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The Top 40 Book Club Picks of 2019
When it comes to making the perfect book club selection, you can't go wrong by listening to your fellow readers. So we combed through our data to find Goodreads members' 40 most popular book club picks of 2019!
The beloved novel Where the Crawdads Sing was this year's top book club pick among Goodreads members worldwide, while readers keep talking about both of Margaret Atwood's books about the dystopian regime of Gilead: The Handmaid's Tale and its sequel, The Testaments.
Other popular selections prove as varied as the groups reading them and include fiction, nonfiction, mystery, and fantasy. Whatever genre these books fall into, they are all guaranteed to kindle conversation and garner sharp opinions.
i would highly recommend The Cup by Melissa Addey, it is the first book in her Moorish Empire Series and the setting is exotic and the women characters are amazing.
1
Mémoires of Hadrian - by Marguerite Yourcenar
2
The Stranger - by Albert Camus
3
Nicholas Nickleby - by Charles Dickens
The Huntress by Kate Quinn is a compelling read. I found that once started, I could not put it down. The plot is fresh and the author ties up every loose end. My book group loved it.
How is Ocean Vuong's "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" not on here? The guy got the genius grant this year for this body of work.
Not upset. Genuinely curious what the parameters were for ranking these books and what variables were measured for this decision. Some of these didn't even come out in 2019, but much earlier. Makes the title feel misleading.
This book tells a wonderful story with an historically accurate background.
Where is Dark Age. A amazing book it's a Red Riding sequel
I would recommend “Good Things Happen to People You Hate” by Rebecca Fishbein. There is a lot of food for thought in it and it will spark a discussion about millennial life and its ups and downs.
Which book club created this list? I'm curious, it is a very diverse group of books.
Normal people sally Rooney
For me the best book of the year!!
I would recommend The Other Americans by Laila Lalami. My book club have a lively and involved discussion about it.
Ours is a unique book club. We, friends and family from across the country, meet only once a year at a week-long retreat. This past week, we discussed Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Kathryn Boo. A non-fiction account of life and death in a Mumbai slum. The read, while sobering, engendered a lively discussion of the intractability of poverty in the face of economic prosperity, and the universality of these opposing conditions. Highly recommended. jlh
The Blood of Emmett Till by Timothy B. Tyson
Lilac Girls: A Novel by Martha Hall Kelly
Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell
Numbers 1 and 3 are both nonfiction. I recommend all three.
I highly recommend 1. The Guest Book Sarah Blake 2.Cilka’s Journey Heather Morris 3. The Last Mrs Parrish Great Reading for a Book club
Two books that sparked lots of in-depth discussion this year in our book club were Wiley Cash’s A LAND MORE KIND THAN HOME, and BEING MORTAL by Atul Gawunde. I also highly recommend MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE by Lori Gottlieb.
The Tender Land
Mistress of the Ritz
The results are very accurate above. I read 5 of the top 6 books in book clubs at my local library.
I would recommend the trilogy which starts with The Bear & the Nightingale. Great characters, beautifully written, rich with information on Russian folktales, & a brave, resourceful heroine who doesn’t require anyone else to save her.
For a galloping good read, try NEED TO KNOW by Karen Cleveland. A mother and Analyst checking another country comes across a family member on p12. Does she turn the person in or become a traitor. Her family is involved and I had an emotional roller coaster of a read!
My favorite book that I read in 2019 is: "Stone Mothers" by Erin Kelly. It has so many elements which could have thrown it off track, but it manages to pull all the threads together while maintaining suspense and excellent plotting as it weaves an incredible labyrinth between different time periods, narrators and viewpoints. It is an absolute masterpiece!
My favorite book of the year was Eleanor Oliphant Is Perfectly Fine! Eleanor’s quirky character was so well developed that I felt like I had actually met her! Great book!
BECOMING MRS. LEWIS by Patti Callahan Henry
I would have to say Miracle Creek. As soon as I finished reading it I was pushing it into my family and friends hands. It has a lot to discuss and great material for differing points of view and opinions.
Elizabeth wrote: "How is Ocean Vuong's "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" not on here? The guy got the genius grant this year for this body of work.
Not upset. Genuinely curious what the parameters were for ranking..."
The title of this post is literally that it's top book club picks of this year. Meaning that lots of people chose to read these books with their book clubs during 2019. It's not a best books list.
My book groups both really liked This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel.
