OK, interesting question to debate: what are the best books for a book club setting? I’m curious to hear your thoughts as I spend a lot of time trying to select our monthly Magpie book club picks, and welcome your input. I’d also love to know how you pick books in your respective in-person book clubs. Do you take turns nominating books? Do you vote? Do you enter submissions and draw from a hat? Do you follow a list somewhere (prize-winners, etc?)? Something else?
My book selections are mainly gut feel after studying the TBR pile I’m constantly curating from miscellaneous sources — friends, bookstagrammers, articles, the contemporary fiction table at my neighborhood independent bookseller — but some of my major considerations are:
a) must be literary enough to sustain substantial analysis and conversation — I love my lighter-fare books, but my hope is to go deep and thoughtful on contemporary literary fiction with this series;
b) must be atmospheric in a certain way that is hard to quantify — one of my favorite parts of putting these posts together is the world-building it invites me into! Playlists, mood boards, collages, recipes! I need something with enough of a universe to draw us all in, and I want the post experience to be immersive.
c) must be buzzy among Magpies — I frequently poll you all to see what you’re reading and loving and then treat those results like a heat map (current top three books Magpies are reading: Buckeye by Patrick Ryan, Strangers by Belle Burden, and Theo of Golden by Allen Levi).
Looking across last year’s book club posts, the ones with the highest volume of comments (a good proxy, I think, for rating the stickiness of the book as a book club pick):
#1: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. (Check the comments – I was surprised and tickled by several of you saying you disliked this book in high school and still dislike it. LOL. I love that bad book girl energy. Also, I always think about this review of the book written by a serious book columnist in which he described Wuthering Heights as “a hot mess” — which, like, it is in certain ways that I find charming. For example, why do 50 characters have permutations of 3 names? Why is it difficult to find the antecedent for certain pronouns at really important scenes? These choices read both brilliant and maddening / mad.)
#2: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. (Will they please make this a movie already?)
#3: Heart the Lover by Lily King. Another book with divisive reception amongst Magpies! Fascinating to me, as I thought this would be a slam dunk among us. (I’m pro-HTL.)
Thinking more anecdotally to my own personal experience participating in real-life book clubs over the years, two books that sustained really interesting conversations and that I would therefore strongly endorse for in-person meetings if you’ve not yet read them:
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. A lot to follow in this startlingly imagistic book (some of its core vignettes still occur to me years later!), and I remember we had the most gorgeous and wide-ranging conversation about it and loss, connection, and what nature teaches us. (My review here.)
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. Really rich conversations around technology, planned obsolescence, our responsibilities and ethic in a world rich with robotics. Interesting to read now with ChatGPT and AI more firmly in-frame. (My review here.)
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. Rich, complex writing about multi-generational trauma. We talked a lot about the characters and their motivations. (My review here.)
Outline by Rachel Cusk. Another book I still think about seven years after reading — the vignettes, the tone, the open planes of it. I remember my sister and I getting into a really long debate over this book (with friends around, who were mildly appalled and then charmed when they realize we often talk heatedly about books and then bounce right back into whatever else we were talking about). But I also remember our friends getting really into the conversation too. A serious, high-fiction type book. (My review here.)
Now, if you really want a wild debate, buckle up and read All Fours by Miranda July (my review here). I have a good friend who texted me out of the blue: “Nothing like getting into fights with friends over All Fours at book club.”
Finally, because how can I not mention these two — three “sure thing” authors for book club settings are Ann Patchett (especially The Dutch House — my review here), Jhumpa Lahiri (especially Interpreter of Maladies), and Barbara Kingsolver (but especially Demon Copperhead — my review here).
Putting all of these into one save-able / screen-shottable list here:
OK, your turn! Which books have been the best fits for your book clubs, and why? And how do you select which books you’ll read?
Post-Scripts.
+The new books I’m excited to read in 2026, and what’s at the top of my TBR pile.
+Which books changed your life?
If you want to be a part of the Magpie Book Club, you can sign up here! My next installment is coming later this month, and will be a review of Nell Stevens’ The Original (plus lots of fun extra content like playlist, mood board, etc).
Shopping Break.
+These poplin pull-on pants are SO good. Love the way they’re styled with a classic boat shoe. These are slightly more approachable, tailored take on Donni’s taffeta pants. (Also 1/3 the price.)
+Charmed by this top – just ordered it!
+Absolutely gorgeous spring dress just dropped. I have this silhouette in another pattern and she is SO good. Love this floral top too.
+UGH the color of these Colby pants! Love the surprising styling with that taupe cardigan.
+Chic and polished shirtdress.
+Boot scootin socks — ha. While you’re there: this chic white blouse!
+Just the cutest vanity chair ever.
+You know I have a soft spot for henleys, and this is a GOOD one. One of those randomly chic things!
+Still on the triangle scarf trend. Love this chocolate brown one, esp. layered over a pink cashmere knit.
+Also love this silky bandana layered over a kiwi green knit!
+Gifts for book lovers (that aren’t books).
+Fun kitchen runner that hints at spring (use code JEN15).
+How darling is this top (and the matching skirt)?
+My book, Small Wonders, is now available for pre-order!
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Best book club I was ever in was genre-specific (romance, but they also ran mystery and sci fi ones), and there were themes rather than specific books most months (pride month, werewolves, Scottish, cowboy, etc). It was wonderful because we all came away with lively discussion (esp. of tropes) and lots of book recs. Plus the library setting and facilitation lent neutrality so there weren’t any difficulties despite some big personalities. Shout out to the Austin public library!!
I belong to monthly book club and we meet in person and have dinner that night and discuss the book that was chosen that month by whoever hosted for that particular month. Just picked up Buckeye for next month and can’t wait to start it. I am cohosting with someone else in April and we’ve already chosen Theo of Golden. I was happy to see you mention these also! Also reading The Correspondant right now! Excellent!
Love this process – that’s the one we did, too. Curious to hear what you think of Buckeye! It feels like your book club has its finger to the pulse!
xx
I am in an in person book club that meets monthly. Everyone take turns hosting, providing dinner and drinks, and that person picks the book to discuss. Sometimes I love the book, sometimes it’s not for me, often I am reading something that I would not have though to read. It is a wide range.. sometimes non-fictions, sometimes essays, fiction as well. So fun. I try to pick a book I recently read on my own that I just loved and want to discuss.
Love this format! And love book clubs in general. Such a happy part of my life for years and years! I’ve recently sort of quietly stepped back because I found I couldn’t keep up with reading the book on top of reading my Magpie book and just letting myself read what I wanted when I wanted to, but reading your note has left me eager to rejoin…
xx
I loved The Women and it was one of my book club picks at work.
I still have not read this one!! Major resume gap for me — thanks for the nudge!
I have run a book club for about 5 years now. We kind of switch it up month by month. I often pick things that I think they would like. Sometimes I have them send in suggestions and we vote on a poll. If someone feels strongly that they found a book we have to read, I let it rip and have them pick for the month. I think by changing up the methods, we are always hitting the high points across the entire group.
Love this strategy – I agree, its fluidity probably enables you to pick a lot of good books versus “defaulting” to something.
xx