In addition to shopping days and girls' nights out, there is something we love to do with our friends: book club. It's the perfect opportunity for anyone who's literary obsessed to break out the book they've been dying to dive into. Bonus points if there are cocktails and cheese boards involved. Here's some of the book clubs we've been obsessing over:
- Reese Witherspoon's Book Club
- Shonda Rhimes' Book Club
- Natalie Portman's Book Club
- Oprah Winfrey's Book Club
- Jenna Bush Hager's Book Club
- Emma Robert's Book Club
- Barnes & Noble Book Club
Keep scrolling for our top book club picks, from new and fun releases to classics that will never get old.
A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
As much as Nora loves books, she doesn't consider herself a heroine. Unless it's for her clients or her little sister Libby, that is. When Libby begs for a sisters' weekend in North Carolina, Nora packs up and heads for Sunshine Falls, much to her sister's excitement. Nora's own excitement in short-lived, however, because she keeps bumping into brooding Charlie. But the more time they spend together, the more they learn how much "don't judge a book by its cover" rings true.
Good Morning, Monster: A Therapist Shares Five Heroic Stories of Emotional Recovery by Catherine Gildiner
Gildiner, who's a therapist, tells the stories of five of her most memorable patients, including a young woman who, during the winter she was nine years old, was abandoned by her father in an isolated cottage, a first-gen Chinese immigrant musician suffering sexual dyfunction, and a workaholic who spent her childhood being greeted with "Good morning, Monster."
To Kill A Mockingbirdby Harper Lee
It's the 1930s in Alabama and Scout lives with her brother Jem and widower father Atticus, who is a lawyer. Scout, Jem, and their friend Dill decide to spend the whole summer trying to get their reclusive neighbor Boo Radley to come out of his house, but everything changes when Tom Robinson, a Black man, is accused of raping a white woman, and Atticus becomes his lawyer.
Anna by Amy Odell
Anna Wintour was a tomboy as a child, but quickly grew into a teen obsessed with fashion when miniskirts and bob haircuts took over 1960s London. This biography, which features interviews with Wintour's closest friends, chronicles her journey from a boutique in London, to the magazine industry of Manhattan, to spearheading Condé Nast.
The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan
When Anthony lost a keepsake from his fiancée forty years ago, the same day that she died, he took it upon himself to rescue lost objects and write stories about them. As Anthony nears the end of his life, he leaves the job — and his home — to his assistant Laura. It doesn't take long after Laura moves in for everything in her life to change.
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
The great thing about reading a play is that everyone in your book club can have a different role! When Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his father, the prince learns that his uncle is the murderer. Hamlet must fight off madness, contemplate life and death, and avoid another murder plot from his uncle.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Monique's life is not going according to plan. Her husband has left, and her professional life is at a standstill. When reclusive Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo specifically requests Monique to write about her life, Monique decides it's the perfect opportunity to kickstart her career. The novel jumps back and forth between modern day and the intoxicating tale of Evelyn's life in show business, the seven husbands along the way, and an unsuspecting forbidden love.
It's one Taylor Jenkins Reid novel we recommend everyone read at least twice!
Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
If you haven't seen the feature film yet (which features a song from Taylor Swift), dive into this tale of love and life before you press play. Rumors about Kya — the "Marsh Girl" — have floated around Barkley Cove for years. When golden boy Chase is found dead, and Kya is the town's number one suspect, everything Kya has done to open herself up to the world is put in jeopardy.
Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
If your book club wants to switch things up and read some poetry, grab this book by NYT bestselling author (and the presidential inaugural poet) Amanda Gorman. The collection explores history, identity, and language by using the global experience of walking through the COVID-19 pandemic together.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
First published in 1892, The Yellow Wallpaper is a told through the narrator's journal entries. Her husband John has rented an old mansion for the summer, and encourages her to eat well, exercise, and spend time outside. However, the windows in their room are barred and a gate keeps her from the stairs. Over time, the narrator suffers from under-stimulation, and the only thing she can focus on is the yellow wallpaper.
Emma by Jane Austen
Emma prides herself on being three things: beautiful, clever, and rich. She sees no need for love or marriage, especially when she considers herself an expert matchmaker for others. When she ignores the advice of her childhood friend Mr. Knightley, an attempt at matchmaking for her new protégée Harriet has serious consequences that affect everyone around her.
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Lily's always worked hard for what she wants in life. After growing up in a small town, she graduated from college and moved to Boston to start her own business. When a night on a rooftop introduces her to Ryle, Lily immediately feels a spark. He starts to fall for Lily too, and even breaks his "no dating" rule the more he gets to know her. But when Lily's path crosses with Atlas, her first love and a tie to her past, her entire life turns upside down. Read it before you see the new adaptation starring Blake Lively!
Nora Ephron: A Biography by Kristin Marguerite Doidge
Explore the successes and failures of this Manhattan-born girl who was intent on forging her own path (and who's also behind our favorite Meg Ryan films). This biography on the essayist-turned-screenwriter-turned film director features interviews with lifelong friends and colleagues like Tom Hanks and Martin Short. Ephron's drive and passion redefined journalism, film, and the modern rom-com.
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Belly's favorite part of the year is summer. Along with her mother and her brother, Belly has spent every year of her life with her mother's best friend Susannah. Jeremiah and Conrad, Susannah's sons, have always thought of her as their dorky friend. Little do any of them know that this wonderful and terrible summer is going to be much, much different.
The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager
Actress Casey is recently widowed and currently trying to escape bad press. She decides to spend time in her family's Vermont lake house, and enjoys watching Tom and Katherine in the house across the lake. Casey becomes friends with Katherine after saving her from drowning, but the more that Casey gets to know the couple, the more she feels like something is wrong. Then Katherine disappears and Casey realizes that nothing is as it seems.
The Summer of Broken Rules by K. L. Walther
After Meredith Fox lost her sister, she shut everyone out. And this summer, she wants to join the world again and the annual Martha's Vineyard vacation feels like the perfect opportunity. Meredith is almost more excited for the annual game of assassin than she is for the big summer wedding she's attending, especially when she forms an alliance with a handsome groomsman.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
Elin Hilderbrand knows how to write charismatic books set in a charming small town like The Hotel Nantucket. After her longtime relationship ends, Lizbet becomes the new manager of the Hotel Nantucket. She makes it her mission to win over the new London billionaire owner Xavier and Instagram darling Shelly. Even though the hotel looks like a paradise from the outside, it's a mess on the inside. Not only are both the staff and the guests hiding secrets, but the hotel is haunted by the ghost of a chambermaid. Lizbet must do everything in her power to keep the hotel from going under.
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
Hannah is confused and afraid, and for good reason: Before her husband Owen disappeared, he smuggled a note to her that just said "Protect her." Hannah knows the note refers to Owen's 16-year-old daughter Bailey, who wants nothing to do with Hannah. But when Owen won't return her calls, and the FBI becomes involved, Hannah realizes that Bailey might just have information on why Owen disappeared in the first place.
Night by Elie Wiesel
Not only is Night an autobiographical account of Wiesel's time as a teenager in the Nazi death camps, but it's also a poignant look at humanity, injustice, and the legacy of the Holocaust that every book club should read.
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This post has been updated.
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