What Makes the Best Book Club Book?

Our book clubs have been active throughout the pandemic. Most are meeting via zoom.  The book clubs are reading a variety of selections, although, most are historical or literary fiction. Most popular selections include general patron favorites such as, The Dutch House, Where the Crawdads Sing, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine , Beneath the Scarlet Sky, and The Silent Patient.

But what really makes a good book club book? A lot of book clubs choose books they think everyone is going to enjoy. We find some book club leaders struggle with selecting options that might not appeal to everyone. However, if everyone likes the book, does that make for good discussion? As a member of a book club for over 20 years some of our best discussions are based on books where opinions were divided. Also, books where the character's experiences are foreign to us stimulate interesting discussion. What about size of the book? This is definitely something to consider so that all book club members have time to read the book, especially if you meet monthly.

How do you choose your book club books? That probably depends on how your book club is organized. Do your book club peers enjoy the book club for a social gathering of people who enjoy talking about books or do your peers belong to a book club to expand their personal reading selections or have deep discussions?  I joined a book club, because I enjoyed reading and knew that belonging to a book club would encourage me to prioritize my reading amongst all of the personal demands of family and career. Meeting new people and having a social outing was definitely a benefit. However, one of the most rewarding things of joining a book club was exposure to books that I would of never read. Some of my most favorite books of all time have come from book club picks that were narrative nonfiction, a genre I would of never selected for casual reading.

Looking for ideas to expand the variety of books you or your book group read?  Bookbrowse has a curated resource of recommendations specifically for book groups enabling a search by genre, setting, author, time period, or theme.  

Are your book club discussions more centered around "Did you like the book?" or "What did you find most interesting?" Reading guides can be used as aides to expand your discussion. Often they bring character perceptions, storyline themes, and deeper reflection on the author's intent that lead us to deeper conversations. Even if your book club doesn't use a reader's guide, they offer good reflection on a good read and sometimes more understanding and deeper appreciation for a book you didn't like. I have sometimes referred to reading guides when I just don't understand the hype surrounding a book or I wanted to throw it against the wall. Reading guides are not meant to be "gotcha" questions or remove the feeling of escaping into a story away from you. They often lead you into a back story or perspective that further envelopes you into the story.

So what will your book club be reading next? 

Interested in how Duxbury Free Library can help your book club acquire the books for your group? Take a look at the book club services we offer.

Our Open Book Club meets the second Wednesday of each month at 10:00 am. April 14, 2021 they will be discussing Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. Zoom information can be found on our website event calendar and the book can be picked up in our mini library. Just let them know you would like to check out the Open Book Club book. No reservation necessary.

Enjoy these book club reading recommendations from disparate genres:

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See; cultural, historical fiction, family, tea business

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam : thriller, social issues, love it or hate it book that people want to talk about

An Odyssey, A Father, A Son, and an Epic by Daniel Mendellson; memoir,  family, aging, revisit or newly explore a classic 

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi; historical fiction, mental illness, cultural, family and relationships, social issues