Finding the best book club book can be tough since most book clubs have people with differing tastes. Plus, you want to make sure it’s a book people will have strong feelings about so there’s stuff to discuss.
In my experience (unless you’re in a book club with specialized tastes), a good book club book generally needs to be at least somewhat accessible, have some positive buzz (no one wants to read a book everyone says is garbage), and has to strike a good balance between having an eventful plot but also digging into some interesting issues everyone can get excited about discussing. It also helps if the authors are well-known. There’s definitely exceptions to this, but that’s typically my strategy if I’m trying to come up with books to suggest for a group read.
But anyway, without further ado, these are my picks for the best books to read with your book club for 2019!
(P.S. Also see the Best Book Club Books for 2020)
What It's About: An Anonymous Girl (January 2019) is the newest release from writing team Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. Their first book The Wife Between Us wasn't perfect but had some fun twists. I would definitely limit this recommendation to only groups of mystery/thriller lovers, but I'm guessing their follow-up will be similar -- a quick, fun read if your group likes psychological thrillers.
This one is about a girl who agrees to participate in a psychological study on ethics and morality. Soon, it's not clear what's real and what's part of the test...
See the Full Summary and Review of An Anonymous Girl Publication Date: January 8, 2019
What It's About: I hemmed and hawed a little about including this one, The Huntress (released February) by Kate Quinn (author of The Alice Network). It's gotten great reviews, but it's also a very hefty historical fiction novel about two people who join forces in order to track down a Nazi war criminal.
I think this book might intimidate some more casual readers, but it's actually a fun and fast-moving story, and it's one that I really enjoyed.
See the Full Summary and Review of The Huntress Publication Date: February 26, 2019
What It's About: Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Reid Jenkins (released March 5, Riverhead / Penguin Random House) tells the story of the rise and fall of a fictional 70’s rock and roll band. It's got a VH1's Behind the Music feel to it since it's told as an "oral history" from a pastiche of perspectives, and it’s a fun and accessible book.
A lot of people are really loving it, though some of the reviews are a bit more mixed. I'm at about the half-way point of reading this right now, so I'm sure that review will be up soon! I'm withholding my judgement on it until then.
Update: I didn't love it, but I'm very much in the minority on this one, so I'm leaving it on this list. I think people who are more interested in the romance between the two leads will enjoy it more!
See the Full Summary and Review of Daisy Jones & the Six Publication Date: March 5, 2019
What It's About: The Bride Test (released May 7) by Helen Hoang is a great pick for book clubs whose members also enjoy a little romance. Her previous novel The Kiss Quotient was such a crowd-pleaser, and early reviews for The Bride Test have been promising as well.
Esme, a mixed-race girl, falls for an autistic man who is convinced that he is incapable of feeling love. But his mother and Esme have other plans...
Publication Date: May 7, 2019
What It's About: Exhalation (released May 7) by Ted Chiang is a collection of short stories that's great for people who love science fiction.
"In The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate, a portal through time forces a fabric seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past mistakes and second chances. In Exhalation, an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications that are literally universal. In Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom, the ability to glimpse into alternate universes necessitates a radically new examination of the concepts of choice and free will."
Publication Date: May 7, 2019
What It's About: Ask Again, Yes (released May 28) by Mary Beth Keane is a understated but sincere and insightful story about love, forgiveness and the bonds that tie people together. This is a great book for book clubs that like deeply personal family dramas about the intricacies of interpersonal relationships.
Book Blurb: "A profoundly moving novel about two neighboring families in a suburban town, the friendship between their children, a tragedy that reverberates over four decades, the daily intimacies of marriage, and the power of forgiveness."
I really enjoyed this book, and there's so much to talk about. I would imagine a good book club discussion of it would probably venture into very personal territory though, so it might be better for book clubs with friends who know each other rather than strangers.
