. I found it hard to put down to go and eat. When I finished it, I didnā€™t feel Iā€™d read it; I felt Iā€™d had a whole experience, and I set about recommending it to my reading group and all my friends.

By Miriam Toews,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked All My Puny Sorrows as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the bestselling author of Women Talking, a "wrenchingly honest, darkly funny novel" (Entertainment Weekly).


Elf and Yoli are sisters. While on the surface Elfrieda's life is enviable (she's a world-renowned pianist, glamorous, wealthy, and happily married) and Yolandi's a mess (she's divorced and broke, with two teenagers growing up too quickly), they are fiercely close-raised in a Mennonite household and sharing the hardship of Elf's desire to end her life. After Elf's latest attempt, Yoli must quickly determine how to keep her family from falling apart while facing a profound question: what do you do for a loved oneā€¦


Book cover of The Words We Keep

Lisa Darcy Author Of The Pact

From my list on books that capture sisterly love, envy, and embracing the unknown.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve been fascinated by sisters, siblings, and my place in the family since I was old enough to realize I had an older sister and a younger brother. I asked my parents a lot of questions. Why am I blonde? Why is my sister taller? Lots of questions my parents didnā€™t have answers for. At school in biology, we studied genes, familial traits, and nature versus nurture. I was fascinated, and still am today. Why does my sister behave the way she does? Why do I? Is it because of our upbringing, or was she just born with an aversion to cheese? I wanted to know the answers. Iā€™m still searching.

Lisa's book list on books that capture sisterly love, envy, and embracing the unknown

Lisa Darcy Why did Lisa love this book?

This gripping and heartbreaking YA novel about Lily and her older, bipolar sister, Alice, has stayed with me. I found the plot and characters so realistic and absorbing that I forgot I was reading fiction. 

This book is an intense read, but set in a world I became thoroughly immersed in. I connected with Lilyā€™s compulsion to be the perfect daughter and straight-A student. I cried for her having to swallow her emotions and words, while internally struggling with her own demons.

Itā€™s a must-read for anyone who has survived their teenage years. Itā€™s considered, wholehearted, and delivers a convincing portrayal of sisterly bonds, mental health issues, and the people who are courageous enough to confront them. Iā€™m teary now just thinking about it.

By Erin Stewart,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Words We Keep as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A beautifully realistic, relatable story about mental healthā€”anxiety, perfectionism, depressionā€”and the healing powers of art--perfect for fans of Girl in Pieces and How it Feels to Float. Whatever you struggle with, you are not alone and you are already enoughā€”just the way you are.

It's been three months since The Night on the Bathroom Floor--when Lily found her older sister Alice hurting herself. Ever since then, Lily has been desperately trying to keep things together, for herself and for her family. But now Alice is coming home from her treatment program and it is becoming harder for Lily to ignoreā€¦


Book cover of Ink Blood Sister Scribe
Book cover of Milkman
Book cover of All My Puny Sorrows

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