One of the sessions I attended at Book Expo America (BEA) was the Book Group Speed Dating put on by Reading Group Guides. Several of us sat at one table while one or two folks representing different publishers went from table to table to talk to us about their publisher's best book club picks.
I didn't get to hear from each publisher (there were 27!), so my list of the best new book club books is culled from the books I did get to hear about. And here they are:
1. Lost Canyon by Nina Revoya (Akashic Books, August 25, 2015)
This novel is about four backpackers in the Sierra Nevada who find more adventure than they bargained for.
2. The Measure of Darkness by Liam Durcan (Bellevue Literary Press, March 15, 2016)
You'll have to wait until next year for this one, but I think it's going to be well worth the wait! In this novel, an architect suffers a head injury and must uncover the truth behind the accident.
3. The Do-Right by Lisa Sandlin (Cinco Puntos Press, October 13, 2015)
I picked up a review copy of this book! If you like strong female characters, then I think the one in this book will not disappoint.
4. The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson (Hogarth Shakespeare, October 6, 2015)
Hogarth Shakespeare is a new imprint of novels written by popular authors that retell classic Shakespearean stories. Jeanette Winterson tackles "The Winter's Tale" in this novel.
5. Eleanor by Jason Gurley (Crown, January 12, 2016)
This novel, about twins and tragedy, was recommended for fans of Life After Life (which my book club read and had a really great discussion on) and The Time Traveler's Wife (which I really enjoyed).
6. The Girl Without a Name by Sandra Block (Grand Central Publishing, September 8, 2015)
This novel was described as a "gripping page-turner" about a psychiatrist who has to help solve the mystery of a young amnesiac girl's identity.
7. Early One Morning by Virginia Baily (Little, Brown, September 29, 2015)
If you like historical fiction, then you might like this novel about two strangers who save a child during WWII and that choice's repercussions throughout the years.
8. After the Crash by Michel Bussi (Hachette Books, January 5, 2016)
I almost didn't pick up this book because I thought the "crash" in the title had to do with the economy and that this book was non-fiction. But it's fiction and has been compared to "reading Stieg Larsson for the first time". In the book, there's a plane crash and only one survivor - an infant girl.
9. Us by David Nicholls (Harper Perennial, June 30, 2016)
I probably should have picked up a review copy of this book, but it was hardcover and my shoulders and arms hurt from lugging around books. This novel is about marriages and families and what happens when they fall apart.
10. The Art of Crash Landing by Melissa DeCarlo (Harper Paperbacks, September 8, 2015)
Had the opportunity to pick up a review copy of this book, which has been compared to Where'd You Go, Bernadette? and books by Liane Moriarty, but I didn't! This is a debut novel about a woman who travels to her mom's hometown and gets sucked into the family history and mystery.
11. The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips (Henry Holt and Co., August 11, 2015)
This book, which is partially about a couple trying to conceive, seems like it's going to be funny and a bit out there.
12. Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, September 1, 2015)
This historical fiction novel is based on a true story of the first female deputy sheriff in Hackensack, NJ back in the 1940s.
13. Couple Mechanics by Nelly Alard (Other Press, January 19, 2016)
In this novel, a wife learns that her husband is having an affair. What makes this really interesting is that it's based on a similar situation in the author's life! And when the author won a prize for this novel in France, the woman who presented the prize was the other woman!
14. Super Better by Jane McGonigal (Penguin, September 15, 2015)
The author of this non-fiction book suffered a head injury that was hindering her life, but she designed a video game (she was a video game developer) to help her recovery process, and now she's writing about how it can help you recover from injuries and setbacks!
15. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (Riverhead Books, September 15, 2015)
This book starts off from the man's point of view, but then something happens and the book starts over from the woman's point of view. This one sounded so interesting to me that I made sure to grab a review copy before they were gone!
16. Everybody Rise by Stephanie Clifford (St. Martin's Press, August 18, 2015)
Entertainment Weekly recently named this book to its 10 Must-Read Summer Books list. It's about a young girl in New York City circa 2006, right before the recession.
