A year of incredible book club reads

SARATOGA SPRINGS — If you’ve ever hosted a book club and had to choose the book for your group, you know how stressful it can be. Will everyone like the book? Will it fit the personality of the club? Will it encourage meaningful, enjoyable discussion?

Over the past two years, our family book club has enjoyed a lot of great books. This list includes many of those books, plus a few more that I’ve read on my own that are book-club-worthy. With 12 books on the list, you can take the stress out of choosing a book for your club for a whole year.

Watch for links to specific hosting ideas for many of the books on this list. And for tips on how to have a successful book club, read my article, “Tips for a Successful and Fabulous Book Club.”

1. “The Thirteenth Tale” by Diane Setterfield Margaret Lea, a biographer, spends her time writing about other people's lives and helping her father at his antiquarian bookshop. One night she opens a letter from the famous fiction writer, Vida Winter, who has fallen gravely ill and wishes, at last, to tell the true story of her life, something she has kept hidden despite her ample fame. Margaret agrees and soon finds herself lost in the mystery of Vida's troubled past and fighting to reconcile the demons of her own. Set in England, in magnificent estates and mysterious topiary gardens, the story will make you feel like you've gone back in time. For hosting ideas for this book, check out my Studio 5 Book Club Segment.
2. “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” by Aron RalstonAron Ralston, an experienced outdoorsman, is hiking in Southern Utah when a large boulder shifts, falls and pins his right arm to the canyon wall. Suffering hunger, extreme thirst and endless pain, he faces his own mortality. After trying everything to free his arm for nearly a week, Ralston finally decides to amputate it with a dull pocket knife and save his life. The emotional and spiritual insights in this book are rich and touching. Ralston's lifestyle and wilderness stories will inspire meaningful book club discussion. And best of all: It’s all true (nonfiction). For a few ideas on hosting a club for this book, see my post about our club’s experience.
3. “Big in Japan” by Jennifer GriffithFor an incredibly fun book club experience, pick up this brand new book. The premise will blow you away and your group will love talking about Buck and his experiences in Japan. Buck Cooper is a six-foot-six, obese Texan who has spent his life as the butt of everyone’s jokes. All he’s ever wanted is to fit in and find love, but he struggles with both. Then fate takes him to Japan, the land of Sumo. In a country where being big can bring fortune and fame, opportunity finally comes knocking when Buck is thrown into the ring. But life in Sumo is anything but easy and he has to risk everything, even his life, to reach out and tackle the dreams he’s always wanted.
4. “The Book Thief” by Markus ZusakEvery book club should experience this book. There are few books that have the power to change your life, but this is one such book. Set in 1939 Nazi Germany, this extraordinary tale of hope, love, sacrifice and the joy of life's simple pleasures is not the typical World War II book. Liesel Meminger's life is forever changed when, after her dead brother is buried in the frozen ground, she steals "The Grave Digger's Handbook" from the cemetery. The first of many stolen tomes, this book begins a love affair with books and words. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, Liesel learns to read and write, two small things that have the power to save her life. Author Markus Zusak's story is a major achievement. For hosting ideas, look at my Studio 5 Book Club Segment.
5. “The Hot Zone” by Richard PrestonFor a truly unique and slightly terrifying book club experience, read this nonfiction account of a deadly viral outbreak near Washington, D.C. From the remote jungles of Africa, a chilling and deadly predator travels the world to land in America. Scientists, doctors, army officers and others struggle to identify and treat this nasty disease in a disturbing, but incredibly engaging nonfiction story. Richard Preston's writing is sharp, detailed, but also beautiful — the perfect blend for great nonfiction. He handles the science in such a way that it remains sophisticated, but still understandable. Riveting, scary and uncommonly interesting. For hosting ideas, here’s my >Studio 5 Book Club Segment.
6. “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth SteinEnzo is dying. As the hand of age tightens its grip, he looks back on his life with his family, the Swifts. Denny Swift is an up-and-coming race car driver, and racing is everything to him and Enzo until Eve and Zoe come along. At first Enzo doesn’t like the new woman in Denny’s life and is even more uncertain of the baby that comes shortly after. But he will do anything he can to help protect and love them. Because, after all, that is what a loyal dog does. Enzo, though a dog, is a deeply human and compassionate narrator. His and his family’s sorrows and triumphs will make you laugh and cry. This is a compassionate and unforgettable book that your club will rave about it. Content note: Some foul language, including the F-word, and a few mild sex scenes and sexual references.