I feel sorry for this book club. Some of the picks are REALLY bad. Looking at you Once Upon a River and Lock Every Door
I thought that The Dutch House and The Gentleman From Moscow, and the 2 books by Celeste Ng were excellent books, but I would also like to recommend The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry, Warlight by Michael Ondatche, and Paris in the Present Sense by Mark Halprin. Nancy B.
Of course I loved Before We Were Yours! I have read six of these books. A big surprise was Killers of the Flower Moon. About the travesty of Osage County, Oklahoma’s American Indians who lived on land where oil was found! And the beginning of the FBI which was called in to solve the mystery.
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. Phenomenal book club read.
"Once Upon A River" by Diane Setterfield is a really fun book. I think it would bring great book club conversation.
Cathy wrote: "The Nickel Boys"
I agree.
Thank you for the fabulous ideas. I am just starring a book club so you have all inspired me with lots of books I have yet to read or listen to!
Clover Blue (Eldonna Edwards) and
One Good Mama Bone (Brenda McClain)
Washington Black was my top read for 2019. Astonishing and compelling!
I highly recommend "The Dearly Beloved" by Cara Wall. It's a fascinating look at two couples in NYC who are trying to figure out their place in both their marriages and in the world. It's a quiet read but a lot happens.
TELL ME HOW LONG THE TRAIN HAS BEEN GONE? BY JAMES BALWIN.
I will highly recommend "The Wife Between Us"
would recommend "where the crawdads sing"
I highly recommend The Priory of the Orange Tree. It is a queer, feminist, high fantasy epic, filled with magic, dragons, and fantasy politics.
I’ve read 8 of these. Daisy Jones & the Six was my favorite. Wilder Girls was my least favorite (of the year, possibly. Definitely of this list that I had read).
Our book club read Pride & Prejudice recently and I would recommend it. Additionally, Watership Down would make an excellent book club choice :)
The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara
My favorite book of the year and my top recommendation for book groups is Cara Wall's THE DEARLY DEPARTED. Some readers have asked if it leans heavily on faith issues, and while it does to a certain extent, it addresses various sides of what people believe. It's also perfect for anyone looking for a book that involves marriage, friendship, and family dynamics.
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The beloved novel Where the Crawdads Sing was this year's top book club pick among Goodreads members worldwide, while readers keep talking about both of Margaret Atwood's books about the dystopian regime of Gilead: The Handmaid's Tale and its sequel, The Testaments.
Other popular selections prove as varied as the groups reading them and include fiction, nonfiction, mystery, and fantasy. Whatever genre these books fall into, they are all guaranteed to kindle conversation and garner sharp opinions.
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What book would you recommend as a great book club pick? Tell us in the comments!
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Check out more recent articles:
October's Most Anticipated New Books
The Best Horror Novelists (Who Happen to be Female)
Comedian (and New Author) Ali Wong Talks Writing and Reading
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Lana
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Dec 17, 2019 04:10AM
i would highly recommend The Cup by Melissa Addey, it is the first book in her Moorish Empire Series and the setting is exotic and the women characters are amazing.
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1Mémoires of Hadrian - by Marguerite Yourcenar
2
The Stranger - by Albert Camus
3
Nicholas Nickleby - by Charles Dickens
The Huntress by Kate Quinn is a compelling read. I found that once started, I could not put it down. The plot is fresh and the author ties up every loose end. My book group loved it.
How is Ocean Vuong's "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" not on here? The guy got the genius grant this year for this body of work. Not upset. Genuinely curious what the parameters were for ranking these books and what variables were measured for this decision. Some of these didn't even come out in 2019, but much earlier. Makes the title feel misleading.
This book tells a wonderful story with an historically accurate background.
Where is Dark Age. A amazing book it's a Red Riding sequel
I would recommend “Good Things Happen to People You Hate” by Rebecca Fishbein. There is a lot of food for thought in it and it will spark a discussion about millennial life and its ups and downs.
Which book club created this list? I'm curious, it is a very diverse group of books.
Normal people sally Rooney For me the best book of the year!!
I would recommend The Other Americans by Laila Lalami. My book club have a lively and involved discussion about it.
Ours is a unique book club. We, friends and family from across the country, meet only once a year at a week-long retreat. This past week, we discussed Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Kathryn Boo. A non-fiction account of life and death in a Mumbai slum. The read, while sobering, engendered a lively discussion of the intractability of poverty in the face of economic prosperity, and the universality of these opposing conditions. Highly recommended. jlh
The Blood of Emmett Till by Timothy B. TysonLilac Girls: A Novel by Martha Hall Kelly
Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell
Numbers 1 and 3 are both nonfiction. I recommend all three.
