Great Books for Book Club Discussions

Every once in a while I pick up a book that just begs to be talked about. I’ll spend the next week bugging my mom, roommate, or anyone who’ll listen to me about the new book I’m reading. I can’t help but think these books are perfect book club picks. My favorite book club discussions happen when there’s no clear interpretation of the book. Whether it’s because of complex, morally grey characters, an ambiguous plot, or real-life issues brought up on page, I love seeing how everyone interprets the story differently. Recently, five books have really stood out to me as great books for book club discussions.

Books that are perfect for starting a discussion at book club

1. Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

Features that make it an ideal discussion-starter

• Complex characters with troubled relationships (Who do you like? Who deserves sympathy and whose actions can be forgiven or not?
• A mysterious curse and no clear villain (Where did the curse come from? What or who caused it?)
• Characters losing touch with reality (Is what they’re seeing real? An Illusion? Or just a trick?)
• A theme of unsatisfying endings (What do you think about how each of the characters’ stories end? Did their life have untapped potential or did they avoid inevitable tragedy and pain ahead?)

2. The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart

• Unreliable narrators (Do you think the narrators are telling you the whole truth? If not, is it because they are unwilling to admit it or unable to?
• Lots of mystery hidden in the worldbuilding, magic system, and characters’ motivations (What did you think was going to happen? What part(s) of the story surprised you? What did you see coming?)
• Multiple main characters whose stories don’t seem to connect (How are they related in the grand scheme of things? How do you think their stories will come together?)

3. Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

• Main character with depression and anxiety dealing with burnout (Can you relate to her experience with burnout?)
• Main character is a struggling perfectionist (how has perfectionism helped her survive? How does it hinder her?)
• Explores racism + sexism in academia (How has the main character’s experiences of racism/sexism contributed to her mental health issues?)
• Conflicted relationship with parents (How did her parents contribute to her burnout? How did they help (or not) when she was struggling?)

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4. The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

• Main character that makes questionable choices (Do you agree with her choices? Do they seem extreme?)
• Drastic tone changes in the story/three-part plot structure (What did you think of how the story started vs. how it ended? How have the characters changed? Was their change good, bad, or both?)
• Story based on real historical events (How much did you know about the historical context before reading The Poppy War? How much did you learn from the book? What did you think about the portrayal of war?)

5. A Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

• Not just one, but TWO angst-filled love triangles (which couples did you ship?)
• A main character who has to fight through her fear and grief (What did you think of this representation of courage? Is it similar or different from how you define courage?)
• Secondary main characters trapped in a violent colonial institution (How were they complicit in violence/perpetuate that violence? Are their actions unforgivable even if their survival depended on them?)

Have you read any of these books? What books do you consider book club worthy?