Popular Book Club Picks

Searching for study guides on books selected by some of the nation's top book clubs, curated by Oprah, Reese Witherspoon, the PBS NewsHour, the New York Times, and the American Library Association? Look no further. This collection covers critically-acclaimed classics like Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez to contemporary, buzzworthy novels like Girl, Woman, Other. We hope this compilation of study guides provides your own book club with lively discussion topics and keen insights.

The End We Start From

by Megan Hunter

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Mothers, Perseverance, Femininity, Climate, Friendship

Tags Science Fiction

The End We Start From (2017) is a dystopian novel by British author Megan Hunter. Set in an apocalyptic version of London, the story centers on climate disaster survival and the trauma of navigating pregnancy and motherhood in the wake of a cataclysmic climate event that alters the world as we know it. The story is primarily told from the first-person perspective of an unnamed narrator and written in a lyrical style that swings between... Read The End We Start From Summary

The Ex Hex

by Erin Sterling

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Love, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Fantasy, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Special Occasions, Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

... Read The Ex Hex Summary

The Exiles

by Christina Baker Kline

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Gender Identity, Femininity, Race, Social Class, Colonialism, Loyalty & Betrayal, Equality

Tags Historical Fiction, Gender & Feminism, British Literature, World History

... Read The Exiles Summary

The Family Remains

by Lisa Jewell

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Justice, Siblings, Family, Place, The Past, Mental Health, Memory

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read The Family Remains Summary

The Fifth Season

by N. K. Jemisin

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Gender Identity

Tags Fantasy, Gender & Feminism, Science Fiction, LGBTQ+

The Fifth Season is the first installment of author N. K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy—a “science fantasy” series that blends scientific explanation with the magical or supernatural elements of the fantasy genre. After its publication in 2015, the novel received the 2016 Hugo Award recognizing excellence in science fiction or fantasy writing. Jemisin was the first black woman to win the prize, and went on to break another record when her sequels to The Fifth... Read The Fifth Season Summary

The Forgotten Garden

by Kate Morton

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags British Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance

The Forgotten Garden is the second novel by Australian author Kate Morton. First published in 2008, the book is classified as a historical mystery and won the Australian Book Industry Award for General Fiction in 2009. It later became a New York Times Best Seller. The Forgotten Garden is heavily influenced by the Gothic novel genre and pays homage to The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Events in the story were inspired by the... Read The Forgotten Garden Summary

The Foundling

by Ann Leary

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Friendship, Femininity, Equality

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, World History, Mental Illness

... Read The Foundling Summary

The Frozen River

by Ariel Lawhon

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Birth, Animals, Family, Mothers, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Gender & Feminism

... Read The Frozen River Summary

The Gathering

by Anne Enright

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Memory, Death, Family

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Irish Literature

The Gathering by Anne Enright is a novel about family history, grief, and the ways we learn to live with our pasts. Published in 2007, The Gathering was awarded the prestigious Man Booker Prize. The Gathering is Anne Enright’s fourth novel. Enright is the author of seven novels and is a major figure in contemporary Irish literature. This guide is based on the following 2007 Black Cat edition of The Gathering.Content Warning: This guide summarizes... Read The Gathering Summary

The Girl On The Train

by Paula Hawkins

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Conflict, Fear, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Masculinity, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Marriage

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Trauma & Abuse, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

Paula Hawkins wrote The Girl on the Train over the course of six months in 2014. Hawkins, an Oxford-educated journalist and writer, drew on her experience as a reporter in London to structure the novel and describe its locations. Drawing immediate comparisons to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Girl on the Train had similar performance, debuting at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list in 2015, and remaining there for 13 consecutive weeks... Read The Girl On The Train Summary

The Girls

by Emma Cline

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Psychological Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

... Read The Girls Summary