Thanks to Emma Watson, book clubs are super cool again. But your book club can still fall into a rut once in a while. If you’re struggling to make inspired choices, definitely don’t stick with those YA books or motivational best sellers that everyone is reading. Instead choose a unique theme for your bookworm gang. If your pals are foodies, avid movie-goers or just want to catch up on the best of the best, there’s a book club for you. Here are five awesome book club theme suggestions for you and your crew along with a killer read to kick off each one.
1. Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat by Chrissy Teigen ($18): When most of us buy a cookbook, we browse through and use a few recipes from time to time. But in the cookbook club you should read the whole book, including the intro and all the stories that are usually sprinkled within the pages. Start off with something fun and not too challenging like this new cookbook from Chrissy Teigen.
You’ll crave all the foods in her book and you’ll definitely want to chill in the kitchen with Chrissy (while her hubby serenades the two of you). When your club meets, each member should tackle a different recipe — like the Vegetable Tortilla Stew, Spaghetti Cacio E Pepe or Fried Chicken Wings with Spicy Honey Butter — and bring their dish to the club gathering. Think of it as a very focused and delicious potluck!
Other recommendations:Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck or a classic like Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child.
Biography Book Club
2. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow ($13): The truth is often stranger (and far more fascinating) than fiction. Dive into a history of a notable person by selecting a monthly biography for your book club. If you and your pals find yourself singing “The Schuyler Sisters” or “The Story of Tonight” throughout the day, then that’s a pretty big sign that you should start off with Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. You’ll learn more about the founding father and his totally crazy life. Plus you’ll be ready to hit Hamilton with some fun facts (if you manage to snag those tickets)!
Other recommendations:Hard Choices by Hilary Rodham Clinton or the brand new Diane Arbus: Portrait of a Photographer by Arthur Lubow.
Magazine Book Club
3.The Gentlewoman ($22): Instead of flipping through a magazine and then tossing it in the recycling bin, actually take the time to read one cover to cover with your crew. Not all magazines work for a club selection, but a meaty mag like the UK’s The Gentlewoman makes for a good pick. The biannual magazine “celebrates modern women of style and purpose.” Their Spring/Summer issue – with Kirsten Dunst on the cover — includes articles on Scottish political prodigy Mhairi Black, the fastest British woman of all time Dina Asher-Smith, art-world powerhouse Manuela Wirth, a superstar robotics engineer Cynthia Breazeal and funny girl Whitney Cummings.
Other recommendations:Harper’s, Kinfolk or Lucky Peach.
Top 100 Books Ever Written Book Book Club
4. Ulysses by James Joyce ($31): Do you glance over one of those “Best 100 Books Ever Written” lists and feel like a total loser because you’ve only read a handful? If you and your friends are feeling the pangs of fine-literature FOMO, then this is the book club for you.
There are many different lists to choose from, but we suggest the New York Times’ Modern Library Top 100. Work your way down the list in chronological order, which means (for this particular list) you’d be delving into the dense masterpiece Ulysses by James Joyce first. It may not be light reading, but you’ll get a great sense of accomplishment and some pretty sweet bragging rights when you’re done.
Other recommendations: Two more in the top five, which are The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald and Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.
Book And A Movie Club
5. The Queen of Katwe: One Girl’s Triumphant Path to Becoming a Chess Champion by Tim Crothers ($13): It’s always oddly delightful to compare a book to the film made from it. Sometimes the transition from page to screen is riveting, but other times it falls oh-so-flat. Reading the book before seeing the movie takes some coordination so your crew will need to plan ahead. If you’re aiming for a Fall 2016 meeting, have everyone read Tim Crothers’ Queen of Katwe, and then get the gang together to see the film of the same name (starring the impeccable Lupita Nyong’o) when it comes out on September 23. Your can grab drinks after the movie and dish on the differences.
Other recommendations:The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (movie release September 2) or Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (September 30)
What’s the best novel your book club has ever read? Tweet us @BritandCo and let us know!
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