Published:
Sometimes, it can be fun to get a little meta when reading. These books feature stories involving book clubs and their readers. Whether fiction or nonfiction, from serious to lighthearted and everything in between, chances are you’ll find something for everyone to enjoy on this list in your circle of readers. Check out these great picks for solo readers and for book clubs. Plus, join a book club at DC Public Library!
Looking to get personalized reading recommendations from DC Public Library staff? Fill out the form linked below and a curated list will get sent directly to your inbox!
Get a Personalized Reading List
The Titanic Survivors Book Club by Timothy Schaffert
After strokes of luck lead to would-be passengers being spared frigid deaths following the fateful journey of the Titanic, the survivors form a secret society headed by the ship’s apprentice librarian. As the group contend with their unusual shared experience of an almost-certain-death, they read through books such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Awakening. Meanwhile, the threat of World War I looms and the book club must once again face an uncertain and daunting future.
The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore
Sloane Parker, librarian, is pretty content with her small-town life. She even has the regular company of grumpy patron Arthur to look forward to. Until she doesn’t. When Arthur stops showing up at the library, Sloane sets out to find him. Nearly bedridden, Arthur is clearly delighted to see Sloane – despite his best attempts to hide it – which inspires her to begin a mini book club, the perfect excuse to continue to visit. And before long, they have a growing following that creates a greater sense of nuance for the inhabitants of Sloane’s small town. Also available as an ebook.
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
With his marriage going foul, second baseman Gavin Scott really needs to hit a homerun if he’s going to salvage it. Luckily for him, the bros of Nashville have a secret romance book club. And between analyzing pages of Courting the Countess, the guys share advice and tips that could make or break Gavin’s relationship. But wooing his wife is a whole new ballgame for Gavin and it may take the win of a century to get her back in his arms. Also available in large print, as an ebook, and as an eaudiobook.
Fourth Sunday: The Journey of a Book Club by B. W. Read
Written by a real book club, Fourth Sunday explores the lives and trials of book club members Gwen, Natalie, Allena, Brianna, Camille, Destiny, and Adriane as they meet once a month over their latest read. Across two years, the women face the swing of drama from the lows of divorce and illness to the highs of new experiences and challenges at work. All the while, the women support each other as they come together for their book club where the talk ranges from the fictional to anything but.
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
Revisiting her years in Islamic Revolution-era Tehran, Nafisi describes hosting seven of her most gifted and committed students for a Thursday morning book club where they read banned materials. From, indeed, Nabokov’s Lolita to the works of Henry James and Jane Austen, the young women mentally travel outside Iran to places – and times – far away. Meanwhile, Nafisi shares with contemporary readers what life in the Islamic Republic of Iran was like from 1978 to 1981. Also available as an audiobook and as an ebook.
The Futilitarians: Our Year of Thinking, Drinking, Grieving, and Reading by Anne Gisleson
After a series of traumas, author Anne Gisleson feels adrift. But she isn’t alone. Her husband, too, having experienced his own trials, suggests they carry on together – whatever that looks like. For Gisleson and her husband, this means collecting their friends in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, all of whom suffer their own grief. Bonding over the works of Tolstoy and beyond, the Existential Crisis Reading Group – or, the Futilitarians – process their afters and find, eventually, a path toward healing.
About the Author
Abby is a New-Hampshire-grown Assistant Branch Manager at Southwest Neighborhood Library. In addition to writing book lists for DC Public Library, she's written for Book Riot, School Library Journal, Library Journal, Booklist, and other professional library and bookish publications. She reads broadly, but often enjoys literary young adult fiction, contemporary young adult fiction, and young adult fantasy. She lives in Virginia with her husband and her cat, Oopsilon.