7. “The Night Circus” by Erin MorgensternErin Morgenstern’s magical, mystical world of a circus that “arrives without warning” and only opens its gates at night is pure perfection. Overflowing with such enchanting things as a garden made entirely of ice, a tent full of bottled memories, fabulous dresses that change color and a wishing tree heavy with candles, this book is a magic lover’s dream come true. Not only is the fantasy divine, but the forbidden love story and mystery completely engaging. One of my most favorite books, this one makes for a perfect fall or Halloween book club.
8. “The Housekeeper’s Son” by Christopher LokeIf your club is looking for a unique read that will spur some serious, deep discussion, then this is the book. When Victor Lee, a young and ambitious journalist, sits on the other side of the glass from Eleanor Ethel Rose at the penitentiary, she is 72 years old and serving her second term for murder. First, it was her own son and now, it’s her employer’s 12-year-old daughter. As Victor questions the engaging old woman, he realizes that not everything in Eleanor’s story is what he expected. Author Christopher Loke has an incredible gift for words and his riveting debut novel is fascinating. Content note: This story deals with several serious issues like murder, child abuse, incest, suicide and homosexuality. Although none of these are described in detail and are handled delicately, they are a part of the book. Also a few uses of mild foul language.
9. “The Fault in Our Stars” by John GreenHazel is terminal. She’s known it since she was diagnosed with stage IV thyroid cancer at age 13. Now at age 16, thanks to a miracle tumor-shrinking drug, she’s given some time to live a quiet life, but knows there are still fewer days ahead. The last thing she excepts is to fall deeply, irrevocably in love. When seriously handsome, intelligent, bold Augustus Waters appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s simple life takes a whole new direction. Your book club will not want to stop talking about this stunning book. The story is so real and achieves that elusive goal of speaking about life, death, reality and love in a way that is meaningful instead of pretentious. It’s raw, irreverent and a thing of wonder. Have some tissues on hand. Content note: A few cases of mild foul language and one F-word, brief sexual references, one off-stage (the reader knows it happens, but is not described) sex scene between the two teenage main characters and serious themes of cancer and death of teenagers.
10. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie BarrowsFor a completely enjoyable read, pick up this charming book, tailor-made for book clubs. In January of 1946, writer Juliet Ashton opens a letter from a stranger who found her name inside a book. This man is the founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and a native of the island of Guernsey. Through the exchange of letters, Juliet is drawn into the life of this man and his eccentric group of friends. She discovers their joys, triumphs, experiences with the German occupation and love of books. Juliet eventually sets sail for the island, to meet the group, and to be changed forever.
11. “Turn of Mind” by Alice LaPlanteDr. Jennifer White, a brilliant orthopedic surgeon, is recently retired and widowed, but worst of all, she is suffering from the beginning stages of dementia. Not only does this stalwart woman now have a hard time holding on to reality as her mind gradually betrays her, but her long-time friend and neighbor has been murdered, with four fingers surgically removed, and Jennifer is the prime suspect. Alice LaPlante’s expertly crafted narrative is transfixing and horrifying all at once. Not only is this story a stark look at a sad disease, but it’s also a nail-biting mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the very end.
12. “The Kitchen House” by Kathleen GrissomSeven-year-old Lavinia arrives on the steps of the grand plantation, fresh from a ship from Ireland and the death of both her parents. Orphaned, her only option is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house. Belle, the master’s illegitimate daughter, immediately takes in the young white girl and treats her as one of her own. When Lavinia is older, she is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is never home and the mistress battles opium addiction. Caught between two worlds, Lavinia must chose a side, absorb horrible truths and watch as the lives of those she loves are threatened. This tragic story of slavery, love and family will make your heart ache and and swell at the same time. Full of suspense, emotion and tender moments, “The Kitchen House” is ideal for book clubs looking to tackle tough historical issues.

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*Teri Harman, author and book enthusiast, writes a bi-weekly column, Book Matters, for ksl.com and also contributes a monthly book segment to Studio 5. Her debut novel, "Blood Moon," comes out June 22, 2013. For more book fun, visit book- matters.com**

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