Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes War, Family, Colonialism, Mothers, Gender Identity
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Survival Fiction, Military & War, Asian Literature, World History
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 Storm We Made
The Story of Arthur Truluv
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
The Storyteller's Secret
The Street
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
The Submission
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*CK
The Swans of Fifth Avenue
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane
The Tender Bar
The Tennis Partner
The Things We Cannot Say
The Thirteenth Tale
The Tiger's Wife
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Tobacco Wives
The Tortilla Curtain
The Transit of Venus
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes War, Family, Colonialism, Mothers, Gender Identity
Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Survival Fiction, Military & War, Asian Literature, World History
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Grief, Love, Memory, Mental Health, Aging, Death, Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
The Story of Arthur Truluv is a 2017 novel by Elizabeth Berg that revolves around the stories of three unlikely companions: Arthur Moses, an elderly widower who finds solace in visiting his wife’s grave, Maddy Harris, a troubled teenager who feels out of place in her own life, and Lucille Howard, Arthur’s elderly neighbor grappling with her own loneliness. The novel is narrated in the third person omniscient point of view. These three unlikely friends... Read The Story of Arthur Truluv Summary
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Loyalty & Betrayal, Fate
Tags Coming of Age, Animals, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (2008), American author David Wroblewski’s family epic set in 1970s rural Wisconsin, fuses elements of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet with the story of a gifted boy named Edgar who is mute. Initial critical reaction celebrated the reach of its intricate plot, its massive cast of characters, the audacity of its retelling of Hamlet, and its investigation into the dark dynamics of a dysfunctional family, particularly the complex relationship between feuding brothers.Plot... Read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Colonialism, Social Class, Friendship, Community, Literature, Mothers, Love, Marriage
Tags Realistic Fiction, Indian Literature, Asian History, Gender & Feminism, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance, Arts & Culture
Publication year 1946
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Classic Fiction, Race & Racism, American Literature, World History, Historical Fiction
The Street, written by Ann Petry and published in 1946, follows Lutie Johnson, a single mother of a young boy named Bub, who moves into a new apartment in Harlem during the 1940s. Despite the squalid conditions of the apartment, and the strange and even threatening behavior of the building’s superintendent, Jones, Lutie takes the apartment because she knows she has few other options within her price range. She tells herself it will only be... Read The Street Summary
Publication year 1962
Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction
Themes Science & Technology, Community, Order & Chaos
Tags Science & Nature, Education, Education, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Philosophy, World History, Sociology
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) by Thomas Kuhn stands as a seminal work that revolutionized the philosophy of science. As a scholar who shifted his focus from physics to the history of science, and later to the philosophy of science, Kuhn challenged prevailing notions about the nature of scientific progress, introducing concepts such as paradigms, normal science, and scientific revolutions. Situated at the nexus of science, history, and philosophy, Kuhn’s work upended the view... Read The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Summary
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Psychological Fiction, 9/11, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Religion & Spirituality
The Submission is a novel written by Amy Waldman and published in 2011. The novel takes place in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy. A jury has been tasked with judging the blind entries for a 9/11 memorial. When it’s revealed that the designer of the winning submission is Muslim, it sparks a public controversy.The memorial jury is composed of Paul Rubin, the chair; Ariana Montagu, an artist; Claire Burwell, a representative of the families... Read The Submission Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Apathy, Fear, Fate, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Self Discovery, Death, Economics, Nation, Politics & Government
Tags Self-Improvement, Psychology, Philosophy, Business & Economics, Humor, Grief & Death, Psychology, Philosophy, Mental Illness
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Friendship, Loyalty & Betrayal, Fame, Loneliness, Beauty, Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, World History
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Holocaust, World War II, Military & War, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance
The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a historical novel by New Zealand author Heather Morris. Published in 2018, the narrative retells the true story of Lale Sokolov (born Ludwig Eisenberg), a Slovakian Jew and Holocaust survivor. The novel centers on the love between Lale and Gita, a young woman he meets while tattooing prisoners. Lale is the titular tattooist, forever marking his fellow Jews and other prisoners with the numbers that replace their identities in the... Read The Tattooist of Auschwitz Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Mothers, Daughters & Sons
Tags Asian Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Chinese Literature, Arts & Culture