See the Full Summary and Review of Ask Again, Yes Publication Date: May 28, 2019
What It's About: Recursion by Blake Crouch was released on June 10. It’s a plot-driven "thriller about time, identity, and memory." Something called "False Identity Syndrome" has started afflicting the memories of its victims, and a New York cop must battle to discover the truth and defeat it.
I don't normally read sci-fi thrillers, but I really enjoyed this book. Recursion is plot heavy, but it's a interesting and surprisingly coherent plot considering its dealing with bending the rules of time and memory. It’s an action-packed and exciting ride, but has a few good discussion opportunities as well.
See the Full Summary and Review of Recurison Publication Date: June 11, 2019
What It's About: Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat Pray Love fame is back again, this time with a work of fiction called City of Girls (expected June 4, 2019). It's got adventure, sex and glamour, so there's a good chance it'll be a crowdpleaser. It's about a woman who's older and recalling her life experiences over the years, starting from her childhood in the 1920's and going from there.
I think this one will be a popular book club pick. I found it a little long-winded, but it did a great job of evoking the feeling and atmosphere of the 1920s.
See the Full Summary and Review of City of Girls Publication Date: June 4, 2019
What It's About: Fans of Jennifer Weiner may be interested in Mrs. Everything, to be released June 11. The plot is similar to City of Girls, there's two sisters charting their journey from the 1950's until the present. It's a book about women's roles and how they've changed over time.
Part chick-lit and part literary, Mrs. Everything is sure to show off Weiner's ability to craft great female relationships in a fun, accessible novel.
Publication Date: June 11, 2019
What It's About: I'm sure most people came across Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize winning Underground Railroad as some point. His next book, The Nickel Boys (June 3, 2019), has been getting great buzz as well.
Early reviews are very positive, and the book is a slim 224 pages. The Nickel Boys delves back into the topic of race, this time through two boys in Jim Crow Era-Florida. I know I'm definitely going to be reading this.
Update: I read it, and my guess is that The Nickel Boys is definitely going to end up on all the best books of 2019 lists.
See the Full Summary and Review of The Nickel Boys Publication Date: July 16, 2019
What It's About: Lock Every Door is probably my favorite mystery-thriller of 2019 so far. It's about a woman who gets offered the job of apartment-sitting at an upscale building with a storied and enigmatic history. It's a job that sounds just a little too good to be true...See the Full Summary and Review of Lock Every Door Publication Date: July 2, 2019
What It's About: If you're up for some more serious fare, Ta-Nehisi Coates has a new book coming out, The Water Dancer, in September.
Unlike many of his previous works, this is a work of fiction. It's about a boy who is born into slavery, but who possesses a mysterious power. Hiram has a brush with death that compels him to change his circumstances, but he'll need to master his gift if he wants to find a way to escape the life he was born into.
See the Full Summary and Review of The Water Dancer Publication Date: September 24, 2019
What It's About: Margaret Atwood's sequel to her famed Handmaid's Tale will be hitting the shelves in September. The Testaments will undoubtedly be very widely read when it arrives. Atwood has offered scant information about it, though the description notes that it picks up 15 years after the end of the original.
Atwood's message about it: "Dear Readers: Everything you've ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we've been living in.
See the Full Summary and Review of The Testaments Publication Date: September 10, 2019
What It's About: At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves...See the Full Summary and Review of The Dutch House Publication Date: September 24, 2019
What It's About: For a mix of romance, friendship and historical drama, The Giver of Stars is an accessible book by Jojo Moyes that's sure to please book clubs looking for books about interesting female characters. The (very) short description of this is that it's a story set in the 1930s about two Horseback Librarians.Publication Date: October 3, 2019
What It's About: If you haven't heard about this book yet and you're a fan of the Night Circus, I'm guessing you're pretty excited right now. Yup, Erin Morgenstern is back after many years and she has a new book coming out...in November. The Starless Sea, cover yet to be revealed. I know, I'm sorry it's such a long ways off. I have no doubt hordes of people will be reading it, so perhaps your book club can too!