I didn't get to hear from each publisher (there were 27!), so my list of the best new book club books is culled from the books I did get to hear about. And here they are:
1. Lost Canyon by Nina Revoya (Akashic Books, August 25, 2015)
This novel is about four backpackers in the Sierra Nevada who find more adventure than they bargained for.
2. The Measure of Darkness by Liam Durcan (Bellevue Literary Press, March 15, 2016)
You'll have to wait until next year for this one, but I think it's going to be well worth the wait! In this novel, an architect suffers a head injury and must uncover the truth behind the accident.
3. The Do-Right by Lisa Sandlin (Cinco Puntos Press, October 13, 2015)
I picked up a review copy of this book! If you like strong female characters, then I think the one in this book will not disappoint.
4. The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson (Hogarth Shakespeare, October 6, 2015)
Hogarth Shakespeare is a new imprint of novels written by popular authors that retell classic Shakespearean stories. Jeanette Winterson tackles "The Winter's Tale" in this novel.
5. Eleanor by Jason Gurley (Crown, January 12, 2016)
This novel, about twins and tragedy, was recommended for fans of Life After Life (which my book club read and had a really great discussion on) and The Time Traveler's Wife (which I really enjoyed).
6. The Girl Without a Name by Sandra Block (Grand Central Publishing, September 8, 2015)
This novel was described as a "gripping page-turner" about a psychiatrist who has to help solve the mystery of a young amnesiac girl's identity.
7. Early One Morning by Virginia Baily (Little, Brown, September 29, 2015)
If you like historical fiction, then you might like this novel about two strangers who save a child during WWII and that choice's repercussions throughout the years.
8. After the Crash by Michel Bussi (Hachette Books, January 5, 2016)
I almost didn't pick up this book because I thought the "crash" in the title had to do with the economy and that this book was non-fiction. But it's fiction and has been compared to "reading Stieg Larsson for the first time". In the book, there's a plane crash and only one survivor - an infant girl.
9. Us by David Nicholls (Harper Perennial, June 30, 2016)
I probably should have picked up a review copy of this book, but it was hardcover and my shoulders and arms hurt from lugging around books. This novel is about marriages and families and what happens when they fall apart.
10. The Art of Crash Landing by Melissa DeCarlo (Harper Paperbacks, September 8, 2015)
Had the opportunity to pick up a review copy of this book, which has been compared to Where'd You Go, Bernadette? and books by Liane Moriarty, but I didn't! This is a debut novel about a woman who travels to her mom's hometown and gets sucked into the family history and mystery.
11. The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips (Henry Holt and Co., August 11, 2015)
This book, which is partially about a couple trying to conceive, seems like it's going to be funny and a bit out there.
12. Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, September 1, 2015)
This historical fiction novel is based on a true story of the first female deputy sheriff in Hackensack, NJ back in the 1940s.
13. Couple Mechanics by Nelly Alard (Other Press, January 19, 2016)
In this novel, a wife learns that her husband is having an affair. What makes this really interesting is that it's based on a similar situation in the author's life! And when the author won a prize for this novel in France, the woman who presented the prize was the other woman!
14. Super Better by Jane McGonigal (Penguin, September 15, 2015)
The author of this non-fiction book suffered a head injury that was hindering her life, but she designed a video game (she was a video game developer) to help her recovery process, and now she's writing about how it can help you recover from injuries and setbacks!
15. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (Riverhead Books, September 15, 2015)
This book starts off from the man's point of view, but then something happens and the book starts over from the woman's point of view. This one sounded so interesting to me that I made sure to grab a review copy before they were gone!
16. Everybody Rise by Stephanie Clifford (St. Martin's Press, August 18, 2015)
Entertainment Weekly recently named this book to its 10 Must-Read Summer Books list. It's about a young girl in New York City circa 2006, right before the recession.
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