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane is a novel by contemporary American writer Lisa See. See is one-eighth Chinese, and most of her books feature Chinese history and traditions. First published in 2017, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane centers around the story of a young girl named Li-yan, who lives with her family in remote tea mountains of China. In their everyday life, her village relies on rituals, belief, and taboos, and they are... Read The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane Summary
Publication year 2005
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Coming of Age, Masculinity, Fathers
Tags Relationships, Social Class, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Biography
J. R. Moehringer’s The Tender Bar (2005) is a sweeping memoir that brings the reader on a journey from his earliest childhood memories to his young adulthood. The bar in question, Publicans (previously known as Dickens), played an enormous role in the author’s childhood by introducing him to an array of men who helped fill the void left by his absent father. Moehringer paints a vivid picture of his childhood home in Manhasset, his colorful... Read The Tender Bar Summary
Publication year 1998
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Friendship, Mental Health, Grief, Loneliness
Tags Health, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Sports, Mental Illness, Biography
The Tennis Partner: A Story of Friendship and Loss (1998) is a memoir by physician Abraham Verghese. It follows his friendship with David Smith, a medical student recovering from drug addiction, and the regular games of tennis that lie at the heart of their relationship. The book explores the themes The Disease of Addiction, The Power of Ritual, and Navigating Loneliness and Conflict in Relationships.Verghese is a physician, professor, and best-selling author. His first book... Read The Tennis Partner Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Love, Family, Coming of Age
Tags Historical Fiction, Parenting, Military & War, European History, World War II, Holocaust, World History, Romance
Publication year 2006
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Truth & Lies, Order & Chaos, Literature, Siblings, Mothers, Appearance & Reality, Grief, Death, Memory
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Gothic Literature, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, World History, Fantasy
The Thirteenth Tale, written by Diane Setterfield, was published in 2006 by Emily Bestler Books/Washington Square Press. The book rose to #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list just one week after publication and won the Quill Award for debut author of the year. Before publishing this first book, Setterfield was an academic, specializing in 20th-century French literature. Since the publication of her first book, Setterfield has published two further books, Bellman &... Read The Thirteenth Tale Summary
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Animals, Military & War, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy
Set in an imaginary modern-day Balkan country, Téa Obreht’s The Tiger’s Wife chronicles the effects of prejudice, isolation, and war on both a personal and universal scale. Obreht’s characters struggle to survive and live meaningful lives under the shadow of a lengthy war and its aftermath.Natalia Stefanović, a young female doctor and the narrator of the novel, learns that her beloved grandfather has died far from home on his way to visit her. Her investigation... Read The Tiger's Wife Summary
Publication year 2003
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fate, Love
Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Relationships, Love & Sexuality, Postmodernism, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism
The Time Traveler’s Wife is a novel by Audrey Niffenegger published in 2003. It tells the love story of Clare Abshire and Henry DeTamble, revealed through their alternating perspectives in which each character is the first-person narrator. Henry was born as a with a condition that allows him to travel in time, though when and where in time he travels is out of his control.Using a non-linear plot structure, Niffenegger explores a range of themes... Read The Time Traveler's Wife Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Gender Identity, Social Class
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Southern Literature, World History
Publication year 1995
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Immigration, Social Class, Environment, Justice
Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Satirical Literature, Dramatic Literature, Race & Racism, Immigration & Refugeeism, American Literature
Published in 1995, The Tortilla Curtain by T. C. Boyle tells the story of two couples living parallel lives in Southern California: Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher, affluent white Americans with a home in the upper-middle-class subdivision of Arroyo Blanco; and Cándido and América Rincón, undocumented immigrants from Mexico living in a makeshift camp at the bottom of the canyon. Rotating among the perspectives of the four protagonists, the novel explores the inequality inherent in the United States... Read The Tortilla Curtain Summary
Publication year 1980
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Colonialism, Masculinity, Love
Tags Historical Fiction, Gender & Feminism, European History, Immigration & Refugeeism, Post-War Era, Women`s Studies, World History, Classic Fiction
Shirley Hazzard (1931-2016) was an Australian novelist and United Nations worker who settled in the United States. The Transit of Venus (1980) is Hazzard’s third novel and the winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. It draws upon Hazzard’s own experiences of an Australian childhood, emigrating abroad, and being part of the first generation of working women. Critics responded to the juxtaposition of intimate, personal narratives with a broader examination of what... Read The Transit of Venus Summary