I enjoyed the Night Circus, but not as much as everyone else. That said, I liked it enough that I'm still very curious about what Morgenstern is capable of, so I will most likely be reading this when the time comes. It's about a grad student who finds a mysterious book in the library that leads him into a magical subterranean world...
Publication Date: November 5, 2019
What It's About: The World That We Knew is the latest offering from Alice Hoffman, a mixing of history and myth that's set in WWII-era Germany. I'm not sure if I want to read another WWII book this year, but early reviews of it have been very solid.Publication Date: September 24, 2019
What It's About: When All is Said by Anne Griffin is probably not going to be as well-known as some of the other titles on this list, but if you're looking for a good book that will impress your book club, this could very well be it. It consists of five monologues from a man looking back at his life, all linked by the presence of a stolen, valuable coin.
It's gotten great reviews, and it's been described as a compassionate, touching, melancholy book. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I'm hoping to find some time for it.
Publication Date: March 5, 2019
What It's About: For everyone who loves YA books, On the Come Up by Angie Thomas is her follow-up to the very popular The Hate U Give. I'll be honest, I probably won't read this one, since I generally don't read YA. But it's gotten fantastic reviews, so if your book clubs loves YA novels, this one would be a great pick.
It's about a sixteen-year-old girl who wants to grow up to be a rapper, but has practical concerns in her life to consider as well.
Publication Date: February 5, 2019
What It's About: The Children of Virtue and Vengeance is Tomi Adeyemi's sequel to her very popular novel, The Children of Blood and Bone.
It's a series based in African Mythology which YA book clubs all over will surely enjoy.
Publication Date: December 3, 2019Those are my picks for now! I left off any books that are part of a series, since it’s always iffy as to whether your book club members have read the other books in the series. I’ll be updating this list as reviews roll in and 2019 shakes out!
Update: I removed The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel from the list because its release date was pushed to March 2020. See the cover reveal and book synopsis!
What will you be reading? Are any of these on your must-read list? Subscribe or follow along on Goodreads to find out when new reviews are posted!
Thanks for the list, I’ll be looking into these
Thanks for reading!
I’m curious about The Testaments,it is not going to be easy to follow up The Handmaid’s Tale…
I agree, I’m very curious, but also going to be pretty disappointed if it’s just a retread of what she already covered. That said, Margaret Atwood has been writing fantastic books for a long time (Blind Assassin, The Bloody Chamber, Oryx and Crake — all great) so I’m hopeful it could be really good too!
The Huntress is an amazing book and would have many talking points
Ooo good to know! It does sound really good, which is why I wanted to add it — thanks for your thoughts!
SO excited for ‘The Starless Sea’ and ‘The Testaments’! Love this post.
Thank you! Those two I’m really excited for too, as well as the Nickel Boys. Thanks for dropping by! :)
I will definitely be checking out the new Kate Quinn book! Thankfully my bookclub doesn’t choose books until December for the next year.
Nice! By December you guys will definitely have a ton of good options from the looks of it. Thanks for dropping by!
Yes there are definitely some good ones coming out this year
I completely agree that The Nickels Boys will make a good book club pick. I have read it and it’s gut-wrenching. There would be a lot to discuss especially because it’s based on a real school.
I’m so jealous that you’e gotten to read this already, but glad to hear that you liked it!
Excellent list! I’m definitely putting some of these on my TBR list.
Thank you! Thanks for dropping by and happy reading!
Thanks, you too!
A lot of interesting looking books on this list and a ton of authors I need to catch up on! City of Girls sounds interesting. I’d like to read The Handmaid’s Tale and check our Atwood’s next. I also want to read Quinn (whose first book I already own) and Mandel and Morgenstern. How am I this far behind?!
Great list! Mrs. Everything and The Nickel Boys were both picks for B&N’s Book Club. One of the book clubs I’m in also picked The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Since The Handmaid’s Tale has been several book club picks I am sure her newest book will also make the list.