12 book club book recommendations
a mix of highbrow and lowbrow, for every kind of book club*
Friends often ask me for book recommendations for their book club. I usually answer by saying, “it depends on your book club.” Are they full of highbrow book nerds, or conservative readers, or people who are too time-poor to read but come for the wine and cheese?
In my experience, some book clubbers would rather be reading a magazine by the pool, while others hanker for a big Russian door-stopper and a stimulating discussion. And there’s always that one person who only reads hard-hitting non-fiction.
Our Adelaide book club has read pretty much everything, from Midnight’s Children to Fifty Shades of Grey (neither of which I could finish), but beware the racy novel suggestions: we lost a few members after innocently following a work colleague’s recommendation to read The Bride Stripped Bare. My old London book club had a rule that the book had to be under 500 pages, which is good for busy people (= pretty much everyone!).
Next, I refer them to The Book Club Review podcast, in which Kate, Laura and special guests review a book and ask: is it a good book club book? It’s a delightful quest for ‘the books that get people talking’.
My recommendations are below, assuming your book club members have limited time but want a challenging read - with some fun, lighter alternatives just in case!
ALL FOURS by Miranda July
A semi-famous artist plans a road trip from LA to New York in this novel about menopause, marriage, art and sexuality. Provocative and much discussed, I liked the on-point writing and humour but didn’t love the far-fetched and self-indulgent parts. It’s graphic: Anna James described it as ‘squelchy’ in this great Women’s Prize winner prediction video with Eric Karl Anderson. The menopause side did not much interest me but is resonating with many. Frank and intelligent, a good book club pick.
An alternative: if July’s writing is too explicit, DEPT OF SPECULATION by Jenny Offill. A portrait of a marriage, it has the disenchantment, unflinching honesty and dark humour without the wild ride into an artist’s brain. A short gem.
STONE YARD DEVOTIONAL by Charlotte Wood
Short-listed for the 2024 Booker Prize, this tells the story of a woman who goes to a remote nun’s retreat to be alone. The writing is thoughtful with Wood’s dry sense of humour. Her characters are always strong and interesting and her books are women-led. She somehow makes this a compelling story even though it’s filled with things I don’t want to read about: an isolated setting, arid landscape and a mouse plague. A slow burn, it’s very Australian and gets under your skin.
An alternative: if you want something pacier, THE WEEKEND by Charlotte Wood would be the gateway novel: it has her clarity and spare prose but is more accessible with engaging characters.
EUROTRASH by Christian Kracht translated by Daniel Bowles
I mentioned this in my post on books about rich people behaving badly. The main character, Christian, takes his wonderfully acerbic mother on a trip around Switzerland. The writing is crisp and erudite and the tone is idiosyncratic - it won’t appeal to everyone - perfect for book clubs! Kracht is privileged and cynical but I liked the dark humour and the questions it raises about his family’s shady history and his mother’s mental illness. Some may find him glib about her condition but I thought there was an ache behind the dark comedy. Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025.
An alternative: if you want something slightly lighter with an eccentric mother: FRENCH EXIT by Patrick deWitt. Or for a funny family road trip which explores a decline in wealth and the gap between one parent’s dream life and the reality, THE WANGS VS THE WORLD by Jade Chang.
ORBITAL by Samantha Harvey
I have yet to read this 2024 Booker Prize winner but a number of friends have mentioned it to me, which is the sign of a good book club book. Six astronauts rotate in the International Space Station. They are there to do vital work but they begin to wonder, what is life without Earth? They consider the fragility of human life as they watch the blue planet. At only 144 pages long, this is good for time-poor book clubbers!
An alternative: if you want a gossipy book about space and astronauts with added romance, the always compulsive Taylor Jenkins Reid has just released her new novel, ATMOSPHERE, ‘tipped to be this summer’s biggest read’ (The Sunday Times).
MEMORIAL DAYS by Geraldine Brooks
A grief memoir by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of HORSE, about her husband Tony Horwitz who died suddenly of heart disease. It’s a beautiful portrait of their marriage and Brooks’ account of the aftermath of his death. I’m not drawn to grief memoirs, but her session at Adelaide Writers’ Week was popular and our book club found the book honest and comforting. It definitely got us talking!
An alternative: if you want a snappier memoir addressing grief, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY by David Sedaris. If you enjoy Sedaris’ humour you’ll love these essays about the recent death of his father and upheavals in America. Or if you prefer fictional grief (with a dog), try THE FRIEND by Sigrid Nunez. Both are easy reads with enough layers and issues to make for a good discussion.
Are you in a book club(s)? I’d love to hear some of your recommendations and the books that have generated lively debates.
*well, not every kind - there are book clubs dedicated to crime, classics, romance and science-fiction - the variations and specialisations are endless! I’m here for it.