Is your book club putting together its reading list for the next few months? Here are 5 new releases that are guaranteed to keep you talking, well after the wine is gone.
“The Leftovers” by Tom Perrotta
What if The Rapture goes wrong? After all, you’re a pretty decent person, right? What if, one day, millions of people disappear in a split second, but you’re not one of them? Perrotta, author of the best-seller “Little Children,” writes a tale bound to give everyone pause. At the center of the story are the Garvers, a family that lost no one to the Sudden Departure, but were lost to each other and themselves. Fascinating, riveting, extremely well-written and bound to stir up rousing conversation.
“The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern
A magical, twisted tale, “The Night Circus” is racing up the best-seller list, and for good reason—it’s a page-turner of a debut novel. The story of Celia and Marco grabs the reader from the very first page, and makes you wonder if you just try hard enough, is there magic in everyone? And when is Le Cirque des Reves coming to town?
“The Art of Fielding” by Chad Harbach
Harbach’s first effort at fiction has already won over the likes of Jonathan Franzen, James Patterson and John Irving. Given that the plot features baseball, this might be the book that your club saves for the end of the year—a good reason to invite the guys along to the holiday shindig. Bonus? Some of the most interesting character names in a long time—try saying Skrimshander five times fast.
“Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy” by Caroline Kennedy and Michael Beschloss
Read the book, then bring the audio format to your next book club meeting, where everyone can eat, drink and listen intently as one of America’s most iconic women dishes, ever so candidly to Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., on life in the White House and being a part of the Kennedy clan.
“Every Thing On It” by Shel Silverstein
Forget that it’s Shel Silverstein, or that it seems as if it’s geared toward your kids. Or don’t—maybe this is the book that inspires a mother/child month in your book club. The teaser copy is enough to pierce the heart of any Silverstein fan:
“Although I cannot see your face
As you flip these poems awhile,
Somewhere from some far-off place
I hear you laughing—and I smile”