I highly recommend 1. The Guest Book Sarah Blake 2.Cilka’s Journey Heather Morris 3. The Last Mrs Parrish Great Reading for a Book club
Two books that sparked lots of in-depth discussion this year in our book club were Wiley Cash’s A LAND MORE KIND THAN HOME, and BEING MORTAL by Atul Gawunde. I also highly recommend MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE by Lori Gottlieb.
The Tender LandMistress of the Ritz
The results are very accurate above. I read 5 of the top 6 books in book clubs at my local library.
I would recommend the trilogy which starts with The Bear & the Nightingale. Great characters, beautifully written, rich with information on Russian folktales, & a brave, resourceful heroine who doesn’t require anyone else to save her.
For a galloping good read, try NEED TO KNOW by Karen Cleveland. A mother and Analyst checking another country comes across a family member on p12. Does she turn the person in or become a traitor. Her family is involved and I had an emotional roller coaster of a read!
My favorite book that I read in 2019 is: "Stone Mothers" by Erin Kelly. It has so many elements which could have thrown it off track, but it manages to pull all the threads together while maintaining suspense and excellent plotting as it weaves an incredible labyrinth between different time periods, narrators and viewpoints. It is an absolute masterpiece!
My favorite book of the year was Eleanor Oliphant Is Perfectly Fine! Eleanor’s quirky character was so well developed that I felt like I had actually met her! Great book!
BECOMING MRS. LEWIS by Patti Callahan Henry
I would have to say Miracle Creek. As soon as I finished reading it I was pushing it into my family and friends hands. It has a lot to discuss and great material for differing points of view and opinions.
Elizabeth wrote: "How is Ocean Vuong's "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" not on here? The guy got the genius grant this year for this body of work. Not upset. Genuinely curious what the parameters were for ranking..."
The title of this post is literally that it's top book club picks of this year. Meaning that lots of people chose to read these books with their book clubs during 2019. It's not a best books list.
My book groups both really liked This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel.
I feel sorry for this book club. Some of the picks are REALLY bad. Looking at you Once Upon a River and Lock Every Door
I thought that The Dutch House and The Gentleman From Moscow, and the 2 books by Celeste Ng were excellent books, but I would also like to recommend The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry, Warlight by Michael Ondatche, and Paris in the Present Sense by Mark Halprin. Nancy B.
Of course I loved Before We Were Yours! I have read six of these books. A big surprise was Killers of the Flower Moon. About the travesty of Osage County, Oklahoma’s American Indians who lived on land where oil was found! And the beginning of the FBI which was called in to solve the mystery.
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. Phenomenal book club read.
"Once Upon A River" by Diane Setterfield is a really fun book. I think it would bring great book club conversation.
Cathy wrote: "The Nickel Boys"I agree.
Thank you for the fabulous ideas. I am just starring a book club so you have all inspired me with lots of books I have yet to read or listen to!
Clover Blue (Eldonna Edwards) andOne Good Mama Bone (Brenda McClain)
Washington Black was my top read for 2019. Astonishing and compelling!
I highly recommend "The Dearly Beloved" by Cara Wall. It's a fascinating look at two couples in NYC who are trying to figure out their place in both their marriages and in the world. It's a quiet read but a lot happens.
TELL ME HOW LONG THE TRAIN HAS BEEN GONE? BY JAMES BALWIN.
I will highly recommend "The Wife Between Us"
would recommend "where the crawdads sing"
I highly recommend The Priory of the Orange Tree. It is a queer, feminist, high fantasy epic, filled with magic, dragons, and fantasy politics.
I’ve read 8 of these. Daisy Jones & the Six was my favorite. Wilder Girls was my least favorite (of the year, possibly. Definitely of this list that I had read). Our book club read Pride & Prejudice recently and I would recommend it. Additionally, Watership Down would make an excellent book club choice :)
The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara
My favorite book of the year and my top recommendation for book groups is Cara Wall's THE DEARLY DEPARTED. Some readers have asked if it leans heavily on faith issues, and while it does to a certain extent, it addresses various sides of what people believe. It's also perfect for anyone looking for a book that involves marriage, friendship, and family dynamics.
